Road Trip to Yellowknife, Day 8: Peace River to Lac La Biche, AB

Text and images (c) Robert Barry Francos, 2010
Photos can be enlarged by clicking on them.

We woke up to a light rain, and we packed up our stuff between the drops, fortunately not getting wet, even with us making breakfast. We sat on plastic bags because the picnic table benches were wet.

We left the Queen Elizabeth Provincial Park at Lac Cardinal, located outside the town of Grimshaw (AB). A quick check on the closed Pioneer Village along the road, we drove through the gateway pictured below. We stopped there for photos. Just outside park by the metal gate was some cars parked in a ditch with protests about the government bringing in nuclear power.


Heading back up Highway 35 and back east on Hwy 2, we went once again entered Peace River. We stopped into the Tim Horton's for some coffee and a muffin, and across the street was this liquor store / gas station. So much for promoting not drivin' and drinkin'. For those in the States, note that the station is Esso, rather than Exxon.
After our morning refueling, we headed east over the bridge, and onward on Route 2 through the river valley. Moxy Früvous's "River Valley" was playing in my head.
Not only was there a railroad bridge next to the roadway, there was another, possibly older one, off in the distance, passing over the Peace River. Highway 2 can be seen to the left, where we would be in minutes.
Along the road, we passed through a town called Nampa (AB). Here we found a combination Country Inn and liquor store, for those who want to crash and drink. Note that they both share the same door.
It must be doing well, as it has survived when the other hotel in town was up for sale.
Along the way, the river valley gave way to farmland, including bright yellow fields of canola.
The clouds built up and were dramatic and temperamental. Rainstorms could occasionally be seen in the distance, and we passed through a few here and there.
The No. 2 highway rode along the south end of Lesser Slave Lake, and after passing some small towns, such as Faust and Kinuso, we headed to the town of Slave Lake. At the airport, we saw these yellow planes on the tarmac. These are used to dump water on forest fires, and were most likely being used to help out in the many fires that were plaguing large parts of British Columbia.
We came to the town of Slave Lake, and stopped at the exact same gas station / A&W burger joint we had on the way to Yellowknife. We had made a complete circle through northern Alberta, going one way up (route 88) and coming back another (Highways 35 and 2).
I'm guessing this RV park is under repair?

Being in the area, we decided to check out the Lesser Slave Lake Provincial Park. A wooden stairway led us down to the windy beach. It was pretty quiet with a few visitors coming through while we were there, but no one stayed long. The picnic tables told of warmer days and happy campers, but this day was desolate and windblown. It was a lovely spot.







We motored along Highway 2 (joined with Highway 55 after a bit), and arrived in Athabasca in mid-afternoon. This was where we had spent the first night out on this road trip. It was near dark when we had gotten there last time, so now we had time to check out more of the town. We crossed over the bridge on route 813, and found our way to the Athabasca Centennial Park, which was behind the huge letters placed on a cliff directly on the other side of the Athabasca River from the town. We had a great overview from there.










On the way back to the main road and our way east, we stopped just before the steel bridge to take some photos. There were lots of flowers around, and some racist and scary graffiti.



The bridge had a narrow wooden bed, and no walkway for pedestrians, but we still went to the middle to take some shots of the river. John and I were conscious of the occasional traffic, and stayed as much to the side as we could.




On our way out of town we saw the beautiful Ukrainian Orthodox Church Of St. Peter and St. Paul, There is a large Ukranian population in Athabasca.
Highway 2 split from 55 just out of town, so we stayed on the latter, which headed due east. We had come up Hwy 2 at the beginning of the journey, so we took 55 as an alternative route. Along the way, just east of Atmore, this cloud caught my eye. It looked just like North America, right down to Mexico on the bottom. See it?
We stopped in the town of Lac La Biche (AB). We asked some locals where would be a good place to camp. A couple of teenage girls giggled but hadn't a clue. Eventually someone suggested the Sir Winston Churchill Provincial Park, which was on a beautiful - albeit windy - peninsula.
The sun was golden as we cooked up our soup and cut up the veggies for dinner. The light during the golden hour was bright on the tops of the trees, making them glow.

