Blacksmith Competition at Bar U Ranch
Dec 27th, 2005, 05:24 AM
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Blacksmith Competition at Bar U Ranch
In the Calgary tourism's Web site, I've turned up this blacksmithing competition at Bar U Ranch in Longview, which looks like its about an hour or so south of Calgary. DH is interested. We're on our way to Banff and Jasper in a camper rented from Calgary and want to know if it's worth the drive out of the way.
This is the same day, May 28, as the Lilac Festival in Calgary so we'd have to pick one or the other.
I am still working out plans for this trip, so count on more questions to come.
This is the same day, May 28, as the Lilac Festival in Calgary so we'd have to pick one or the other.
I am still working out plans for this trip, so count on more questions to come.
Dec 27th, 2005, 06:09 AM
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I've never been to the blacksmithing competition at Bar U Ranch, so it's difficult for me to compare the two events.
I've often seen a blacksmith at work at Heritage Park (a pioneer village in a SW suburb of Calgary). I found it interesting to watch him at work, but I can't say I'd drive out of my way to watch people competing in that type of work. But then people's interests are different, so another person might find it well worth the drive.
The Longview area is quite pleasant. Longview is on Hwy #22, which also is known as the Cowboy Trail. If you're travelling in a north-south direction, e.g., if you were driving from Calgary to Waterton Lakes National Park in the SW corner of Alberta, Hwy #22 would be a great route to take. It goes through the foothills of the Rockies, and there are places where you feel as if you can reach out and almost touch the Rockies themselves.
In summer it would be very nice to turn west at Longview and take Route #541, which turns north and becomes Hwy #40. Around there you go through the Highwood Pass, which is exceptionally scenic, and then you carry on north through Kananaskis Country. When you reach the TransCanada Highway (Hwy #1), you turn west and continue to Canmore and Banff.
The Highwood Pass, however, is closed until June 15th, so you will not be able to use that route. If you do go to Longview, afterwards you'll need to turn around and head north through Black Diamond, Turner Valley and Bragg Creek. Then you'll need to continue north on Hwy #22 till it reaches Hwy #1. Then you'll turn west towards Canmore and Banff.
That drive would be pleasant enough. In fact the small towns that I've mentioned are cute. However, Hwy #22 is nothing like as scenic as the Highwood Pass.
Here is a map of the Cowboy Trail (Hwy #22). Click on the map till it enlarges:
http://www.thecowboytrail.com/map.jpg
I don't know how long you'll be in Calgary. If I had one day in Calgary, I wouldn't participate in the Lilac Festival, and I also wouldn't attend the blacksmithing competition at Bar U Ranch. I'd go to the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Paleontology in Drumheller.
I've often seen a blacksmith at work at Heritage Park (a pioneer village in a SW suburb of Calgary). I found it interesting to watch him at work, but I can't say I'd drive out of my way to watch people competing in that type of work. But then people's interests are different, so another person might find it well worth the drive.
The Longview area is quite pleasant. Longview is on Hwy #22, which also is known as the Cowboy Trail. If you're travelling in a north-south direction, e.g., if you were driving from Calgary to Waterton Lakes National Park in the SW corner of Alberta, Hwy #22 would be a great route to take. It goes through the foothills of the Rockies, and there are places where you feel as if you can reach out and almost touch the Rockies themselves.
In summer it would be very nice to turn west at Longview and take Route #541, which turns north and becomes Hwy #40. Around there you go through the Highwood Pass, which is exceptionally scenic, and then you carry on north through Kananaskis Country. When you reach the TransCanada Highway (Hwy #1), you turn west and continue to Canmore and Banff.
The Highwood Pass, however, is closed until June 15th, so you will not be able to use that route. If you do go to Longview, afterwards you'll need to turn around and head north through Black Diamond, Turner Valley and Bragg Creek. Then you'll need to continue north on Hwy #22 till it reaches Hwy #1. Then you'll turn west towards Canmore and Banff.
That drive would be pleasant enough. In fact the small towns that I've mentioned are cute. However, Hwy #22 is nothing like as scenic as the Highwood Pass.
Here is a map of the Cowboy Trail (Hwy #22). Click on the map till it enlarges:
http://www.thecowboytrail.com/map.jpg
I don't know how long you'll be in Calgary. If I had one day in Calgary, I wouldn't participate in the Lilac Festival, and I also wouldn't attend the blacksmithing competition at Bar U Ranch. I'd go to the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Paleontology in Drumheller.
