Yesterday Harry had his first day out. We wrapped him up, and put him in his sling under Sam's coat, for a wander around snowy Banff. He was very well behaved, although didn't seem very interested in the magnificent mountain vistas.
Thursday, 17 December 2009
Harry's big day out
Yesterday Harry had his first day out. We wrapped him up, and put him in his sling under Sam's coat, for a wander around snowy Banff. He was very well behaved, although didn't seem very interested in the magnificent mountain vistas.
Tuesday, 15 December 2009
Wednesday, 9 December 2009
Henry Edwin Bailey dob 07 Dec 2009
As anyone who follows this blog will know, the long-awaited Harry Bailey arrived on the evening of 07 Dec 09 (2030hrs Mountain time), following a surprisingly short labour of 3.5 hours duration. Mother and baby are both well, although Sam could do with some sleep! Left and below, the rare sight of Harry sleeping peacefully.
Phew! Even I dont like the smell of that one!!
Tuesday, 10 November 2009
First outing for the Icemen
Sunday, 4 October 2009
Canmore and the Rocky Mountains
We have, of late, neglected the blog and have a bit of catching up to do. We spent a long weekend in Canmore, in the foothills of the Albertan Rockies, over 11-14 Sept. We boooked a day's fly-fishing on the Bow River on the saturday, and spent the day floating downstream in am
azing scenery. Unfortunately, it 
was too windy for fly-fishing so we fished with lures instead, and hauled out 13 brown trout of various sizes over the day. On the sunday, Kevin was running the Canmore 10k race in the morning and in the afternoon we headed up to Banff where we took the 
gondola to the top of Sulphur Mountain for some fantastic views of the Bow Valley.On the 22nd Sept, Tara and Rob arrived in Calgary. We met up with them on the following friday and all headed up into the mountains in the RV. Although late september, the weather was unseasonably warm and sunny. We spent the first night in Canmore then off to Banff the following morning, where Tara and Rob took the gondola trip that we had done a few weeks before. On sunday, we had a late start, had a look around Banff town, then toook a drive out to Lake Minnewanka (pronounced MinneWONKA, apparently). This huge lak
e was thought by the native people to harbour a malevolent water spirit that dragged people to their deaths from their canoes. The likely explaination is a little more prosaic - the lake is fed by glaciers and the water temperature remains below 5 degrees C all year round, anyone who falls in soon succumbs to hypothermia and sinks. We didn't canoe; instead took a trip around the lake in a 65 berth cruiser, sheltered from the elements.After another night in Banff, we set off up Highway 93 towards La
ke Louise, stopping for a walk at Jackson Canyon along the way. By late afternoon we were at Lake Louise; a stunning emerald green lake lying at the foot of Mt Victoria. At the eastern end of the lake there is an opulent hotel called the Fairmont Chateau, which started life as a tea house for well heeled Victorian sightseers, and took off as a hotel following a visit in 1912 by the Prince of Wales, who was in the area on a hiking holiday. As a special treat, as we had all 
been slumming it in the RV, we dined there that evening.
ke Louise, stopping for a walk at Jackson Canyon along the way. By late afternoon we were at Lake Louise; a stunning emerald green lake lying at the foot of Mt Victoria. At the eastern end of the lake there is an opulent hotel called the Fairmont Chateau, which started life as a tea house for well heeled Victorian sightseers, and took off as a hotel following a visit in 1912 by the Prince of Wales, who was in the area on a hiking holiday. As a special treat, as we had all 
been slumming it in the RV, we dined there that evening.The following day we had to start heading back the way we came and drove to Canmore for another overnight stop before heading back across the prairie to Ralston. Tara and Rob spent a couple of nights with us, taking in the delights of Medicine Hat (!), and Sam drove them back to Calgary on friday for their flight back to the UK.
Thursday, 20 August 2009
Yellowstone road trip
We have just returned from a fantastic 8-day road trip to Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming. The RV was packed to the gunwales with 5 people (Sam, Kevin, Andrea, Jerry, Alex) and one dog (Bran), and we heade
d off into the west. 
On day one we left Ralston in the afternoon and travelled towards the Rocky Mountains to our first stop at Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump. This is a World Heritage Site on the S. Albertan prairie where the Blackfoot people hunted and killed buffalo for the long winter, by driving them over the edge of an escarpment. See http://www.head-smashed-in.com/ . Our first night was spent looking out over the site, eating barbecued sausages and roasting marshmallows over the fire.
