Edmonton, Alberta, and then some...

Our next stop was in Edmonton, the capital city of Alberta, Canada. It was a sunny Sunday and quite spring-like so tons of winter-weary Edmontonians were gathered on the capital grounds, picnicking, sunbathing, necking, and splashing in the fountain waters. Hillary checked out the water temp with her finger and, you guessed it, it was FREEZING!! Yet tons of tough little kids were totally immersed, laughing at the sheer joy of a spring day.

See Hillary in the foreground of this pic--she is totally cramped up due to the shock of the frigid water on her finger. How DO those Canadians play in it????

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We actually drove around the block to get this pic. Yep, it's a car wash for dogs! Jack took our dear old dog Lucky to the car wash several times while we lived in New York. I was never actually there, but he promised me he didn't give her a lemon wax. There was an undeniable hint of citrus fragrance, however...

On second look, we learned that the dogs really had an area of their own. I must admit that I was relieved. I always was concerned about the amount of water pressure our old girl had to endure, but was afraid to ask. She never complained about her car wash baths and seemed happy enough, wagging her tail afterwards. Sorta a new twist on these "mobile" dog groomer vans that tool around our Texas neighborhood.

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Did you know that the people in Alberta walk at a faster pace and swing their arms more than we do here in the USA? And they wear big boots. Here's the proof!

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Here is my travel buddy after another long day on the road. Stopping to see sights is a fun diversion, but it sure does lengthen the time to cover the mere 500 miles. Our motel in Whitecourt was pleasant with a fireplace, kitchen and soft chairs. The daylight is lasting longer as we travel north and this is about 10 pm. Hillary's smile is not quite as sparkling as when we set out in Lethbridge 14 hours earlier.

While on Edmonton city streets, we noticed that the car's temp gauge was moving up to a higher range every time we stopped at a red light. I opened the hood and talked to a random fellow in a tow truck who confirmed the fluid levels looked OK. I was a bit nervous as the toughest driving days were still ahead of us with hundreds of miles of isolated roads and no cell service. We decided we would have to find a garage (hopefully reputable) somewhere the next morning before moving on. Stressful time. We prayed about the situation before driving to our motel in this small, rural town. Well, guess what was located right next to the motel??? A Chevy dealership! Had the car there when they opened at 7 AM. All checked out fine and we were on our way by 8. Now that's an answer to prayer! Thank you, Lord.