It seems like we fit in a lot of road trips so far this fall. We went to a couple weddings in Alberta and Winnipeg. Amie’s good friends Ashley and Jahna got married to Luke and Matt respectively. On Labor Day weekend Amie and I took a trip through BC, Idaho and Washington. We took in some good hot springs, a theme park, and some good US shopping.
Last weekend we went with some friends to the corn maze at Lacombe, AB. It was definitely a unique experience. The maze took at least 3 hours to get through but the best part was how thick the corn was – you could hide 2 ft. off the path and give passerbyers a good scare. The next day we went to a controversial zoo in the middle of the prairies – Gazoo. While they have the reputation of dirty pens and missing phalanges, the added adventure made it a worthwhile stop. That’s right, they used to have a zedonk (zebra-donkey cross) that was prone to biting. One visit, a kid was trying to feed him and the zedonk bit off his whole middle finger. Anyway, it was worth the casualties, because the old farmer who set up the zoo lets you play with baby lions and tigers – an experience the calgary zoo probably wouldn’t offer. -steve
We also made the long awaited trip to the WORLD FAMOUS GOPHER MUSEUM in Torrington, AB. We’d heard about it from friends who’d lived in the area, but it took us awhile to make the 1-hour trek north. Gauging from all the pins on the world map hanging on the museum wall marking where visitors to the museum have come from, they aren’t joking when they say world famous. Torrington (pop. 177) itself is fairly inconspicuous, but it is completely devoted to the minuscule rodent who reeks havoks on ranch and farmland across the province. We were welcomed by a gigantic gopher monument as we entered the community and noticed that every fire hydrant was painted with a gopher motif.
Call it risk?, call it a hilarious way of luring travellers to the otherwise lazy community, the gopher museum is a sight to see. Approximately the size of a medium sized RV (not to worry, admission is only $2 for adults and 50 cents for kids)