On day 2 we made the relatively short drive to Waterton Lakes National Park, in the Southern Albertan Rocki
es. The weather was a bit damp but the views magnificent, and Bran had a lovely time swimming in the lake. Kept our eyes peeled for bears but they all stayed well hidden.
The next morning we steeled ourselves for a long day of driving, in order to reach West Yellowstone in time for dinner. We drove across the Canada/USA border with no problems and headed south east through Montana, our destination some 500 miles away. With 70 miles to go and the sun going down, disaster struck and the RV broke down! We therefore spent night 3 parked on a garage forecourt in a little town called Ennis.
One new alternator later, we were on our way again, and by lunchtime on day 4 we had reached the town of West Yellowstone, just outside the national park. After a quick leg stretch and a look round the classic car show going on in town, we headed into the park through the west entrance. From here, the road winds through pine forest, down into the western geothermal areas that include various brightly co
loured hot springs, bubbling mud pools, and the world famous Old Faithful geyser. Having spent a few hours peering at springs and mud pools, we ran out of daylight before we had seen Old Faithful blow so we drove through a hail storm to the south entrance and our campsite for the night.
No bears yet!
On day 5 we headed back to Old Fa
ithful to watch it erupt. We arrived to find a very congested car park and visitors centre, with throngs of people also waiting around the perimeter of the geyser. It hissed and bubbled for some time before firing a magnificent plume of steaming water 30 feet into the air. By now the weather had flipped from cold and wet to blazing sunshine, and we headed east to our next stop at Bridge Bay on the shores of Yellowstone Lake where we spent the night. The following morning saw a leisurely start as we were only travelling 4 miles to the next settlement on the Lake, called Fishing Bridge. This area is so named for a wooden bridge that spans the Yellowstone River as it enters the north end of the lake. This part of the river is where the trout spawn in 
the spring and was such a popular fishing spot that in 1973 the park authorities had to ban fishing there in order to protect the native trout. Fishing is allowed past the bridge from the shores of the lake so Kevin and Alex took the opportunity to try their luck, but to no avail. We did, however, find a fresh set of grizzly paw prints in the wet sand and were informed later by a ranger that there had indeed been a passing bear earlier that day. Nearly saw one!
On day 7 we drove north to Yellowstone Canyon, a spectacular gash in the earth’s crust that in places is 900ft deep and half a mile w
ide, formed at the end of the last ice age when the glacial ice damming the lake melted, causing flash floods and massive erosion. The river flows across 2 magnificent waterfalls and through a canyon whose rocky walls vary from deep red to pale yellow. When standing looking across lower falls, the sun and spray combine to produce vivid rainbows spanning the river valley. En route to Canyon, we followed the river through the picturesque Hayden valley, a grassy plain where herds of wild buffalo roam. 
We had the luxury of being booked in to the same place for 2 nights, so headed back to Fishing Bridge only to find that someone had parked their RV in our site!! After a short discussion with the campsite wardens, where Sam let them know how disappointed she was, they found us another spot to hook up the RV for the evening. Whilst sitting in the RV, having a cuppa, a chipmunk trotted up to the door to investigate. The chipmunk and Bran spotted each other at the same time, and they were off. Bran shot out through the open door like greased lightning, but the chipmunk knew the ground and disappeared into the undergrowth leaving Bran stood 20 feet from the RV looking very confused.
On day 8 we headed back
up north and drove through the Lamar Valley towards the eastern edge of the park. Again, this grassy valley was resplendent with buffalo, some of them wandering across the road, content that they were a match for any vehicle. We stopped at the Roosevelt Corral as we had booked for Andrea, Alex and Kevin to go on a trail ride with the local wranglers. Best chance yet to see bears, but still none! After lunch, we carried on thr
ough the Lamar valley to our next stop at Pebble Creek. We stopped briefly on the way to check out a little lake that we had seen marked on the map, called Trout Lake. Alex and Kevin felt that with a name like that, they must be in with a chance of catching something. Reaching the 
lake required a bit of a hike over some steep hills but it did not disappoint. Cresting the hill revealed a crystal clear lake fringed by pine trees and with a backdrop of mountains. After a few casts Kevin caught a small Cutthroat trout then promptly snagged a tree, losing his fishing tackle. Alex lasted a little longer until a semi-submerged log snapped his line too.
