Fort McMurray, Canada Travel Blogs

The Final Days
Sep 16, 2003 (1 photos)

Well the time has come. I've resigned from my job, packed all my bags, sold my truck (which everybody knows was heart breaking) and ate a meal with everybody I know. Nothing left to do but.. PARTY. Last weekend I had three parties all different and all ...

Prologue
Aug 19, 2007

When I was three, my parents took me to Montreal to go Christmas shopping. We went to La Baie and got lost in the city's underground maze of stores. I don't know if it was my first time outside the country of my birth. If you asked my parents, they ...

Eastern Europe Plans
Aug 20, 2007

The story of this trip begins on a snowy, cold, and truly miserable day in Fredericton, New Brunswick last February. Fredericton is a lovely town, beautiful in the summer, but the outdoor life of a student coupled with two weeks of -20 something weather ...

Back to the Mac
Mar 6, 2007 (1 photos)

I have decided to return to Fort McMurray to work. Like many Albertans, like many Canadians in fact, I leave the comforts of home, friends, family and the familiar, to seek my income from the cold Alberta North oil industry. Why would anyone do this? It ...

Blue Light Special
Apr 22, 2007

Thursday was fun. Last day of the shift. We hopped into the van and headed out to where we were working. Immediately we spotted the blue lights flashing. This means an H2S alert. This is deadly stuff, not to be messed with. We turned around and headed ...

F.I.O.F.O.
Apr 17, 2007

In construction it is a game of fit in or..... I have spent a lot of time and energy on the former. I have decided this week that it it not working. I have struggled to accomodate. Now...now I try the the later part of that phrase. I crazily suspect it ...

The Big Lebowski Hitchhiking Birthday Fantasy
Apr 2, 2007 (2 photos)

I hope that is good title for this. It certainly sounds better than the alternative, 'left behind'. Yesterday was my birthday and it could not have been more perfect. Well, perhaps that isn't so true. We showed up at work, but had to wait for hours in ...

I like Trees
Mar 8, 2007 (5 photos)

... . I don't know what it is. Something about that hypnotic beat soothes and stimulates me on the long haul. The next hour to Fort McMurray was devoted to mellowing out with a Marley moment. More singing along ensued. I like to pretend I know the words. As ...

ho hum
Mar 31, 2007

My oh my, I have been lackadaisical about keeping this up. That is how it goes up here though...It is not too long before one day blends into the next. My Wonderful crew is still great and I wouldn't ask for any other, BUT.. how their humour has started ...

I have my passport and my credit card, let's go...
Oct 21, 2008

Alright, so after spending most of the night watching the Broncos get blown out, I am pretty much done packing. Follow along with our trip as Gina and I head out to the long lost continent of Madagascar.  I'll try to keep the blog up to date as ...

Dying to be here!
Apr 26, 2007

I was going to make a note the other day about some math I have done. Simple math. I have been up at this job for seven weeks now. Coincidentally, there have been atleast 7 deaths that I know of (four on the highway). Until yesterday.... It seems at a ...

Meeting the boys
Mar 13, 2007

My crew at work is great. We are always laughing and joking. At one point today, my throat and stomach actually hurt from laughing so much. Now that kind of work related pain I can endure! I hope this keeps up. They are good spirited and the jouneymen ...

Home
Nov 20, 2008

... a little bit of a shock to the system.  We were delayed by the snow in Toronto but luckily the held our flight from Edmonton to Fort Mac for us.  We look forward to seeing everyone again and sharing a few pictures with you. André & Gina

Great Balls of Fire
Apr 18, 2007

The Flare stack is going Crazy! Seriously. We have had multiple evacuations. Some fireballs have made it to ground level and started fires, which were thankfully extinguished quickly. What's a little sulfer rain between co-workers? One crew actually ...

Getting ready and testing the blog
Jul 19, 2008

As we pack our bags, check our lists and get things in order it is only a week before we leave.  This entry is to serve only as a test that this blog and the address book is working.  We hope to be able to do some entries once we leave on ...

Still at work
Aug 25, 2008 (2 photos)

Still at work in Fort McMurray, just counting down the days.  The days are already getting noticeably shorter.  The days of 24 daylight are over.  The mornings are getting crisper.  Fall is definitely on it's way.  I think Chase ...

Fort McMurray
May 30, 2007

10 day stint at work...

Work for the Big Bad Oil Company
May 30, 2008

Working for those bad oil companies...that flew me on private jet to the oil sands.....

Plans and Preparations
Sep 25, 2007 (1 photos)

... through dinosaur remains, moving in with friends for 5 days (yes, that IS a record, folks!), and finally ending up in Fort McMurray, we realized that we would not be content (or at least-I- won't) until we've travel the world! The plane departs ...

We're Coming Home!!
Aug 21, 2007 (4 photos)

... of how big the tires are).  Pretty awesome.  Plus he had a radar detector so we drove pretty fast.  We got pizza in Fort Mac when we got there and picked up another guy from our crew at the bus station so he didn't have to taxi back to camp ...

We're back and it's Crazy!!
Jul 31, 2007 (5 photos)

... .  We just got back and now I actually have time to write.  It's been a busy week.  We drove back to Fort McMurray last weekend and started work Monday morning.  There's still not a lot of work to be done but we're earning money so I'm ...

Laid Off
Oct 11, 2007

Hey Guys, Just a quick note to let you know what's going on.  I got laid-off today (I was kind of expecting it a few days later but whatever) so I'll be coming home soon!  I'll be heading back to Ontario on Monday and stopping in Toronto ...

canada
Sep 23, 2007

canada

Starting Work and Having Fun
Jul 13, 2007 (5 photos)

... at the bus station and Aden off where he'd be meeting his crew for his job in Bonnieville.  We drove the 4.5 hours to Fort McMurray and got there in the evening of the 3rd.  After briefs stops at security and the housing office, we were able to ...

Fort Mac for work
Nov 18, 2007

Worked as a summer tech for Suncor

Where is Fort McMurray?
Jul 25, 2007

Fort McMurray - a long drive but well worth the trip!

Quick Note
Jul 7, 2007

Hey guys, Just a quick note from Fort McMurray.  I've got limited internet access and so I'll be updating the blog when I get to Edmonton eith Thursday or Friday. Ciao for now! Jess

where in the world is ft. mac?
Dec 25, 2007

Ft. Mcmurray is about 4 hours north of edmonton. The only reason anyone is there is because there is about 5x the oil of saudi up there.  There are really good steak houses and seafood, yes seafood this far from the ocean. Plan an evening if ...

A little Info
Jun 5, 2006 (1 photos)

This travelogue is supposed to allow images to be sent from a cell phone... so we'll see if I can send any pics from Mexico when we're down there! Anywho, here's some info about the resort from their website: "El Dorado Royale, A Spa Resort, an ...