Dec 27th, 2005, 07:43 AM
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To Judy,
We were planning to go east from the Banff and Jasper area in our camper to Drumheller to the museum and see the hoodoos, so we've got that covered.
There is no opportunity to attend any events like the Lilac Festival or the blacksmithing event where we live (nothing here but beaches and expensive restaurants) so we do like to go to them if they seem interesting.
We have the camper for 10 or 11 days - still up in the air about that - so I'm gathering information that will help us decide how long to rent it. I realize that lots of people could see a lot more than we will in that amount of time, but we enjoy afternoons in the camper reading while drinking hot chocolate.
We have to stay at least two nights in the Calgary area. We are flying a long way, and experience has show that it's too stressful to get in late at night and pick up the camper the next day.
We're also undecided about staying at the airport or downtown for those two nights. There's that airplane museum near the airport that DH will like. The Glenbow museum and Devonian Gardens seem interesting downtown.
I should add that we are stopping over in Denver for five or six days on our way home, so we'll have lots of time for city experiences there.
Thanks so much for your help. I've been scouring the Internet for information, but opinions are hard to come by.
I am definitely open to information on other things we might like to do. We are both in our early 60s and not up for major hikes. We like shorter hikes, though. We really like nice scenery, nice drives and off-the-beaten path stuff. We're also looking for suggestions on day canoe trips. That's probably a better bet for the Drumheller area because it will probably be too chilly in Banff and Jasper. We have to rent a canoe, and I haven't come up with much in the way of possibilities there.
Thanks again for all your help.
We were planning to go east from the Banff and Jasper area in our camper to Drumheller to the museum and see the hoodoos, so we've got that covered.
There is no opportunity to attend any events like the Lilac Festival or the blacksmithing event where we live (nothing here but beaches and expensive restaurants) so we do like to go to them if they seem interesting.
We have the camper for 10 or 11 days - still up in the air about that - so I'm gathering information that will help us decide how long to rent it. I realize that lots of people could see a lot more than we will in that amount of time, but we enjoy afternoons in the camper reading while drinking hot chocolate.
We have to stay at least two nights in the Calgary area. We are flying a long way, and experience has show that it's too stressful to get in late at night and pick up the camper the next day.
We're also undecided about staying at the airport or downtown for those two nights. There's that airplane museum near the airport that DH will like. The Glenbow museum and Devonian Gardens seem interesting downtown.
I should add that we are stopping over in Denver for five or six days on our way home, so we'll have lots of time for city experiences there.
Thanks so much for your help. I've been scouring the Internet for information, but opinions are hard to come by.
I am definitely open to information on other things we might like to do. We are both in our early 60s and not up for major hikes. We like shorter hikes, though. We really like nice scenery, nice drives and off-the-beaten path stuff. We're also looking for suggestions on day canoe trips. That's probably a better bet for the Drumheller area because it will probably be too chilly in Banff and Jasper. We have to rent a canoe, and I haven't come up with much in the way of possibilities there.
Thanks again for all your help.
Dec 27th, 2005, 09:29 AM
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Hello islandpaddler,
I suggest you visit Drumheller close to the beginning of your trip rather than the end of your trip. The reason for this is to leave the Banff / Lake Louise area till the end of your trip, or close to the end. The reason for that, in turn, is to see Moraine Lake (9 miles from Lake Louise) at its turquoise best.
The road to Moraine Lake is closed for the winter. It opens any time from the latter part of May to the middle of June, depending on conditions during a given year. Spring seems to have been arriving earlier and earlier. I put it down to global warming. So in recent years the road to Moraine Lake has been open for the Victoria Day long weekend. Victoria Day is a public holiday that is celebrated on the Monday preceding May 25th. However, although the road to Moraine Lake has been open by then, the lake has not yet looked its best even into the first week of June. You really need to go around the middle of June, or at least the second week of June, to see the lake nicely filled up and displaying its legendary colour to full effect.
If your DH is interested in airplane museums, the one in Nanton, south of Calgary, is even better. I believe you would be able to combine a visit to Bar U Ranch and Nanton on the same day. In fact it would make for quite a pleasant round trip out of and back to Calgary.