Still, a Yellowstone trout had been caught – no bears though. On the way back from the lake, we did spot a coyote crossing the road. Our campsite for the night was
the most remote so far, at the edge of a small creek at the base of a cliff. Bear country if anywhere was. Alex and Andrea got up the next morning before dawn to spot any crepuscular bears or wolves but, needless to say, none were available for comment. We therefore broke camp and set off for the long journey back to Ralston at 8am. We drove and drove and drove right across Montana, arriving home 13 hours later – tired but contented.
d off into the west. 
On day one we left Ralston in the afternoon and travelled towards the Rocky Mountains to our first stop at Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump. This is a World Heritage Site on the S. Albertan prairie where the Blackfoot people hunted and killed buffalo for the long winter, by driving them over the edge of an escarpment. See http://www.head-smashed-in.com/ . Our first night was spent looking out over the site, eating barbecued sausages and roasting marshmallows over the fire.
On day 2 we made the relatively short drive to Waterton Lakes National Park, in the Southern Albertan Rocki
es. The weather was a bit damp but the views magnificent, and Bran had a lovely time swimming in the lake. Kept our eyes peeled for bears but they all stayed well hidden.The next morning we steeled ourselves for a long day of driving, in order to reach West Yellowstone in time for dinner. We drove across the Canada/USA border with no problems and headed south east through Montana, our destination some 500 miles away. With 70 miles to go and the sun going down, disaster struck and the RV broke down! We therefore spent night 3 parked on a garage forecourt in a little town called Ennis.
One new alternator later, we were on our way again, and by lunchtime on day 4 we had reached the town of West Yellowstone, just outside the national park. After a quick leg stretch and a look round the classic car show going on in town, we headed into the park through the west entrance. From here, the road winds through pine forest, down into the western geothermal areas that include various brightly co
loured hot springs, bubbling mud pools, and the world famous Old Faithful geyser. Having spent a few hours peering at springs and mud pools, we ran out of daylight before we had seen Old Faithful blow so we drove through a hail storm to the south entrance and our campsite for the night.
No bears yet!On day 5 we headed back to Old Fa
ithful to watch it erupt. We arrived to find a very congested car park and visitors centre, with throngs of people also waiting around the perimeter of the geyser. It hissed and bubbled for some time before firing a magnificent plume of steaming water 30 feet into the air. By now the weather had flipped from cold and wet to blazing sunshine, and we headed east to our next stop at Bridge Bay on the shores of Yellowstone Lake where we spent the night. The following morning saw a leisurely start as we were only travelling 4 miles to the next settlement on the Lake, called Fishing Bridge. This area is so named for a wooden bridge that spans the Yellowstone River as it enters the north end of the lake. This part of the river is where the trout spawn in 
the spring and was such a popular fishing spot that in 1973 the park authorities had to ban fishing there in order to protect the native trout. Fishing is allowed past the bridge from the shores of the lake so Kevin and Alex took the opportunity to try their luck, but to no avail. We did, however, find a fresh set of grizzly paw prints in the wet sand and were informed later by a ranger that there had indeed been a passing bear earlier that day. Nearly saw one!On day 7 we drove north to Yellowstone Canyon, a spectacular gash in the earth’s crust that in places is 900ft deep and half a mile w
ide, formed at the end of the last ice age when the glacial ice damming the lake melted, causing flash floods and massive erosion. The river flows across 2 magnificent waterfalls and through a canyon whose rocky walls vary from deep red to pale yellow. When standing looking across lower falls, the sun and spray combine to produce vivid rainbows spanning the river valley. En route to Canyon, we followed the river through the picturesque Hayden valley, a grassy plain where herds of wild buffalo roam. 
We had the luxury of being booked in to the same place for 2 nights, so headed back to Fishing Bridge only to find that someone had parked their RV in our site!! After a short discussion with the campsite wardens, where Sam let them know how disappointed she was, they found us another spot to hook up the RV for the evening. Whilst sitting in the RV, having a cuppa, a chipmunk trotted up to the door to investigate. The chipmunk and Bran spotted each other at the same time, and they were off. Bran shot out through the open door like greased lightning, but the chipmunk knew the ground and disappeared into the undergrowth leaving Bran stood 20 feet from the RV looking very confused.