The place felt a bit open, but it ended up being just fine and surprisingly quiet. It would be our last night on the road, so we savored it.
As the day ended, we figured out we had come 568 kilometers / 353 miles, which means we have traveled 3928 K / 2441 M in total. Our last full day of travel had ended, and we knew the next night would be be in our own beds. John estimated we'd be home late evening. That was good, because I wasn't sure about how much more John could stand of my snoring...

DVD Review: “Leonard Cohen’s Lonesome Heroes”

Text © Robert Barry Francos/FFanzeen, 2010
Images from the Internet

Leonard Cohen’s Lonesome Heroes
Pride DVD (UK), 2010
110 minutes, USD $19.95
MVDvisual.com

Along with the likes of Bob Dylan and Townes Van Zandt, Leonard Cohen is considered one of North America’s great singer-songwriters in the poet tradition. The focus of this bio, as with a recent one about Frank Zappa, is to look not just at the man and his work, but what influenced him to be such a macher in his field.

While I have seen a few documentaries about Cohen, they rarely go beyond the singer-songwriter, whereas this one discusses his pre-song work during his time in Montreal at McGill University, and in New York (1956-57) while attending Columbia, and carries through when he had retired to seek solace in Buddhism.

But surpassing even that, there is a secondary level that increases the interest to me. For example, the film describes how a young teen Lenny becomes impressed with Spanish martyr poet Federico Garcia Lorca and decides to write poetry as well. At this point, there is a narrative of Lorca’s poetry followed by a Lorca expert describing both his poetry and Leonard’s, and compares them. Later, when Cohen lives in New York during the beat era, not only do we hear a recording clip of Allan Ginsburg’s Howl and Jack Kerouac’s On the Road,” and we also hear some of Cohen’s two novels, which has a similarity in style to Road,” and a Beat Generation expert discusses both. So you get a play-by-play not just by experts on our Canadian subject and how he was influenced, but also analytical details about the heroes.

With the many clips used of the influences, of the experts (including the expected music-related academics, and two critics from Rolling Stone magazine), of the original artists, and of course Leonard himself, the pace is actually pretty fluid, and is kept interesting. I found Judy Collins’ taking about how she acquired Cohen’s songs for an album before anyone else, and how she helped him as a performer, as riveting. It’s interesting how she describes how he played her “Suzanne” in a hotel room, and he tells the tale as doing it over the phone. Ah, gotta love oral histories.

Among all these influences are ones the viewer may not have thought of, such as Hank Williams and Ray Charles, but played beside each other, the flux is definitely there. As for the two Hanks mentioned (Williams and Snow), well, Cohen has done country songs, such as “The Captain” (Various Positions).

An obvious one here is Bob Dylan. Dylan’s breaking away from traditional folk and moving into singer-songwriter poetry styles – not to mention that Dylan can hardly be called a classic style singer – surely showed Cohen that his voice could be accepted as-is. Though closer to Dylan in voice, Cohen often wished he could sound as versatile as Ray Charles, who also was influenced – and was influential – by and in country & western (“Unchain My Heart,” “You Don’t Know Me,” etc.). Another is phenomenal French songwriter Jacques Brel, whom Cohen would certainly have heard growing up while living in the French city of Montreal. Brel’s complex lyrics and song structure, and even occasional themes (for example, both write about prostitutes, such as Brel’s “Amsterdam” and Cohen’s “Sisters of Mercy”), can be found in both.

As a quick sidebar, I’d like to ask an open question to all Leonard Cohen documentarians: why is it no one ever interviews Jennifer Warnes? She is seen in the background of one of the clips doing back-up, but she was as much a muse as she was a support, as she was as well to Mason Williams. She is part of what made albums like Various Positions so magical, especially the much covered “Hallelujah.” But I digress…

To bring this digression into the review conversation, there are a lot of clips of Cohen’s songs throughout the DVD, obviously from many periods of his career, which compiled together make an interesting notation of watching him aging, as a performer. As he looks more and more like another Leonard – Nimoy – after all these years he still sings with his eyes closed, and his voice has mellowed and deepened (from cigarettes?).

