We’ve been out on the coast for the past little while, enjoying the contrast with what we experienced up in the north. Since then, as time has moved on, it is starting to feel distinctly late summery, even early autumnal-ish as night falls sooner and daytime highs drop.
Our campsite is underneath this long cloud, to the right, and just right!
Being on the west coast, we’ve had sunny days, rainy days, misty and foggy days, and sometimes all of those in the same afternoon! The ghostly grey mists and glowing silver seas and skies have been delightful, and after the relative aridity of earlier in the summer, I can almost feel my leathery (yet rugged and really rather handsome) features beginning to rehydrate.
Silver glow
What a transformation, and I now look barely a day over 95… As for that pesky frizzy oceanic hair, let’s just say that ship sailed many seasons ago, so no worries and the cap/toque stays on. (And what hair up top there is does tone really rather well with those aforementioned silvers and greys…)
West coast rugged
We’ll be enjoying the west coast for another week or two before beginning our trip back to Alberta, and having to come to terms with the end of road trip and camping season. Although, winter camping is an option? If Mrs. PC could be persuaded… (Nope, no chance – Mrs. PC)
Big textured skies
Thanks for reading, and I hope you have a wonderful long Labour Day weekend!
On the road for sure, zigging and zagging, this way and that, and off the grid most of the time, so who knows quite when this will be posted?
We enjoyed our time north of sixty enormously, the Northwest Territories surprising and delighting us all the way. As first time visitors, we didn’t know what to expect, but our hopes were for peace and quiet and time away from what passes for normal – wifi, headlines, dramas (confected or genuine) and shallow people. The shallow ones tend to be the ones involved in confected dramas, or so we find. Poor things…
Find yourself – or lose yourself – here
Anyway, time away from all that – and huge distances away from any of that, or so it felt – meant we could immerse ourselves in enjoying being on the road and off the grid. The Northwest Territories (the small parts we experienced) are spectacular as advertised, but not necessarily in an immediate way. If you have it, plenty of time means the place can seep in, get under your skin…
Take your time
A few facts and figures picked up along the way:
There are only eleven highways!
The population is around 45 000 people in a space larger than Spain, France and Portugal combined! Almost half the population resides in Yellowknife, so the other half has so much space to enjoy…
There is only one craft brewery in the entire NWT – fortunately, the beer is good!
Driving, if you like a road trip, is a delight!
In the four hours we took to drive from Hay River to Fort Smith, after the first hour, when we took the turn to Fort Smith, we didn’t see another vehicle for two hours. Make sure you have a full tank, a spare tire, and you know how to change that tire. There’s no cell service most of the time.
Almost three quarters of the NWT population live in these three places!
All that time and space encourages you to slow down, take it easy – there’s no rush, might as well enjoy where you are. It helps if you like boreal forest, lakes, all manner of wildlife and you don’t require external sources of entertainment.
Northern blue
The long daylight hours were quite something, and again encouraged us to slow down. Why rush to complete things, whatever they might be, if you’ve got all day(light)?! You’ll have all the time you need!
All that light, all that space (Great Slave Lake)
Being north of sixty is a state of mind as well as a geographical location (and, in our case, what we’ll both be next birthday) and it works for us.
The icing on the cake was a glimpse of the northern lights, late one evening – or early one morning. Just after mid August, when it starts to get dark enough, you just might catch them. For our sightings, the lights were little more than pale ribbons, floating silently across the sky, too high to mistake for clouds and eerie to see, I thought – probably because they move so silently, and they are so high up, shapeshifting and mysterious and quite beautiful.
Busy
We’re planning a late winter trip to Yellowknife, when we might, if lucky, see the northern lights in full colour. The wispy ribbons and curtains we saw a few days back has us excited for that.
So much northern fun, on the road and off the grid – spectacular!
Northern fun
Thanks for reading, and I hope you have a wonderful weekend!
For the week we were in Wood Buffalo, we camped at Pine Lake, and, for almost the entire time, we had the place to ourselves. To ourselves apart from the mama bear and her two cubs – we saw them just once, on our way back from the canoe launch, when the mama popped her head up out of the undergrowth, looking startled as we trundled by. Lovely to see her, as it was seeing her two cubs scurry away to safety. (During another encounter along the road into the park earlier in the week, we saw a different trio, and observed two cubs scramble up a tree, quick as a flash. Those little bears can climb!)
Pine Lake
Did I say we had the lake to ourselves? That’s not remotely accurate! We were visitors. Pine Lake is home to so much bird life, and once again I couldn’t name much of it, aside from the loons. We saw and heard them all the time, a wonderful sound floating across the water and echoing around the lake.
