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I
am the
Yellowhead
by
Jerry W. Bird
 I
am the highway to adventure in Alberta's
heartland. My route westward begins at the
border city of Lloydminster, then follows
the North Saskatchewan River across the
grassy plains of Wild Rose Country by
Vegreville and Elk Island National Park,
to Edmonton. From Alberta's Capital, with
the most beautiful river valley in Canada,
I make a beeline straight west to a place
that many agree is their "Rocky Mountain
high of a lifetime" ... Jasper National
Park. Entering Alberta from the east, when
you see an onion-shaped dome or giant
Easter egg on the horizon, you know you're
heading for Little Ukraine. People from
the steppes of Eastern Europe found the
Canadian Prairies resembled their original
homeland in many ways, and combined their
knowledge of agriculture with the sweat of
the brows and muscle of their backs to
create solid, successful communities such
as those you are about to
visit.
Below:
World's largest Ukrainian Easter Egg at
Vegreville, Alberta
 County
of Vermilion River
How green
is my valley? The County of Vermilion
River, which includes the hamlets of
McLaughlin, Rivercourse, Blackfoot, Islay,
and Clandonald offers a laid back
atmosphere. Vermilion Provincial Park and
Lea Park provide opportunities for
pleasure boating, fishing, and the usual
water sports. What's more, visitors can
golf with a backdrop of rolling hills, or
choose a hiking or horseback riding trail
along the verdant Vermilion River valley.
Country museums, local festivals and top
events like the CRA Lea Park Rodeo and
Three Cities Fair keep enthusiastic
supporters from near and far coming back
in droves.
Vermilion
Main Street,
Alberta. For Yellowhead travellers coming
from the east, the town of Vermilion is
likely their first taste of Alberta - and
around here; good taste is always in
fashion. A walk-around tour of Vermilion's
downtown area includes over 30 historic
blocks, all lovingly restored, and each
featuring an interesting shop or service.
The result could easily pass for a Norman
Rockwell original, vintage 1930. Add some
antique autos, and you've got the perfect
movie set. This tree-lined community
offers visitors a the pleasures of heated
outdoor swimming pool, a nine hole golf
course and in winter -- a km-long
snowmobile track. Small wonder that,
several of Canada's Olympic athletes come
from this area. Fun events are always in
season -- including a spring and fall
rodeo, a spring music festival, a summer
agricultural festival and an autumn trade
fair. Places to visit are "FireWorks"-
Canadian Fire Museum and Discovery
Centre, the Alberta
Fire Training School and Lakeland
College.
County of
Minburn
A year-round
destination in the Lakeland Tourist Zone,
the County of Minburn attracts major
sports events and is a magnet for vacation
and recreation bound travellers.
Activities include everything from hunting
and fishing to water sports, camping and
other pleasures of the great outdoors.
Multicultural activities abound, hosted by
churches, light theatre groups, service
clubs, agricultural societies, arts and
craft guilds. Check the official
Yellowhead map for a minute. See how the
County of Minburn occupies a vast, park -
like area, which straddles the Trans
Canada Yellowhead Highway, from a point an
hour west of the Saskatchewan border to
its outer limits an hour east of Edmonton.
There are 37 townships in the county, the
main centres of activity being Innisfree,
Lavoy, Mannville, Minburn, Ranfurly,
Vegreville, and Warwick.
Lamont
County
Get Quacking. The world's largest
mallard duck stands tall at Andrew, a
hamlet near Whitford Lake Wetland
Preserve. His presence is a magnet to
nature lovers. Being the heart of a
well-travelled waterfowl flyway, hunters
and bird watchers flock here to catch the
action each spring and fall. Due to its
rich cultural mosaic, Lamont County is
called the "Church Capital of Canada,"
many of them crowned with a familiar onion
dome signifying their Ukrainian origin.
Lamont County offers self-guided driving
tours to 47 different churches and shrines
in the area. Another popular heritage site
is the Old Walker School house in
Bruderheim. Other Lamont County
communities are Chipman, Lamont, Hilliard,
Mundare, St. Michael, Star/Edna and
Wostok. At the Andrew Museum, a railway
caboose and mini golf keep the kiddies
amused, while the bigger kids and grandpa
take a journey into history.
Vegreville
Vegreville is home of the Ukrainian
Pysanka Festival, with its fly-in
breakfast and 3 solid days of food and
fun. Vegreville
is a vibrant community in the heart of
central Alberta; rich in cultural
heritage, modern facilities, and natural
resources. It's showpiece of recreation is
an indoor Aquatic and Fitness Centre
complex with water slide, leisure pool,
whirlpool, sauna, fitness room,
racquetball court and dance studio.
Attached is an indoor ice arena. Located
on the Canadian National Railway line,
Vegreville is also serviced by a modern
airport with a new terminal building and
4,000 ft runway.