Just to the south of Calgary, you could turn west on Hwy #22X. Before you reached Priddis, you could turn south onto Hwy #22 and drive through Millarville, Turner Valley, Black Diamond and Longview to the Bar U Ranch.
After visiting the Bar U Ranch, you could continue south on Hwy #22. Just when you'd reached the end of Chain Lakes, you could turn east on Route #533 to Nanton.
At Nanton you could visit the airplane museum. After that you could return to Calgary on Hwy #2.
You also could do the trip in the reverse direction. In fact it would be rather nice to finish up with the most scenic part of it (Hwy #22). However, I don't know how time-sensitive the black smithing event is.
If your DH is interested in old airplanes (and also old cars, agricultural implements and motorcycles), I've heard that the Reynolds-Alberta Museum is excellent (reportedly way better than anything in Calgary or even Nanton). The Reynolds Museum is in Wetaskiwin, between Calgary and Edmonton.
This message is getting kind of long, so I'll continue my thoughts in another message.
I suggest you visit Drumheller close to the beginning of your trip rather than the end of your trip. The reason for this is to leave the Banff / Lake Louise area till the end of your trip, or close to the end. The reason for that, in turn, is to see Moraine Lake (9 miles from Lake Louise) at its turquoise best.
The road to Moraine Lake is closed for the winter. It opens any time from the latter part of May to the middle of June, depending on conditions during a given year. Spring seems to have been arriving earlier and earlier. I put it down to global warming. So in recent years the road to Moraine Lake has been open for the Victoria Day long weekend. Victoria Day is a public holiday that is celebrated on the Monday preceding May 25th. However, although the road to Moraine Lake has been open by then, the lake has not yet looked its best even into the first week of June. You really need to go around the middle of June, or at least the second week of June, to see the lake nicely filled up and displaying its legendary colour to full effect.
If your DH is interested in airplane museums, the one in Nanton, south of Calgary, is even better. I believe you would be able to combine a visit to Bar U Ranch and Nanton on the same day. In fact it would make for quite a pleasant round trip out of and back to Calgary.
Just to the south of Calgary, you could turn west on Hwy #22X. Before you reached Priddis, you could turn south onto Hwy #22 and drive through Millarville, Turner Valley, Black Diamond and Longview to the Bar U Ranch.
After visiting the Bar U Ranch, you could continue south on Hwy #22. Just when you'd reached the end of Chain Lakes, you could turn east on Route #533 to Nanton.
At Nanton you could visit the airplane museum. After that you could return to Calgary on Hwy #2.
You also could do the trip in the reverse direction. In fact it would be rather nice to finish up with the most scenic part of it (Hwy #22). However, I don't know how time-sensitive the black smithing event is.
If your DH is interested in old airplanes (and also old cars, agricultural implements and motorcycles), I've heard that the Reynolds-Alberta Museum is excellent (reportedly way better than anything in Calgary or even Nanton). The Reynolds Museum is in Wetaskiwin, between Calgary and Edmonton.
This message is getting kind of long, so I'll continue my thoughts in another message.
Dec 27th, 2005, 10:05 AM
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Islandpaddler, here are some thoughts on how you might consider spending your time in Alberta (if I've correctly understood your schedule):
Sat, May 27 – Land in Calgary.
Sun, May 28 - From your Calgary base, see something in or near Calgary (as discussed in previous posts).
Mon, May 29 - Pick up camper, drive to Drumheller, visit Tyrrell Museum. Luckily, it will have been operating on summer hours since May 20th, so it'll be open on a Monday.
Tue, May 30 - From your Drumheller base, go for a canoe ride.
Wed, May 31 - Drive to Edmonton (via Wetaskiwin in order to see the Reynolds Museum?).
Thu, June 1 - Explore Edmonton. A visit to the Ukranian Cultural Village is one of many pleasant options to consider. If you do a word search for Edmonton here at Fodor's Talk, you'll find informative posts, including those by Borealis.
Fri, June 2 – Drive to Jasper. That will take about 4 hours, so will leave you with the afternoon to relax at your campsite.
Sat, June 3 – Explore Jasper National Park.
Sun, June 4 – Explolre Jasper National Park.
Mon, June 5 - Drive down the Icefields Parkway to Lake Louise and then SE on the TransCanada Highway to Banff. If you're self-catering in your camper, I'm guessing Banff would be a better option because it offers better opportunities for grocery shopping than Lake Louise does.