Clear water
Our short morning canoe paddle was just about perfect – no wind, not too hot, and completed before a few rain showers blew through. Pine Lake is modest in size – especially after being on Lesser and Great Slave Lake – and easier to get your head around as well as paddle around.
Just right!
There are dozens of small crescent shaped sandy beaches along the shore, each only a few feet long and wide. We’d choose one and spend the afternoon reading, swimming in the lake or drifting off to sleep, watching the birds and dragon flies.
Beach time
If you’re ever looking for a quiet and remote place to spend a few days camping near a lake, then I can’t think of anywhere much better than Pine Lake!
Perfect for loons
Thanks for reading, and I hope you have a wonderful weekend!
I’ll keep this brief as we’ve only patchy wifi, but our time in Wood Buffalo was amazing, from the moment we got to Fort Smith – the NWT gateway to the park, as signposted!
What a welcome! (Photo: Mrs. PC)
Within minutes of passing a sign stating bison were in the area, we encountered several small family groupings. They are incredible to see up close (but not too close) and they are large, so very large.
Amazing!
On our drive out of the park at the end of our stay, scanning the road ahead for buffalo and bears – both seemed to pop up almost anywhere, and even though they are not small creatures, harder to spot in the shadows and undergrowth than you might think – we approached a large rock or boulder. We both commented it looked a bit like a buffalo but wasn’t quite the right shape. Slowing down and passing the “rock” we saw it was in fact a buffalo, sat down with head up, and it was absolutely huge. Huge! The head and shoulders appeared larger than the front of our truck. We rolled past, slowly and carefully, and the buffalo tracked us with the smallest right to left turn of the head. Happily, it stayed where it was, and on we travelled, astonished at the size of him, even though we’d seen several large ones on other days.
Wood Buffalo ragged pines
Amazing, and barely scratching the surface of the wonders found in Wood Buffalo. More to follow when we’ve a better connection and had time to really stop and think about it all!
Best sit and think on things…
Thanks for reading, and I hope you have a wonderful weekend!
We haven’t had too much wifi connectivity the past few weeks, but when we have had it, scanning the headlines seems to indicate peace is very far from the hearts of so-called leaders… hey ho… we half joke that whatever apocalypse occurs next could take place and we’re so far away we wouldn’t know – at least, not until we return to “civilization” only to find a pile of smouldering ashes. Probably shouldn’t joke like that…
Peace
The mighty Peace River was a sight to see as we headed north, then more north. We stopped for a few days in the Fort Vermilion area, camping in a small forested site on the north bank of the Peace River, a few miles outside the hamlet of Fort Vermilion.
Sunny skies gave way to clouds, some rain and a couple of deafening, ground shaking thunderstorms! One overcast and stormy afternoon we wandered the south bank of the Peace, taking in some of the history and enjoying the river views.
In settler terms, this area is old, one of the first to be settled in the late 1700s, the Peace River being part of a network traveled by trappers, traders and voyageurs. The old Bay House has been renovated and preserved, an historic site of some significance. It appears very grand compared to other dwellings, and that was probably the point back when it was first built, conveying the power of the HBC. I liked the paint job…
Lovely colour
Our campground doubles as a community gathering space, and what a surprise it was one Saturday evening when a large group of Mennonite families arrived to enjoy a campfire meal. Big pick up truck after big pick up truck, full of hungry people who worked quickly to set up the meal. (We weren’t staring or anything – our site was opposite the central meeting space so we couldn’t help but observe all that was taking place). Anyway, I’m not too sure about the men and boys wearing regular jeans and all while the women and girls all dressed in more traditional clothing, but that’s just my view, not really all that relevant, and anyway, everyone gathered was clearly happy and having a fine old time.
Bug repellent
The following afternoon, a group of ten or twelve young Mennonite women met by the fire. We heard them laugh, tell stories and play games. It shouldn’t have been, (and says more about my own preconceived notions) but it appeared incongruous when several of the women, dressed in Sunday finery, wielded axes with precision, starting and maintaining a campfire – just the thing to keep the (not too bad) mosquitoes at bay. At one point, all the women stood as one and glided – I can’t think of a better word – as a group away from the fire and down to the river. To pray? Maybe? They looked happy and graceful and a world away from what we think of as the normal world… It was a peaceful scene, one of many by the mighty Peace!
After the storm
By the time this is posted, we should be up into the Northwest Territories and find ourselves somewhere on the southern shores of Great Slave Lake. That’ll be as far north as we’ve ever camped in Canada – so far!
