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alberta

Touring some of Alberta’s Cool Little Towns

0 · Sep 8, 2016 · Leave a Comment

One of the things we love to do is explore little towns. Whether it’s touring across Canada, the US or right here in Alberta we love to hop in the car and go somewhere new for the day. You learn so much about a community when you stop to discover what makes them unique and take the time to talk with the locals. Maybe it’s because we grew up in small little towns that we are drawn back to them so often.

We had the opportunity to experience some great little towns recently as we participated in a Cool Little Towns Tour originating in Calgary and less than an hour away. With four featured tours to choose from, Cool Little Towns encourages you to follow the routes as planned or use them as a guideline to plan your own adventure. With over 250 kilometres of Alberta’s most scenic driving routes to you should set aside the day to enjoy your drive, the beautiful views and great finds in each community. We decided on the Made in Alberta tour, a feast for your senses.

Eau Claire Distillery, Turner Valley
Eau Claire Distillery and the Turner Valley Movie Theatre turned Distillery

 

Cool-LT-v2

It was a Saturday morning with no commitments and we were looking forward to hitting the road. Our first stop was Turner Valley and the award winning Eau Claire Distillery. They offer tastings and a tour of their Artisanal Spirits offering a Farm to Glass experience as they produce their spirits from local Alberta grain. The distillery itself is housed in a circa-1929 Turner Valley Movie Theatre and Dance Hall and if you are hungry, there are light bites available.

Motoburrito Truck

After a few samples and purchase or two, we carried on our way and discovered MotoBurrito, an eclectic Mexican food truck featuring burritos, tacos, burgers, fries and more. Sitting on two acres of land next to Motorrad, this 14 foot food truck boasts a fun and colourful seating area with a variety of hot sauces to choose from and purchase. It was lunch time so we grabbed a seat and stayed to eat. While we enjoyed our fries, burgers and burritos we were able to watch a team roasting a pig for a pig roast they were having the next day.

Motoburrito Food Truck

On the road again and just a short drive down the highway, we sailed into Black Diamond. The Stop Coffee House and Gathering Place was on our list of places to visit for an after lunch coffee. This little coffee house boasts a spacious patio situated in front of a rustic outdoor bandstand. They feature Calgary’s Fratello coffee and homestyle café food. A rather large cookie accompanied our coffee, big enough to be shared by all four of us.

One Stop Coffee Shop and Black Diamond Bakery
One Stop Coffee Shop and Black Diamond Bakery

Our tour continued on by foot weaving our way through the town of Black Diamond. We browsed Cool Hand Luc’s Treasure Shop, bought some treats at Black Diamond Bakery & Coffee Shop and pulled up a stool at Marv’s Classic Soda Shop. All of the little stores along this side of the street were so much fun but Marv’s totally left a lasting impression! Here you can order burgers like Fonzie, Lana Turner, James Dean and more! The kids went crazy with glee as there was so much to look at including cool drinks and nostalgic candy. We shared a couple of sodas and vowed to return for a longer visit. Across the street we got lost in a unique boutique called Bohemia. This cool little store has the best prices and they carry fair-trade, local, cool items from fashion, knickknacks and jewelry.

Marv's Classic Soda Shop
Marv’s Classic Soda Shop

Watching our time we made a quick stop in Longview at the World famous Longview Jerky Shop. From Alberta Beef made jerky, pepperoni and sausages, to a butcher shop with custom orders, there are so many reasons to stop in an visit this cool little shop. Leaving with a few jerky road snacks we headed to our last stop of the day, the Bar U Ranch National Historic Site.

Longview Jerky
Longview Jerky Shop

Bar U Ranch was established in 1882 and was one of the foremost ranching operations in Canada. Recognizing that the Bar U Ranch’s long history provided an excellent opportunity to commemorate Canada’s ranching heritage, Parks Canada acquired 148.43 hectares (367 acres), including the ranch’s headquarters area, in 1991. Artists, princes and outlaws have all called the Bar U Ranch home at various times in its colourful history. Famed western artist Charley Russell, H.R.H. Edward Prince of Wales, and Harry Longabaugh (better known as the Sundance Kid) were among the famous and infamous characters who graced the ranch’s vast expanse at various times.

There’s lots to do on the ranch like visiting with the ranch hands, learning to rope a steer, saddle a horse, make bannock, repair a bridle or boil up cowboy coffee on a fire. You can wander the trails and dirt roads, pop into the stables, the post office or even the cookhouse to learn about “home on the range”. Did you know if you carry a valid Canada National Parks Pass you can use it at Bar U Ranch and get in for free?!

