Boomtown 2006

Edmonton, Alberta: prosperous, clean, upbeat, on a high, with continuous home and road construction. These are just a few of the ways to begin to describe this city.
With oil money fueling this prosperity Edmonton shows evidence of outstanding urban planning. From the parks, the green spaces with lakes, controlled diversified home building to the unique malls and shops that resemble houses this area is emerging as a leading Canadian city. Apparently it is the fastest growing city in Canada at this time.

If we were 20 years younger we would pack up and move here as there are employment opportunities available in all sectors. We were told that servers in Tim Hortons coffee shop in Fort McMurray are paid $20 per hour. The Alberta tar sands are in the vicinity of Fort McMurray.


Having spent the past 2 weeks in the Whitemud Creek RV park we discovered after 3 days of steady rain why it is called white mud. The range roads dividing off the sections are not gravelled and many are not paved. After a short trip on these roads our truck was covered over the cab with "white mud". It dries hard and is very difficult to remove. This gives one some compassion for the settlers of the 1800s. During our 2 weeks here we visited with Ruth's nephew Darwin and his family and explored Edmonton and the surrounding area. On Monday June 12 we are preparing to travel to Dawson Creek BC.