On day 8 we headed back
up north and drove through the Lamar Valley towards the eastern edge of the park. Again, this grassy valley was resplendent with buffalo, some of them wandering across the road, content that they were a match for any vehicle. We stopped at the Roosevelt Corral as we had booked for Andrea, Alex and Kevin to go on a trail ride with the local wranglers. Best chance yet to see bears, but still none! After lunch, we carried on thr
ough the Lamar valley to our next stop at Pebble Creek. We stopped briefly on the way to check out a little lake that we had seen marked on the map, called Trout Lake. Alex and Kevin felt that with a name like that, they must be in with a chance of catching something. Reaching the 
lake required a bit of a hike over some steep hills but it did not disappoint. Cresting the hill revealed a crystal clear lake fringed by pine trees and with a backdrop of mountains. After a few casts Kevin caught a small Cutthroat trout then promptly snagged a tree, losing his fishing tackle. Alex lasted a little longer until a semi-submerged log snapped his line too.Still, a Yellowstone trout had been caught – no bears though. On the way back from the lake, we did spot a coyote crossing the road. Our campsite for the night was
the most remote so far, at the edge of a small creek at the base of a cliff. Bear country if anywhere was. Alex and Andrea got up the next morning before dawn to spot any crepuscular bears or wolves but, needless to say, none were available for comment. We therefore broke camp and set off for the long journey back to Ralston at 8am. We drove and drove and drove right across Montana, arriving home 13 hours later – tired but contented.
Friday, 24 July 2009
Medicine Hat Stampede
Yesterday we were invited to attend the Medicine Hat Stampede standing in for Commander BATUS. It was an early start with being driven around Medicine Hat in an open top car for the Parade. Then lunch followed by the rodeo.
These are some pictures of us & the car we were in. The sign on the car reads BATUS COMMANDER Major Kevin Bailey & Samantha. So much to Kevins embarrassment he was promoted for the day. It was quite a bizarre experience sitting in the car & waving to everyone, we certainly will never forget it.
These are a couple of pictures of Kevin in our "casual western" dress for the day. With our new hats, shirts and cowboy boots. Everyone is dressed this way so any self consciousness soon disappears & in fact Kevins quite getting into it!
Tuesday, 7 July 2009
Say hello to Henry (AKA Harry) Bailey
Sam had her 19 week scan today - all is well, all limbs and appendages accounted for and, yes, it's a boy!!
Monday, 8 June 2009
Banff-Jasper Relay
This weekend we went to Banff National Park as I was running a section of the Banff-Jasper relay, which follows the highway through stunning mountain scenery for 258km (I did a 20.6km section). As well as the incredible scenery, we managed to spot a grey wolf and a grizzly bear!
Bran offers his congratulations.
Warming down after my leg of the race. The Bow glacier lake is in the background.
Bran offers his congratulations.Saturday, 30 May 2009
Bump Bailey at 13 weeks
All fingers and toes present and correct - unfortunately no sign of the Bailey nose yet!
Monday, 25 May 2009
Rockies at last
We now have an RV (recreational vehicle) which we bought with the intention of gettting away from Ralston to somewhere more picturesque at every available opportunity. We took it on a short weekend trip to Canmore, in the Albertan 
Rockies, this weekend. The RV park that we stayed in was a little crowded but the scenery was spectacular. We arrived late at night, in the dark, and woke to find ourselves surrounded by snow capped peaks.
As you can see, she is a vintage model (the RV, not Sam), but runs well and has all the home comforts. Bran has made himself at home and likes to sit between the driver and passenger whilst we are on the move.
This is where we stayed, the peaks behind us are known as the 3 Sisters and feature on almost every tourism brochure of Canmore.
This is a view from one of the footbridges crossing the Bow River, looking north-west in the direction of Banff.
Here is a rare example of Bran behaving
himself. Note the barbecue on the table behind - when food is around, he is the politest puppy imaginable!
Rockies, this weekend. The RV park that we stayed in was a little crowded but the scenery was spectacular. We arrived late at night, in the dark, and woke to find ourselves surrounded by snow capped peaks.As you can see, she is a vintage model (the RV, not Sam), but runs well and has all the home comforts. Bran has made himself at home and likes to sit between the driver and passenger whilst we are on the move.
This is where we stayed, the peaks behind us are known as the 3 Sisters and feature on almost every tourism brochure of Canmore.
This is a view from one of the footbridges crossing the Bow River, looking north-west in the direction of Banff.
Here is a rare example of Bran behaving
himself. Note the barbecue on the table behind - when food is around, he is the politest puppy imaginable!
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