Tue, June 6 - Explore Banff townsite and its environs (Sulphur Mountain gondola, Johnston Canyon).
Wed, June 7 – From your base in Banff, visit Moraine Lake and Lake Louise. After that, visit Emerald Lake in Yoho National Park. You'll notice that I've left the visit to Moraine Lake until the last possible moment. I hope the water will be looking good by then.
Thu, June 8 - Drive to Calgary and return camper.
This page of my web site has links to information about camping in the mountain national parks:
http://groups.msn.com/CalgaryandCana...s/camping.msnw
For camping information, I especially recommend the Open Roads Forum:
http://www.rv.net/forum/
The TIPS section of my web site has links to information about Weather, What To Pack, National Park Entry Fees, driving distances and times, sources of <b>free</b> maps and travel guides, etc. I especially recommend the What To Pack page:
http://groups.msn.com/CalgaryandCana...ips/tips2.msnw
My Calgary page has information about the way Calgary is laid out:
http://groups.msn.com/CalgaryandCana...webpage10.msnw
This page of my web site provides some details concerning the circular itinerary I've suggested to you, i.e., Calgary - Drumheller - Edmonton - Jasper - Banff - Calgary:
http://groups.msn.com/CalgaryandCana...ularroute.msnw
Hope that helps.
Sat, May 27 – Land in Calgary.
Sun, May 28 - From your Calgary base, see something in or near Calgary (as discussed in previous posts).
Mon, May 29 - Pick up camper, drive to Drumheller, visit Tyrrell Museum. Luckily, it will have been operating on summer hours since May 20th, so it'll be open on a Monday.
Tue, May 30 - From your Drumheller base, go for a canoe ride.
Wed, May 31 - Drive to Edmonton (via Wetaskiwin in order to see the Reynolds Museum?).
Thu, June 1 - Explore Edmonton. A visit to the Ukranian Cultural Village is one of many pleasant options to consider. If you do a word search for Edmonton here at Fodor's Talk, you'll find informative posts, including those by Borealis.
Fri, June 2 – Drive to Jasper. That will take about 4 hours, so will leave you with the afternoon to relax at your campsite.
Sat, June 3 – Explore Jasper National Park.
Sun, June 4 – Explolre Jasper National Park.
Mon, June 5 - Drive down the Icefields Parkway to Lake Louise and then SE on the TransCanada Highway to Banff. If you're self-catering in your camper, I'm guessing Banff would be a better option because it offers better opportunities for grocery shopping than Lake Louise does.
Tue, June 6 - Explore Banff townsite and its environs (Sulphur Mountain gondola, Johnston Canyon).
Wed, June 7 – From your base in Banff, visit Moraine Lake and Lake Louise. After that, visit Emerald Lake in Yoho National Park. You'll notice that I've left the visit to Moraine Lake until the last possible moment. I hope the water will be looking good by then.
Thu, June 8 - Drive to Calgary and return camper.
This page of my web site has links to information about camping in the mountain national parks:
http://groups.msn.com/CalgaryandCana...s/camping.msnw
For camping information, I especially recommend the Open Roads Forum:
http://www.rv.net/forum/
The TIPS section of my web site has links to information about Weather, What To Pack, National Park Entry Fees, driving distances and times, sources of <b>free</b> maps and travel guides, etc. I especially recommend the What To Pack page:
http://groups.msn.com/CalgaryandCana...ips/tips2.msnw
My Calgary page has information about the way Calgary is laid out:
http://groups.msn.com/CalgaryandCana...webpage10.msnw
This page of my web site provides some details concerning the circular itinerary I've suggested to you, i.e., Calgary - Drumheller - Edmonton - Jasper - Banff - Calgary:
http://groups.msn.com/CalgaryandCana...ularroute.msnw
Hope that helps.
Dec 27th, 2005, 10:21 AM
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Hmm... All this is good food for thought.
Been to your Web site and especially enjoyed the part about what I think you referred to as deep travel.
No stranger to rv.net either.
Will be mulling all this over and working out our route in the next week or two. So many choices...
Many thanks.
Been to your Web site and especially enjoyed the part about what I think you referred to as deep travel.
No stranger to rv.net either.
Will be mulling all this over and working out our route in the next week or two. So many choices...
Many thanks.
