ALBERTA T TOUR - 2025 - Days 10-13 The Long Road Home

 This is the part where you are ready to be home and you have over a thousand miles to go.  Just gonna throw up a bunch of pictures. Click on any one for a larger version.

Home at last, 2861 miles on the trusty Bronco, one tough machine, basically flat out most of the time towing that trailer.  Only 300 miles on the T in Alberta, half of that in the rain.  time to sit back and relax........

ALBERTA T TOUR - 2025 - Day 9 - Buffalo Lake

75 miles today roundtrip. 

Headed for the countryside again,  canola was especially bright this morning,,,

Stopped at local car collection for ice cream, after all, all food groups are found in an ice cream sandwich,,,

Our first Alberta dirt road, 8 miles of it.  

Put us on the shores of Buffalo Lake for lunch and a few car games.

Tonight was the final banquet.  Awards and all, Ed won for driving the farthest.

Little sidelight, as I was getting ready to load the T into the trailer, a couple clean-cut young men came by and wondered about a ride in a T, more specifically for a bride in their group.   Turns out they were Hutterites, a religion that lives in colonies, basically communal living.  They do not believe in personal property, everything belongs to the colony. There are 15000 Hutterites in Alberta, and 150 colonies. They farm, but not wheat or canola. They generally do eggs, hogs, and milk and are pretty prosperous, the group that we met were all young folk traveling to town in a brand new van. Anyway, I said fine, let's go.  I gave rides to the bride and half a dozen of the young girls, and three or four of the young men. They were all quite curious about Model T's, so as I was driving, Patti was talking Model T's. As we finished, I took out my cell phone to get a picture.  The young ladies all ducked for cover.  One young man noted that they don't take pictures, second commandment in the Bible, "Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image."  I offered to delete the picture, but the young man said,it was all right.  Incidentally, Hutterites have fought and won to not have their pictures on drivers licenses. anyway, here is my picture.  Nice group of young people.  And two of the guys helped me put the T in the trailer.

Well,that's it, packed to leave early tomorrow,  see you at home.

ALBERTA T TOUR - 2025 - Day 8 - Reynolds Museum

 Canada has these premier museums, each out there in a relatively small town.  Today was the Reynolds Museum in Wetaskiwin.  Don't ask me to pronounce that, typical name for Alberta.  95 miles one way,we made it in two hours, pretty much flat out in the T through that great Alberta farmland, on nice backroads, little traffic.  The countryside is this pretty green (wheat) and gold (canola) patchwork quilt, you can't capture it in a picture,it's too pretty.  Click on any picture for a larger version.

Love the way the canola looks like it is flowing around the power poles.  Here are a few of the things that caught myeye in the museum,,,

The above are things on display in the main museum, then we walked thru their warehouse where things not on display are, shades of Raiders of the lost ark.  Click on any picture for a larger version.

The picture on the right is a dissembled Model T undercarriage.

Long day, ran the T hard all day.  All good.  

Yesterday, we saw 5 white pelicans, here in the middle of Alberta!!  How is that possible?  Googled white pelicans and turns out they are migratory, and return to Alberta for summer nesting.  Before winter sets in, they migrate to southern U.S. and Mexico.  Amazing.  Also lots of gulls, slightly different bill markings from the CA gulls.

ALBERTA T TOUR - 2025 - Day 7 - A Day in Stettler

 Day 7 - A Day in Stettler

A little morning tour took us past several retirement homes, for those folks who don't get out much, lots of folks waving as we went by.  

Had fun looping our parade all around the cul de sacs,,,

Then off for a visit and lunch at the local Ford dealer,,,  Ford dealers  up here love us.

Found a new use for a Ford Lightning,,,

Spent the afternoon at the Stettler Pioneer Village.  Just going to throw up a bunch of pictures here.

Couple of extreme Model T hot rods showed uo today,,   genuine Model T's,  

Look at the wood bodies,  sheet metal doesn't last too well up here, and those long dark cold winter days are a good time for woodworking.

End of day, little parking lot maintenance,,,,,,,

ALBERTA T TOUR - 2025 - Day 6 - Train Tour to Big Valley

 Day 6 - Train Tour to Big Valley

In thr parking lot this morning, talked to this guy from Florida ( on a really extended tour o the states), who has this cool Rawleigh's Peoducts T.  The question is, are you old enough to remember when Rawleigh's Products and Watkins Products would arrive at your farmhouse so you could stock up on liniments and cold remedies and various other sundries?

This mornings tour took us to the Ford Farmstead (no relation) for ice cream. Perfect way to start the day, right?  Ice cream and then toffee to go....

Afternoon tour was a lengthy train ride from Stettler to Big Valley on the Alberta Prairie Railway Steam Train.

Before we left, we managed to get almost everyone from our club together for a group photo.

We couldn't find Barbara (she was in the locomotive trying to hitch a ride) so her friend Karen stood in for her.

We took a few T's along in case the train broke down,,,,,,

Tickets please,,,,

Your money or your life, please,,,,

At big valley, we had a steak, beans, salad dinner and then explored the town, found this tool museum, now here was a guy (probably divorced) who let his collection get away,,,

Pat found another tractor sewing machine in the ice cream store,,,,

We may be looking at a new use for her collection.

Just one more thing, this is the saloon car, very popular on the way back, along with some cowboy entertainment.

Long day,,,,,,zzzzz,,,