Bar U Ranch
Bar U Ranch

Our day touring these cool little towns was a fun way to have an adventure and spend the day with the kids. We found many little gems and already planning our return visit to many of them.

#CoolLittleTowns encourages locals and travellers seeking a cool day trip or staycation to drive within one hour south of Calgary for amazing food, unique art, great boutiques, shop-local experiences, rural beauty and eclectic offerings. Visit Turner Valley, Black Diamond and Longview to enjoy a driving tour like mine.

I am an ambassador of Cool Little Towns and have received perks to participate. However all opinions shared here about what makes these Cool Little Towns so cool are my own.

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Bannock on a Stick | Brewers Campground at Gull Lake

0 · Jul 16, 2014 · 2 Comments

Our first camping adventure of the year found us trying a new campground, and it’s a mouthful. Brewer’s Campground & Aspen Beach Provincial Park at Gull Lake, right smack dab in the middle of Alberta. Whew, right. It’s not a long drive for us and but a lovely one through the country side.

The campground itself features several loops, but they do not identify the loops by alphabet like many campgrounds do. Rather just drive to your assigned (number) campsite after checking in, and you’re set. Our campsite was treed and private. But close to the highway and we heard the trucks going by quite frequently. We would return to this campground but next time we will try to get a site away from the highway. Also important to note there are no parks activities for families or kids here (also no amphitheater).

The boardwalk over the marsh at Gull Lake
The boardwalk over the marsh at Gull Lake

Aspen beach itself is sandy and the water surprisingly warm for this time of the year. Sometimes these lakes just don’t get enough sun to warm up in time for the beginning of July. The beach is long and shallow making it the perfect beach for minions of all ages.

geocaching at Brewers Campground at Gull Lake
On the trail to find us a Geocache at Gull Lake

The lake has fish. Which includes Walleye and Pike but according to Rob (husband) you have to go into a draw to fish Walleye in Alberta, know which lake your going to, and all kinds of other important stuff before you drop your line. We were not prepared so fishing didn’t happen on this camping adventure.

Aspen Beach at Gull Lake, camping fun
Always a little wet after the rain, but never deters. Aspen Beach at Gull Lake

But there was plenty of other things to do. Like a marsh to inspect, bike trails to ride down, pathways to explore and some geocaching to dive into. Not to mention some delightful camp food to be eaten and of course the beach!

The marsh was alive with all kinds of life. A large beaver dam was viewable as were pelicans. Red-winged Blackbirds were everywhere and we saw some baby ducklings! Off in the distance we were able to spot a Great Blue Heron. Other life in this marsh includes frogs, minnows and even muskrat.

Just beyond the marsh, is a picturesque bushed area. Our gps lead us here to find a cache. Besides the mosquitoes, it was serene and a lovely walk through the woods. We found our cache rather quickly and were on our way.

Cooking Bannock over the camp fire
Cooking Bannock over the campfire

The first time I made bannock was in Home Economics class around Grade 9 or so. It was simple, tasty and it’s stayed with me for the past 30 years. Traditional Bannock is made slightly different, sometimes with milk, or baking powder, flattened and cooked in a pan with some oil. This dough recipe is the same one we use to make our Pie Iron Pizzas giving you two snacks in one if you choose.

To ensure your Bannock holds on the stick, make sure you find and carve yourself a good solid, thick roasting stick. The dough will not hold onto a metal roasting stick very well, if even at all. You will need some patience, so if your minions can’t sit still for long (like mine), make sure you are there to step in and take over. Takes about 10 minutes or more to roast the bannock ensuring the inside is cooked.

Best way to serve it is warm, with some butter and jam. Really quite tasty. Another fun way to explore cooking outdoors with the kids.

5.0 from 1 reviews
Print
Bannock on a Stick | Brewers Campground at Gull Lake
Author: Wanda Baker
Recipe type: Snack, lunch, breakfast
Serves: 4
 
Ingredients
  • 2 cups flour
  • 4 tsp baking powder
  • 4 tbsp butter, cold
  • 2 tsp white sugar
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ½ cup water
  • 1 ziplock bag
Instructions
  1. In ziplock bag combine flour, baking powder, butter, sugar and salt. Seal and squishy the bag until butter is crumbly. Write on bag "Add ½ cup water". Put in refrigerator or cooler.
  2. At your campsite, prepare yourself a roasting stick. Set aside.
  3. When ready to make bannock, add water to bag, seal and squishy until mixture starts to form a dough ball. Remove from bag and on cutting board, form into 4-6 balls.
  4. Roll each ball and wrap around ends of roasting stick. Roast over hot fire, but not to close as to burn the outside. This part takes time since you want to cook the inside without burning the outside. Turn slowly, it will take anywhere from 10-20 minutes.
  5. When the bread is brown on the outside, has puffed up a little and feels cooked on the inside it is ready.
3.2.1311