Should you wish to
stay, it's an excellent place to live,
thanks to low taxes, reasonable housing
and rental prices, first class
educational, medical, recreational and
cultural facilities along with a wide
range of retail services. While
agriculture is the primary industry, the
Town also has regional offices for Trans
Canada Pipelines Ltd., ATCO Electric,
Telus, Alberta Agriculture, Prairie Farm
Rehabilitation Administration and Farm
Credit Corporation. Manufacturing of gas
field equipment and farm machinery provide
employment to over 200 people. Vegreville
is also the home of the Immigration Canada
CASE Processing Centre and the Alberta
Research Council.
 Mundare
An unusual collection of East European
art, church relics, and Ukrainian
artifacts is in As museum at the Basilian
Fathers Monastery. Included are a 12th
century gospel handwritten in Old Slavic,
four 14th-century icons, copies of the
first printed Latin Bible (1520) and the
first printed French Bible (1558)Also
displayed are a 17th-century altar cloth
embroidered in silver and an Italian
violin (1723). Stained-glass windows in
the monastery's St. Peter and St. Paul's
Church depict the life of Christ and the
history of Mundare and the Ukrainian
people. In a chapel-like nook in the
vestibule is an enlarged reproduction of
an icon (of the Mother of God) at Pochayev
in the western Ukraine. (The original icon
was investigated by a church commission in
1770- and accredited with 5349 miracles).
The church, an octagonal brick building
with a wooden dome, is crowned by eight
semi-arches and an aluminum
cross.
Elk Island
National Park
Where buffalo roam. If you ask, one of
the park guides can relate the fascinating
story of how Elk Island National Park got
its name, and became a popular attraction.
In this wooded sanctuary which straddles
both sides of the Trans Canada Yellowhead
Highway, over 400 buffalo roam. They share
the park's rolling hills, wetlands and
grassy meadows with moose, mule deer and
elk. Did you know that Canada has two
distinctive breeds of buffalo - the woods
and plains variety? Both are represented
here - but kept at a safe distance and
protected by an iron fence. Poplar,
spruce, aspen and birch line a network of
hiking trails, connecting with lakes and
sloughs that teem with waterfowl. Elk
Island National Park's Sandy Beach
recreation area has a 9-hole golf course.
A thatched-roof dacha houses the Ukrainian
Folk Museum, saluting the major ethnic
group that settled this area.
Strathcona
County
Strathcona County's Beaver Hills area
includes Cooking Lake, Lake Edmonton and a
bevy of smaller lakes. Its wildlife
population includes fox, lynx, bobcats,
wolves, beaver, muskrat, moose, bear,
martin, mink, elk, mule deer, white tail
deer, and a few caribou. Principal
communities are Fort Saskatchewan and
Sherwood Park. A popular meeting place and
residential area, on Edmonton's doorstep,
Sherwood Park was the site of the Trans
Canada Yellowhead Highway Association's
56th Annual Convention. The delegates
found it ideal, being next to one of
Canada's most complete multiplex sports
facilities under one roof. The very latest
member of Strathcona County's eleven golf
courses is the Northern Bear Golf Club, a
new Jack Niklaus Signature Course. Wayne
Gretsky of NHL and Olympic Hockey fame,
headlined its first tournament in
2002.
The area's past
comes alive at the Strathcona County
Museum and Archives; Kalyna Country
Ecomuseum and the Ukrainian Cultural
Heritage Village. Sherwood Park's Heritage
Mile, features Smeltzer House, Ottewell
Centre, Salisbury United Church, Monument
Park and the Smyth Farm. Exhibits cover
early settlement, grain and dairy farming,
the railroad era, sawmills and aviation.
For family fun there's farm visits,
horseback riding, U-pick berry fields,
sleigh and hay rides. Strathcona County is
home to many stables where trail rides,
riding lessons, and hay rides are
available. Natural
attractions are Elk Island National Park,
Strathcona Wilderness Centre, and
Cooking
Lake. Modern day amenities include
Strathcona County Kinsmen Leisure Centre,
Millennium Place Aquatic Centre with an
indoor wave pool, lazy river, water play
structure, and a 10 lane competition pool.
Bird watchers enjoy the County's numerous
nature spots, such as Ministik Bird
Sanctuary, Collingwood Cove, Hastings
Lake, Kawtikh Retreat, North Cooking Lake,
North Bruderheim, Astotin, Baseline Pond,
Bretona Pond and others.
Edmonton:
City
of Big Shoulders and Big Dreams
If you love to shop 'til you drop, or
hanker for some succulent, world famous
Alberta Prime Rib, you'll love it here.
After all, there's no provincial tax.
With the North
Saskatchewan River flowing by, the
Yellowhead Highway at its doorstep, a
glorious Indian Summer that stretches the
outdoor season, lakes galore and savory
Ukrainian food, few places can match it as
a healthy vacation spot and gateway to
adventure. Circle Tour development is
flourishing to Jasper National Park and
the Columbia Ice-fields.
