Prairie land mines.

Firerock Campground, Elkwater, AB (1 star)

We headed off to the Reesor Lake Road after breakfast. The fall colours up there are fantastic. We drove into Spruce Coulee where we saw a woman reading a book on the pier with her dog beside her. So peaceful. We hiked over to the north ridge to get a better angle on the Spruce Coulee Reservoir. As we did so we had to negotiate around prairie land mines, known locally as cow patties. Don't step in them, especially the fresh ones. Then we moved on to Reesor Overlook and Reesor Lake. It's still one of the nicest places we have ever seen. Finally, we continued east until we hit Graburn Road. We had a look at the Constable Graburn gravesite/memorial (the first RNWMP killed in action in 1873). And we drove up the road to the entrance of the Historic Reesor Ranch where we have stayed a couple of times in the past. We then ambled back and settled into the comfort of the Schooner, which was still rocking in the wind.

Lez notes.Quite a quiet morning ride and it was very peaceful. But the cameras were a-clickin! 150 photos -- some close to duplicates will be deleted, some cropped, enhanced, dirt on lenses photoshopped out. The day truly split into two - morning - bluest of skies, calm, warm. As the afternoon rolled in so did the clouds. As we headed back to our spot, we noticed there are a lot of "permanent" homes - or at least open 3 of the 4 seasons. There is also downhill skiing in the park, so even if the camping isn't open, there is life in the park all year round.

A bit of a rock to the Schooner picked up after lunch, but not heavier until later in the afternoon. We warmed up the Schooner with a fried chicken (home made coating) and veggies cooked up nicely in the oven. We decided to take out the garbage - to prevent a snoopy cat from checking out the chicken bones. It was windy - but surprisingly no cold! There are MANY units camping in Firerock tonight - and several have their fire pits blazing. The fire threat here is "Moderate". As we wandered thru the campground, we admired how many of the 5th wheels look like ours. and actually found our first "nuther" Avalanche!