 

Adventures, Alberta Bound, Camping adventures, alberta, aspen beach, bannock, bannock on a stick, bentley, brewers campground, campfire cooking, camping, gull lake, provincial park, roasting over a campfire

Pie Iron Pizzas | Bow Valley Campground Camping

0 · Jun 8, 2014 · Leave a Comment

Camping season is upon us and as I was making reservations for our summer adventures, I looked back at where we’ve been while considering where we should go this year. We love being able to go camping in Kananaskis, and having the Rocky Mountains so close to where we live. I grew up in BC and I miss the mountains more often than not, so having them a short drive away is very comforting.

We love to have fun with our food when we go camping, and one of our many favourite camping meals on the fire is anything that will go into our pie irons. Pizza is one that tops the list, as the flavour of this pie iron pizza being cooked over an open fire far outweighs that of any oven. Add in some fresh air and everything just tastes better.

Important to note, if you have no interest in making your own pizza dough, buy some!

Bow Valley Campground
Bow Valley Campground & the gorgeous view from our campsite

Bow Valley Campground is a hidden gem nestled within the gateway to the Canadian Rocky Mountains. A short hop, skip and jump to Kananaskis and you are suddenly in the beauty of the mountains. We booked our site kind of last minute, and when you do this you never know what kind of campsite you will end up with. As it turns out we got the last one in the loop and it turned out to be a beauty as we had this pathway right next to our campsite and no one ventured near us. It was also not far from the washrooms and as you can see by the photo, gave the kids oodles of space to run around. We’ve definitely been lucky like this on several occasions.

You have to prepare for any kind of weather when you go camping, especially in Alberta. And it rained part of this camping trip. We’ve been fortunate we haven’t encountered several days of rain at a time while camping, just a little bit here & there. One morning we decided to go into Canmore for a couple hours to let the kids burn off some steam. It wasn’t raining in Canmore so we only had the mosquitoes to deal with as we wandered around town and along the boardwalk.

Visiting the boardwalk in Canmore while camping in Bow Valley Campground
Visiting the boardwalk in Canmore while camping in Bow Valley Campground

It took us less than an hours drive from Calgary to get to the Bow Valley Provincial Park and Bow River Corridor Campgrounds. As a family we were kept busy with all kinds of things to do; from day trips into Canmore & Banff, hiking, biking, fishing, to causal walk-abouts, playgrounds & family fun adventures.

Definitely plan ahead if you want to come and camp here. It’s a very popular family destination and as I mentioned above we lucked out and got one of the last sites, but one of the best.

Print
Pie Iron Pizzas | Bow Valley Campground Camping
Author: Wanda Baker
Recipe type: lunch, dinner, snack
Serves: 4
 
Ingredients
  • 2 cups flour
  • 4 tsp baking powder
  • 4-5 tbsp butter
  • 2 tsp sugar
  • salt
  • ⅓ cup water
  • ziplock bag, large
  • pepperoni sticks, sliced thin
  • bag of shredded mozzarella
  • pizza sauce
  • smokies, roasted & cut up thin
Instructions
  1. The night before you go camping, add into your ziplock bag, flour, baking powder, butter sugar and a good pinch of salt. Seal bag and massage it until it resembles crumbles. Write on outside add ⅓ cup water. Store in fridge.
  2. When you are ready to go camping, toss ziplock bag into fridge or cooler with ice. It's important to keep this mixture cold since it contains butter and you don't want the butter to go bad.
  3. When you are ready to eat, add your water a little at a time to the bag, seal and massage again until mixture becomes a dough adding more water as necessary.
  4. Open bag, pull out dough and form into 8 balls. Flatten each ball into a flat pizza shape big enough to fit into your pie iron. But before you place it in the pie iron, take some butter and rub on inside of both sides of pie iron.
  5. Place a piece of flattened dough on each side. Spoon on some pizza sauce, pepperoni and smokie slices, and sprinkle on some cheese.
  6. Close pie iron and cook over coals in fire for about 10-20 minutes turning regularly or until dough has browned a little on each side.
  7. Open, set on plate and let cool slightly due to hot melty cheesy goodness. And serve.
3.2.1311

Bow Valley Campground Biking
Bow Valley Campground Biking

 

 

Enjoying our Pie Iron Pizza Lunch!
Enjoying our Pie Iron Pizza Lunch.

 

Adventures, Alberta Bound, Camping, Pizza alberta, bow valley, campground, camping, k country, kananaskis, Rocky Mountains

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