Springtime in the Rockies. . . And a Corvette

We have been on one-day cruises with some of the Central Alberta Corvette enthusiasts but this was to be an entirely new experience.  This was to be an overnight jaunt with people from across Alberta, the vast majority of whom we were not familiar with.  I'm always up for meeting new people and for a first time experience, I have to say it's going to be a hard one to beat. Suffice to say, it was a darn good group of folks we were mingling with.   We met people from every walk of life but many of us were in retirement and those that weren't could clearly envision it just around the corner and even seemed to be licking their lips in eager anticipation.  That is not to say younger blood would not be welcomed; I think it has more to do with the amount of expendable cash and time, more than anything else.  In general, people were pretty friendly and it didn't take long before barbs and digs were flying around, followed by peels of laughter. . . so you know we had a good time, right!

While I don't think Eric has ever considered me to be high maintenance, I feel confident in saying that I am nowhere near as high maintenance as the other woman in his life.  Not only does Ginger take up a whole lot of space in the Man Cave, she doesn't need a special invitation to enter.  And whenever she leaves it, she heads straight for the spa where she is lovingly stroked by her man. . . do I sound like a jealous wife?  I'm really not, but perhaps that's because I know where Eric sleeps at night and it's not in the Man Cave. . . at least not so far.

It was one of those typical Alberta weekends that no one knew for sure what the weather would be but there was definitely some rain in our forecast.  If you are like me, and not really a true blue car enthusiast, you might not realize that rain can be considered a significant threat.  Frankly, I don't understand the point of owning a fair weather vehicle but I understand that there are those that feel quite differently and I respect that.  At any rate, we either struck it lucky or someone was doing some heavy duty praying to the Rain Gods; while we saw our share of clouds and, for most of us, it wasn't really a top down kind of weekend, we arrived back home Sunday afternoon high and dry.

We were all up bright and early, but those of us from Central Alberta had it pretty easy since the muster point was on the north side of Red Deer, with a second point at Rocky Mountain House.  

Those coming from Edmonton and Calgary were on the road bright and early and one couple from Hinton earlier yet. But everyone seemed to be in good spirits as we gathered 'round with coffee in hand, to introduce ourselves to attend our driver's meeting.  After a brief stop in Rocky to refuel and connect with a few more Corvette enthusiasts we were off!  

We stopped first at Abraham Lake, giving everyone an opportunity to stretch their legs, meet a few more people and, of course, the perfect location for a photo op.  We were 23 corvettes strong, which equated to about 45 people.  While the men were discussing things like coupe vs. convertible, generation and engine size, the women were more likely discussing the myriad color variations:  it wasn't merlot, it was Long Beach Red; it's not simply orange, but Daytona Sunsrise.  And the blues. . . oh the songs I could sing about Laguna Blue vs Admiral Blue. . . My point is, even though most of the women do not have the same love affair with their car as their men, we still admire them, in our own but clearly different way.

We arrived at the Crossing about 2pm where our organizers had arranged for us to park and have lunch at the Parkway Pub where diners are invited to cook their own steak, burger or dog.  We were lazy; nobody felt like cooking so our table we opted for the already made chili.

We were off, once again, arriving at our overnight destination at the Lake Louise Inn. The Inn had parking reserved for our group and were ready and willing to check us in.  Eric and I were more than happy with our accommodation and, considering we were in the mountains at the start of tourist season, pleasantly surprised by the reasonable prices for food and lodging.  I need to give my man a little extra credit though; he booked our room early and chose to upgrade to a Deluxe King room.  Many of those that booked late had no recourse but to take what remained; between tossing, turning and hot flashes, not everyone had a restful sleep in their double bed. But now we know, and it's only one night, right?  

The evening gave us a chance to get better acquainted with some of our travel partners and, I dare say, more than a few friendships began to blossom.  There are several couples I know we are looking forward to taking a future run with. 

After a hearty Sunday morning breakfast, we were back on the road again, headed for Moraine Lake.  At an elevation of 1883 metres, the lake is only beginning to thaw in early June but, even on a cool, cloudy day, one can't help but be smitten by the beauty of this literal jewel in the heart of the Rocky Mountains.

And here's a little tidbit of information I bet you didn't know. While Moraine Lake and the Valley of the Ten Peaks is more than a million dollar view, it is often referred to as the Twenty Dollar View because it graced Canada's $20 bills from 1969 to 1979.  It's also one of the most photographed spots in the Rockies, don't you know!

The group then carried on to Banff and Tunnel Mountain and I have it on good advice that the Corvettes continued to attract the same amount of attention as they did everywhere we travelled. How do I know this? Facebook told me so, when one of my friends commented on being in Banff and seeing this rare spectacle.  

Because of our other commitments, we bypassed Banff and made our way home but not without stopping at the McDougall Church, at Morley. Built in 1875 by Reverend George McDougall, during a period of discontent among the First Nations population, the Morely mission was received with mixed feelings. Many welcomed the arrival of missionaries while others were less receptive. 

A designated Provincial Historic Resource, representing a story of human endeavor, courage and inter-racial cooperation, it was destroyed by fire only a few short weeks ago.  There is a Spring Commemorative Event planned for June 11th at 3pm and funds are already being raised for rebuilding through 
https://www.gofundme.com/Rebuild-Mcdougall-Church

And here I will end my little diatribe.  While I was simply a passenger enjoying the weekend to the fullest, it took time and effort to make our journey together a pleasant one.  Thank you to Paul, Brian and others for organizing and coordinating this event. You did an awesome job!  Thank you to the people who took time from busy schedules to come out and and play this weekend.  While Corvettes may be what brought us together, we found other common ground from which to build friendships upon.  

While this photo epitomizes one couple's sentiments about their Corvette, I suspect it speaks for many of us about our weekend joyride.  Until we meet again. . .

 Resources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abraham_Lake
https://thecrossingresort.com/parkway-pub/
http://www.lakelouiseinn.com/
http://banffandbeyond.com/the-lake-with-the-twenty-dollar-view-moraine-lake/
http://www.mcdougallstoneymission.com/about.php
http://www.mcdougallstoneymission.com/newsletters/2017/spring.pdf