Onwards! (Hoping the sunny skies return…)
Thanks for reading, and I hope you have a wonderful weekend!
Lesser? There’s a bigger one?! Yup – maybe we’ll get there in a few weeks…
Lesser, but not
Lesser Slave Lake is about 100km long east to west, and the widest point is about 15km across, north to south. We’ve had a mix of wildfire smoky days and clear blue sky days. On even the clear days, we were unable to see the far shore, so it feels more like being at the sea rather than on a lake.
Shady trails, lake views
Perhaps due to the fairly remote mid Alberta location, the lake and surrounding area is quiet in terms of visitors. The sandy beaches are pleasant, quiet, and the perfect place to sit and spot bird life. I’m not good at identifying birds, but the bald eagle was easy, along with the loons. We’ve seen other ducks – mergansers? – and a hawk or two, as well as terns, crows and those small birds that refuse to slow down so we can identify them! If you’re into bird life, then this is the place!
Beach time! And time to dip in a paw?
Mixed boreal forest kept us well shaded on the hot days, and the mosquitoes knew where to find us. Bug bite count? It’s gone up from two…
Keeping cool
If you’re ever looking for quiet camping in a rugged location, and you don’t mind a bug or two, then Lesser Slave Lake might be perfect for you. We love it here!
North! (photo: Mrs. PC)
Thanks for reading, and I hope you have a wonderful weekend!
It’s Canada Day next week (Wednesday) and, as always, I’m so happy this is my home. I’ve said it before, and that won’t stop me from saying it again: Canada is not perfect, but my sense is, as a nation, we are mostly trying to paddle in the right direction (it would need a large canoe, but that’s ok and all are welcome to climb in)…
January February
The photos chosen this week are one for each month of 2026 so far, in an attempt to share something of the flavour of western Canada. (If you add maple syrup from the eastern side, the flavour improves even more! Maybe throw in a TimBit or two…)
MarchApril
So, if you’re Canadian and choose to celebrate, have visited Canada, maybe would like to visit one day, or simply like maple syrup and the big outdoors, Happy Canada Day!
MayJune
Thanks for reading, and I hope you have a wonderful weekend!
Sneak preview for July – Stampede starts next Friday!
I received a WordPress notification earlier this week informing me I’d been blogging here for ten years. Ten years?! Goodness, that’s quite a long time. Curiosity prompted, I went back into the archives to reread the very first post, one entitled “Why Plaid Camper?” It was a not so brief introduction and indication of what I hoped my bright and shiny new blog might be.
Little Bear Sunset (near Bozeman, Montana) – the first photograph on OPC
In the main, I think the vague aims and intentions I mentioned way back when have been met – mostly – and continue to be met all these years later. But then I would say that, even though I am totally unbiased…
Bow Valley beauty, AB – always a happy place for us
Blogging is inevitably somewhat self indulgent, and in that spirit I think I’ll take the next week or two to reflect on ten blogging years and repost a few favourite photographs representing some memorable moments and/or happy places. Like I said, self indulgent!
A fine BC beer in a fine location – thanks for humouring me back then, Wayne!
So here we go, the greatest hits that never were – or, less charitably, just some repeats and reruns. Is it “Why Plaid Camper?” as that first post asked back then, or more “Why, PlaidCamper?!” Or maybe, more simply, why not?
Little Bear Cabin, Montana – tops the list of my favourite cabins!
I’ll end this week (before some more rerun photos) by saying “thank you” to each and every person that has taken the time to read and/or comment here the past ten years. Those genuine connections are the real why. So, shall we carry on for another ten and see where we go? And wonder what that might look like? (Erm, probably like pieces about going for a walk, visits to a campground or two in a pretty setting, and often finishing with a glass of something good by a fire?) Oh, ok – put like that, not too bad, eh? Let’s keep it going – cheers!
Cheers! (Hardknott Bar, Woolpack Inn, Lake District, UK – great beer selection and the best company, even if my brother only drinks Peroni…)
Thanks for reading, and I hope you have a wonderful weekend!
“Thanks, friends!” (Taken at Dry Island Buffalo Jump, AB)A different AB good mood – oh those prairie days outOne of our very best days – thank you, Jet!Any day out and about with Scout always works for usAlberta river rush! A day on (not in) the water with friends is a good day
Scout here. OldPlaidCamper is around, but you know how he can be when elections are won by old xenophobes, criminal misogynist wannabe “strong” men and- well, I could go on but then I’d sound like him, and we all know I’m more chipper and less likely to rant than him. So, while he’s off sulking, this week it’s up to me to provide a post. This is about something, or rather, a something that has been lurking and maybe even tracking us in the woods.
