Fields of Yellow

We have seen fields and fields of beautiful yellow flowers on our drive through Alberta, Canada. The people who live here have told us the yellow flowers are canola.

Once the flowers turn to seed, the farmers harvest the plants. They press the seeds to make canola oil. Canola oil is used for healthy cooking.

Scientists discovered canola oil in the 1970s. One bushel of canola seeds makes ten liters (or about 2-1/2 gallons) of canola oil.

Canada plants over 11 million acres of canola every year. For more information about canola oil, visit http://www.mcgacanola.org/documents/Canola_Glossy.pdf
and www.canolainfo.org/media/pdfs/captain-canola.pdf

Wild Rose of Alberta

We are traveling through Alberta, Canada. It is called Wild Rose Country. The wild rose is Alberta's state flower.

When we were at the park, we saw lots of wild roses. Mom took this picture of a wild rose. Isn't it pretty?

The wild rose begins to bloom in May. It keeps blooming until August. It can be found all over Alberta.

Bees love the wild rose nectar. When the flower dies, it turns into a hard seed called a rose hip. Lots of animals, including squirrels, rabbits, deer, and moose eat the rose hips.

Here's a great coloring page for the wild rose: http://www.kidzone.ws/imageschanged/canada/rose.gif

Loons

Tonight we are staying at a beautiful park near Whitecourt, Alberta. Our campsite has a view of Lake MacLeod. It is chilly and misting rain but we are still having fun.

We hiked some of the trails here. I saw my first loon today. Mom took this picture of him.

A loon is a diving bird. He spends most of his time in the water. He walks very funny when he is on the ground. That is how he got his name, because he walks "loony."

Loons are diving birds. They can dive very deep in the water. They can dive over 260 feet and stay down for over a minute.

Loons are best known for their beautiful call or yodel. If you would like to hear a loon's call, just click here: http://www.ns.ec.gc.ca/wildlife/loons/sounds/yodel.wav Tonight we will sleep to the lullabye of the loons.

To learn more about loons, visit http://www.northwestwildlife.com/articles/Loon.pdf

Bear Sighting

We had another long day of travel. Just before we entered Glacier National Park, we saw our first bear!

He ran across the road in front of us. Then he scurried up a steep mountain face.

Mom was able to get this picture of him just as he made the top of the mountain. He looked over his shoulder to see if anyone was chasing him. It was wonderful to see such a magnificent creature!

We will camp here for two nights before we start traveling again. I am ready for a rest and some exercise.

Before we set up camp, the park ranger came to talk to us. He said that a bear has visited our campground. He said that we must be extra careful. We must put all of our food in a special storage container.

The ranger said that we must be most careful when I eat. Bears really like dog food. If I drop even a little bit of food on the ground, Mom and Dad have to scoop up the food and any dirt around it and throw it in the special bear-proof trash cans.

It is very important not to feed the bears. The rangers say, "A fed bear is a dead bear."

If bears begin to eat human food, they may lose their fear of humans. If they become a danger, the bear may be killed. We must take care of the bears!

Would you like to learn more about bears and how to be safe around bears? Just go to this fun activity at http://www.wildlife.alaska.gov/education/kids/bearawarecoloring.pdf

Traveling Machine

We were up very early this morning. We drove for ten hours. We traveled 799 miles. It was a very long day!

We drove from Texas, through New Mexico, and across Colorado. We're spending the night in Casper, Wyoming.

We saw beautiful mountains. We saw flat top mesas in Texas. We saw the jagged Rocky Mountains in New Mexico and Colorado. Now we're seeing the buttes of Wyoming.

We have also seen a lot of wildlife today. Five antelope crossed the road right in front of us early this morning. This evening, Mom took this shot of an antelope. He was across the hill from our room.

Pronghorn antelope are amazing creatures. Antelopes are the second fastest land animal in the world. Only the cheetah can run faster than an antelope. Antelopes can run more than 60 miles per hour.

If you would like to learn more about antelopes, go to http://www.canadiangeographic.ca/kids/animal-facts/pdf/pronghorn.pdf

North to Alaska!

We have spent the last week saying goodbyes, packing, and loading up the truck. This morning we started our adventure to Alaska.

We drove all day, and we're still in Texas!

We drove 560 miles today. It will take us 4,600 miles to get to Prudhoe Bay in Alaska. That is a LOT of driving!

Tonight we are in Amarillo, Texas. It is a great place. Palo Duro Canyon is just a few miles away. We camped there a few years ago.

Palo Duro Canyo is the second largest canyon in the United States. The Grand Canyon in Arizona is the only canyon that is bigger.

We traveled across the high plains this afternoon. Palo Duro Canyon drops down 800 feet below the canyon rim. It is a wonderful place to watch the stars. Many animals also live in the canyon, including the Texas Horny Toad, deer, barbary sheep, and roadrunners.

To learn more about some of these wonderful Texas animals, visit http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/publications/pwdpubs/media/pwd_bk_p4000_1181.pdf

It's Crazy Around Here!

My Dear Friends,

I probably will not blog regularly the next few weeks. My mom is moving her mom back to Texas. Dad is retiring at the end of the month. We're getting ready for our Alaska trip. It's crazy around here!

We'll be back to writing again VERY soon! Until then, I'll miss you.

With love,

Roxanne