Those who have followed his career know about his dive into Zen Buddhism, which lead to his retirement for a number of years. For me, this only makes sense as he as been exploring religious themes in his music since the beginning. It is interesting to hear from both is mentor, Kigen, and also from another Zen Buddhist priest (one of those experts I was mentioning earlier). There are clips of Cohen in the Buddhist Mount Baldy Centre, where he has also achieved priesthood, which I have never seen before. This later period was as much a mystery for me about the man as was his pre-“Suzanne” days, when he was a published poet and novelist.

While this DVD was not authorized by Cohen, it is respectful without being genuflecting, which is a nice break from the norm. Perhaps because it is more “experts in the field” rather than other musicians, there is less “we’re-not-worthy” moments, and more introspection to output, which is a nice touch for a tributary discussion. Even Judy Collins, who is just a bit gushy, pre-dated Cohen’s music, so she comes off as much as mentor as fan. It’s also a risk as Collins is probably the only recognizable name to most people, but that is also part of what makes this so compelling.

As these kind of DVDs go, this is one is one I can happily recommend, including to people not very familiar with his music. By the end, the viewer will have more of an idea of L. Cohen’s work.

The bonus side is kind of slim, though I’m not complaining. Along with the bios of the “panel” (as the talking heads who discuss Cohen are called), there is a further clip of Judy Collins discussing Cohen and his music. There is one thing she says that bothered me a bit, is when she states that perhaps it was for the better that all of Cohen’s retirement money was ripped off so that he had to go back to touring and working (two albums have come out since), thereby giving the world more of Cohen’s words and music. That comes off as highly presumptuous to me. But as she did some of her best work in the later stages of her career (e.g., “The Blizzard”), and she is perhaps viewing the situation though that filer, I’ll give her that much.

Bonus Video:

Road Trip to Yellowknife, Day 7: Louise Falls, NWT to Peace River, AB

Text and photos (c) Robert Barry Francos, 2010
Photos can be made larger by clicking on them

After a strange dream of trying to save Lindsay Lohan from her crazed lifestyle, I woke up at the Louise Falls Campground (Northwest Territories) to find that it had rained overnight. The moisture was not doing my camera any good, and it kept turning itself off and then on again, sometimes a dozen times in a row, which made picture taking a bit of a chore at times, but the opportunity always worthwhile. There are many nice shots I missed because of this. It's not a new problem with the camera. My last one (film) was all manual , and could work no matter what the moisture or temperature (even in 40 below C/F), but all the computer gadgets on this one are more sensitive. I knew once it dried it, it would be okay, but it could be days since we were still going to be camping for a while.

It was cool overnight, but luckily, this site had free wood, and we had a glorious fire, which we let burn out overnight. The ashes filled the firepit, a reminder of the licking flames.

Meanwhile, we woke to a swarm of mosquitoes. We lathered ourselves in Off! and managed our breakfast, but we knew we had to get out of there pretty fast or be itchy messes. It was pretty cool, and I suggested a fire, but it was nixed (and rightfully so) because we could not leave until the fire was completely cold, and we wanted to leave soon.

Before we left, I snapped off a few pictures of the furry trees (some kind of blight, I believe), and of the fauna.

As we headed south towards the Alberta border, the sky turned ominous, followed by a brief, but intense rain.

By the time we got to the border, the rain had stopped, welcoming us back to Alberta. This time we did not stop at the 60 Parallel Visitor's Centre because (a) we had seen it, (b) we didn't need a rest stop, and especially (c) we did not want to deal with all those flying insects again. Our entire time in the north, this spot was the worst for infestation. That being said, I should add that all along the way there was construction on both sides of the border, and in some places the workers were wearing netting as a bug shield.
It was a pretty uneventful drive as we talked and listened to music (I supplied the sounds for most of the journey, since I couldn't help with the driving, though I did most of the navigating).

After a while, we arrived back at High Level (AB), aka Mini-Vegas North. We actually went into the town is time, after passing through the main strip on Highway 35.

