Back to the Prairie

Trip Start May 29, 2009
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Trip End Oct 03, 2009


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Where I stayed
Discovery Campground, Devon, Alberta
(Edmonton hotels)

Flag of Canada  , Alberta,
Thursday, July 9, 2009

We leave the mountains and head back onto the prairie – Edmonton

We left Jasper National Park this morning in the same chilly, cloudy, misty weather as yesterday. It is only 230 miles to Edmonton, but the windshield wipers never got turned off.  The Yellowhead Highway (TransCanada 16) is a good road, mostly 4 lane divided.  Or, as they say up here "twinned".  We arrived at our RV park, Discovery Campground.  It is part of the Canadian Petroleum Discovery Centre in Devon, just southwest of Edmonton. 

We toured the centre and learned about the first big oil discovery here in 1947.  This oil field made Canada self-sufficient in petroleum, and is still an important part of the local and national economy.  The yard around the museum has a collection of derricks, pumps, and other oilfield equipment.  The museum is filled with more equipment, drilling rig (on-shore and off-shore) equipment models, and tons of geological explanations.  One part of the display is a video that takes you down as a well is being drilled through the different layers of rock.  They were working on this display, and we spent some time talking to the three men who created it.

We have no internet access in the campground, so we went to the Devon public library to take care of necessary business.
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