ROAD TRIPPIN' PT 3 - Airdrie, AB to Edmonton, AB

Hey Steemit!

I am still trying to find my way back into a proper schedule, after having been away for about 3 weeks. I'm slowly readjusting, but bear with me as I find my motivation amongst the chaos that is getting myself and the kids back into a routine.

Back in PART ONE and PART TWO I explained that we were on a road trip from the west coast, back to Alberta, to visit with family/friends, and to do a bit of camping along the way, in a bit of a summer vacay/family visit mashup... Two-for-one!

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After spending a few days in Airdrie, AB, visiting with one of hubby's brothers (he has 4) and his family, we headed off to our next destination, Edmonton, AB, where we were staying for a few days, to visit with my dad, and a couple more of the in-laws/nieces & nephews. We were very thankful to have a relatively short drive this time, as it's only about a 2.5-3 hour drive (as opposed to the gong show that was the first two 7+ hour legs).

This part of Alberta is definitely "the prairies"... it's nearly all flat, straight roads, with flat, straight plots of farmland. The land is so flat that you can see for miles and the sky looks enormous.

(Please excuse the reflection. Taking pictures in a moving car is a bit of a challenge. lol)

I love the juxtaposition of the dry, golden wheat next to the lush green grass.

And the beautiful almost-neon yellow canola.

And, of course, what would all that farmland be without a bunch of cows? This is Alberta we're talking about.

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My dad has a bit of gypsy blood in him, and he moves houses almost as often as I change my hair color. (Trust me, that's a pretty frequent thing.) His current home is situated in downtown Edmonton, which made for a couple of really awesome walks! I've lived in Edmonton a couple of times myself, but never downtown, so I was really excited to do a bit of trekking/exploring in the area.

Hubby and I discovered this beautiful walkway and view of the river valley and "Victoria Golf Course" when we took Pepper on a quick stroll to the end of the block!

The next morning we needed our caffeine fix and had to take advantage of our favorite coffee chain (which doesn't exist out here on the coast) being basically right across the street. Wee man decided to stay with Poppy, but little miss had to tag along... and I'm sure she's glad she did, as these awesome statues were just outside! (She had to ride them, of course!)

Once fully caffeinated, we decided to take the kidlets on an adventure, to check out the walking trail, and see some sights. We knew they'd get a kick out of crossing the river on the footbridge (which runs underneath the LRT train rail). They brought some sticks to drop over the side for a little "boat race" down the river.

What a view! The closer bridge, at the top of the photo, (known by locals as the "high-level bridge") can also be crossed on foot, but our pup doesn't like loud vehicles, so walking across a very busy bridge with metal grating didn't seem like a good plan. In the distance you can see the "low-level bridge" as well as a handful of "sky scrapers", and the Rossdale Power Plant.

It was a fairly hot day, so once we'd made it to the other side, we decided to double back and head to the legislature, where people can wade in some of the fountains. Of course, we neglected to bring any swim gear with us, and despite my best efforts, the kids got totally soaked, but I don't think they minded much... they were too busy having fun!

Once we finally convinced them to get out of the water, little miss realized how exhausted she was, and immediately began to have a meltdown. Hubby wrapped her in his coat as a make-shift towel, and once she was situated snugly in her daddy's arms, she was out like a light. Fortunately it wasn't a terribly long walk back to my dad's place, but hubby definitely got his workout for the day! LOL

Best. Nap. EVER!

Edmonton has a great alt-style (punk, goth, rockabilly/psychobilly) scene, and though we were a bit short on time, I needed to make sure I got to Whyte Ave, one of my favorite old haunts, to check out a couple of my fave shops. Unfortunately, with the whole fam in tow, I didn't get a chance to document much, but I did walk away with a few pretties for a helluva deal! You can also be guaranteed to find at least one or two amazing custom vehicles parked along this stretch, much to my little car-lover's delight.

He loved the spoiler (which makes any vehicle into a race car, you know), the sparkle paint job, and, possibly best-of-all, the matching fuzzy dice.

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That's all for our trip to/in Edmonton. Stay tuned for the next leg of our epic journey, a little side-trip north of Gibbons, AB to visit with our niece and grand-niece, to see DINOSAURS!!!

Keep on truckin'!

Megan