Hiding places
OPC can get twitchy – or squirrelly but not as cute (don’t tell him I said that) – when there’s a rustling in the undergrowth. I’ve explained over and over that there really isn’t anything much larger than a deer in our little neck of the woods, but will he listen? Yes, yes, there’s the troll house, but we’ve never seen the trolls, have we?
The troll house (no trolls though)
Anyway, there we were out in the woods last week, and, yup, there was definitely something different in the vicinity. We paused to listen. A sort of low rustling and then nothing. On we went. There it was again! It stopped just after we did. Now, I’m not the nervous sort, not like a certain almost outdoorsman we all know, but I will admit to being a little spooked. Not spooked or annoyed like I get with ravens and crows, and we all know I’m so calm I’ll sleep through a bear encounter, but this time I was ruffled. We moved on. And there it was again! Hmm.
“Wait! Did you hear that? A scurrying behind us?”
As a child, oops, I mean pup, and just like OPC, I was always drawn to maps in books that had places marked with “Here be dragons” and this was beginning to play on my mind. Could it be… no! So, perhaps it was a troll? Except whatever it was sounded too fleet of foot – not lumbering, far more nimble than that. You’ll never guess what OldPlaidCamper said? “I say, Scout, old thing, I do believe we’re jolly well being stalked by a woodland dragon! How beastly. Shall we hide?” (When he’s nervous, he sounds like a prissy child actor in a Sunday teatime BBC adaptation of one of the Narnia books. You won’t tell him I said that will you?)
Eye rolling moment
Oh, c’mon, OPC. There is no such thing outside of your, oops, I mean my, story books! (I’m beginning to struggle with the narrative voice here. It’s not easy writing this. Never mind all thumbs on a keyboard, or a monkey (as if) with a typewriter – I’m all paws. Nope, not easy…)
Where was I? Oh yes. OPC loves dragons, but, unlike trolls, they only exist in stories. I’ve never seen one – have you? OPC says dragons are more real than a Brexit unicorn frolicking in sunlit uplands, but I usually stop listening when he gets started on that. You know, unicorns.
Here be dragons? Don’t be daft, OPC
This post isn’t going anywhere is it? I thought I’d write something more interesting than his usual man goes for walk with dog then drinks beer. I was aiming to be a bit more elevated. More dog goes for a walk with man then eats kibble, and ending with a soft focus photograph of a bowl of kibble and a caption saying “yum!”
I’ll humour him. “Yes, OPC, something has been lurking here!”
Oh well. I’m tired, and I need to go find OPC, see if he needs a walk and feeding, so let’s leave it here this week. He often finishes with something like that, doesn’t he? “Let’s leave it here this week!” Not me. I’m going to say let’s paws it here this week. Elevated. Oh! I almost forgot, and I’d hate to leave you in suspense – was it a dragon? Yes! Yes it was! A baby dragon:
Yes, that’s right, a baby dragon. (I know, I know, but don’t spoil it for OPC – he’s fragile after recent events…)
A baby dragon?! He insisted on calling it that, bless him. To me it looks a lot like a salamander, but try telling OPC. He is adamant it is a baby dragon. And now, when we go to the woods, he’s all “here be dragons!” each time we turn a corner. I’ve decided it’s best to let him believe it, since it seems to cheer him up, and don’t some of us need that at the moment?
Thanks for reading, and we hope you have a wonderful weekend!
As it turned out, the heights weren’t the highest we’ve hiked, climbed or scrambled in the past, but on a warm fall day, and starting at sea level, the near 1400 feet up felt high enough. Got an endorphin high for sure!
Get high
If you’re ever in the vicinity of Camden, Maine, and you’re looking for a mostly moderate (and, in parts, challenging) hike with spectacular views from the heights, then I heartily recommend the Mt Megunticook Trail at Camden Hills State Park.
Happy trails
The hike up through a red, gold and green mixed forest on well maintained trails is pretty special, and if the trail only meandered through the woods you’d be happy enough.
The bonus is, with a little leg and lung workout up some steep sections (steps made from rock slabs and a couple of short and potentially slippery boulder scrambles if it was a rainy day) you’ll emerge up top and enjoy amazing scenes over Penobscot Bay and across the low hills and mountains of the nearby Maine interior.
Some elevation
I’ll let the photos do the work this week – and, as much as I like these images, honestly, they don’t capture the magnificence of the place. You’ll just have to visit! You’d be dizzy with delight, I promise you!
Delight
Thanks for reading, and I hope you have a wonderful weekend!
OldPlaidCamper 