Lunch at Aspen Crossing in Alberta Canada

In my last post, we left Yellowstone National Park and traveled on to Helena, Montana where we spent the night. It took us a few minutes to find the motel and we sent Steve in to get the room this time. Not only did he get us a room but they gave him a military discount. The next morning we headed north on the final northbound leg of our trip to Calgary. We crossed the border at Sweet Grass without incident. There were several RVs and cars ahead of us and a motorcycle. The cyclist got off his bike and kept waving for another cyclist quite a few vehicles back in the line to come and join him since they were traveling together. One of the border guards quickly came out and gestured several times for the second cyclist to go back to his own place in line. The guard was clearly annoyed so I figured the first cyclist might find himself subjected to a thorough search but that didn't happen. When they got to us, they only asked me a few questions since I was driving and didn't even ask for Angus' shot records. We were quickly on our way. My cousin lives in Strathmore which is about an hour from Calgary and, after a few direction changes right in their neighborhood, we found them. Their daughter Lisa drove out from Calgary and we all had a great dinner together. Steve and Helen followed Lisa and Charity back to their house later on as they were staying with her.

Monday Shirley and I got a catch up visit in while Jack headed off to his job at the Strathmore Golf Course. Tuesday Jack came home from work and we headed out to Aspen Crossing near Mossleigh, Alberta. It is a very interesting place where they off 28 mile train excursions with different themes. They also have a very neat dining car, an RV park, a nursery, and a gift shop.

This is the restaurant in the stationary dining car.

It's really nice inside all paneled wood just like it would have been while the dining car was riding the rails. We all had a delicious lunch.

At the back of the car is a cute little sitting room with tea cups all set up.

We didn't take the train trip but they offered all kinds of special theme excursions on different days.

There were some nice garden displays set up from the nursery and a nice gift shop as well.

As we drove back towards Strathmore, we saw fields of hay that had already been bailed as well as fields of wheat.

Back at my cousin's house, I saw several of these birds over in the neighbors yard and then one a bit closer in my cousin's front yard. They were as large as a small chicken with bright yellow head and throat.

My cousin Jack said they were Yellow Breasted Blackbirds. I don't know if some of my birding friends are familiar with them but I have never seen them before.

Wednesday, we headed west through Calgary but I will leave that for the next post.