The downtown was off the highway, and there was actually lots to see, including murals all over the place. A lot of smaller towns have turned sides of buildings into pieces of work as a means to attract visitors. The first place I saw this done was in Chemainus, a dying village on Vancouver Island that was brought back to life through its murals.

Even utility buildings had been fixed up.

This place made me laugh, because of the Caesar's logo over a fitness/boxing center and a liquor store. Having those two side-by-side was amusing on its own even without the sign. And then add the RCMP painting next to it, it's gold, Jerry, it's gold!
The boutique was not only funky funky, but chic.
We headed back to the main stretch and stopped off to eat across the street from these places, which looked kind of seedy, and ate at the newer Best Western, also called the Mirage (of course, keeping with the theme), which is also owned by the same person who owns all the other Vegas-style casinos/hotels.
The food was decent, and the place definitely had a modern feel, unlike the dilapidated look of the other places across the road.

After lunch, we start back down highway 35, riding along the east edge of the Chinchaga Wildland Provincial Park. From Yellowknife to High Level, there is only one route up and down. However, from this point on, we were on a new road for us, taking an alternative way back south. We were going to avoid the treacherous route 88 that we took up, and would head on a more main way, down to Peace River.

Along the road was a series of electrical wires that had the following tri-configuration, which for some reason I found artistically fascinating.

This truck stop was in a town called Notikewin (AB). We wondered if they sold gingerbread houses, apples sold by witches, and bread crumbs to find your way back...
We stopped for gas in Manning (AB), and I found it interesting that the rack of hats were not only of military and secret service organizations, but of U.S. ones.
While waiting for the fill-up, I espied this picnic area with their anti-pet handpainted sign. The arrow part reads: "Take your animals over to the roughed grassed area past the rocks." I have no argument with not having pets in a food related spot, but it's more the harsh tone that made me notice. I'm guessing there is some story about its origin.
Also seen at the station was this enormous moose statue. It seemed kind of subtle, actually, as it was not along the road, but rather recessed near this shed (which, following the pet sign, keeps out humans in a brusk manner, as well).
This sign on a building caught my attention. A business being closed during a rodeo is something you definitely don't see in Brooklyn.
South of Manning, the sky starting getting grumpy again. The rain streaks was fascinating to me. Prairie skies really are excitingly dynamic and beautiful.

The turnoff from Highway 35 South to Highway 2 East, towards Peace River, was a T-intersection, with this trailer tacked full of local advertising signs right at the head. There is apparently a spot open in the center-bottom, if you're interested...
Peace River is a beautiful river valley, with sloping hills that run along the water. The road dips down to reach the town.
The sign into town announces the population as an exact 6687. It also states Peace River is home of "Twelve Foot Davis." Henry Fuller Davis was born in Vermont in 1820, who became a prospector and trader in Peace River. He came during the gold rush and staked a narrow, 12-foot long claim (between two others) and soon extracted $12,000 dollars worth of gold.
Along the road was this technological mix-and-match-up.
There are a number of bridges that cross the Peace River, including a tri-humped steel bridge for autos, and a wood railroad bridge beside it.

We were looking for a campground, as it was turning relatively late. We found a couple around town, but they were exceedingly ugly. Built more for RVs rather than for tents, there was no foliage or space between spaces. There would be no sense of privacy at all. Eventually, after getting lost in a suburb and then stopping to ask a local young family, we found out about one approximately 20 miles out of town, along the way we had already come. So we back-tracked west on Highway 2, and turned back south onto Highway 35. Near the town of Grimshaw, we stopped at the lovely Queen Elizabeth Provincial Park, right on Lac Cardinal. Again, free wood was available, so we had a nice fire going before long, making it last well into dark. We were now south enough that it actually got dark around 11 PM.

As we ate, it was pointed out (by John or Ian, I can't remember) that there was a wasp nest in a nearby tree. Thanks to my glorious zoom (12x optical, 12x digital, or about 480mm), I could get "close" without getting anywhere near it. I should add that our entire time there, I never saw a single wasp.


Today we had traveled 640 kilometers / 398 miles, for a total of 3360 K / 2088 M since we first set off a week ago. We were planning to be home the day after tomorrow.