Listen
to this testimonial: "No place I know has
such energy, or capacity to seize the
moment. Edmontonians have always been a
cocky lot, from their sports dynasties and
oil czars, to politics. Even the location
is cocky. Perched regally on the North
Saskatchewan cliffs, its Upper Level
bridge reaching from Alberta's Legislature
to the Garneau district and University of
Alberta campus."
And
who else has the audacity to build a
shopping Mecca that rates seven mentions
in the Guinness Book of World Records?
West Edmonton Mall has it all, from its
huge indoor swimming pool and ice rink to
high fashion shops that rival those of
Paris and New York. Speaking of highs and
lows, Edmonton's river valley, from Old
Fort Edmonton to the Conservatory and
beyond, is a tourist destination all by
itself; golf courses and picnic
spots. Get
out and stretch your legs; this is the
largest greenbelt of any major Canadian
city. Edmonton as a boomtown? ... its
archives tell of fur traders, riverboats,
a Klondike boom, a railway boom, a land
rush, and black gold that blew things sky
high in '47. "
Plane
Facts? Legendary bush pilots, who
opened up the North live again at Canada's
Aviation Hall of Fame. Wop May, Max Ward
and Grant McConachie are three that spring
to mind. Edmonton played a prominent role
during World War II as a USAF Northern
Command Centre. With high frequency
year-round service to London-Heathrow and
others, Edmonton International Airport is
very well-positioned.
Wabamum
Beyond the outskirts of Edmonton is Lake
Wabamun (try saying that with your mouth
full), a popular camping spot.
Edson
The Town of Edson serves the more than
17,000 people in its trading area. It not
only has much to offer to the tourist
seeking a natural vacation, but also to
any business person seeking opportunities
to expand into the area. As the Slo-Pitch
Capital of Canada, Edson annually hosts
the Kinsmen Slo-Pitch Tournament - 256
slo-pitch teams from Western Canada
battling for top spot on the diamond. The
Galloway Station Museum is a former
railway station operated by the Edson and
District Historical Society. It houses
artifacts of the Grande Trunk Pacific
Canadian Northern and Canadian National
Railways. Also exhibited are artifacts of
the coal mining and lumber industries
which are the foundation for the
establishment of the town. The Red Brick
Arts Centre is the restored and renovated
former Edson School Building (1913) and a
registered Historic Resource. It is home
to arts and cultural events throughout the
year. The Centre houses an Art Gallery,
the Hatlen Theatre, School Room Museum,
Dance Studio, Meeting Rooms, Gift Shop and
Kitchen.
Rocky
Mountain House National Historic Park
(side trip)
Talk about thriving on competition; the
first Rocky Mountain House was raised in
1799. Weeks later, James Bird, helped HBC
erect a rival fort. Explorer David
Thompson trekked to the Columbia River
from here in 1807, and for generations
Rocky was the Northwest's richest
fur-producing area. The series of forts
that stood on these hallowed grounds are
remembered by two stone chimneys. Other
exhibits include a York boat, Red River
cart and fur press.
 Jasper
National Park
Many travelers first experienced this
Rocky Mountain playground by train,
sprinting off for souvenirs during a
station stop. Most however arrive on four
wheels. By car you can seize the moment,
cooling off under a waterfall, standing
bug-eyed at a viewpoint, or catching every
photo op. Allow at least an extra day for
this Rocky Mountain high. Why? --Jasper
Park Lodge, the Whistlers , Punchbowl
Falls, Pyramid Lake, Henry House, Jasper
Lake, Skyline Trail and Pocahontas for
starters. Top choices are Miette Hot
Springs -- hottest water in the Canadian
Rockies, and Maligne Lake, a portrait of
serenity. A friend of Yellowhead describes
it as follows, "Our first lodging was a
war surplus tent; the most recent was
years later at luxurious Jasper Park
Lodge, where the waiter brought dinner to
our cabin by bicycle. We've enjoyed it
both ways."
Near
the mouth of Rocky River, a cairn marks
Jasper House National Historic Site, where
a supply post was built by the Northwest
Company in 1813. The park is a wildlife
sanctuary, where deer and antelope play,
bighorn guard the peaks, and bears are
everywhere.
The Ice fields
Parkway ranks among the world's great
highroads, with glaciers standing like 100
icy sentinels. Jasper National Park's
southern boundary is The Columbia Ice
fields, a marvel of nature with the
largest mass of ice in the Rockies. A
fleet of Snow coaches traverse the
Athabaska glacier, looking from a distance
like ants on a giant vanilla marshmallow
sundae. This seventh wonder is part of a
formation that blanketed Canada for a
million years. The highway follows the
Sunwapta River, joining its cousin the
Athabaska at Sunwapta Falls. The hottest
water on the entire drive (54°C) is
at Miette Hot Springs, near Jasper Lake,
and Punchbowl Falls. Don't worry, it's
cooled to a comfortable 39° in the
swimming pool. Allow
at least an extra day in the Jasper area ,
and enjoy a Rocky Mountain high you'll
never forget.
Continued:
BC
Northern
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