09-11AUG15 - Kittitas, WA & Various (sparwood, bc & moose jaw, sk)

Since we were only driving a few hours it was a late morning start on Sunday, 09AUG, to Dan’s cousin Steve & Bonnie’s in Kittitas, WA; who we visit once or twice every year (see below BLOG link for last visit).  After setting up camp we “toured” their new solar roof system, & then off to a Japanese restaurant for dinner.  Then it was back to their place for reminiscing & tall tales.

http://theryanrvexpress.blogspot.ca/2014/04/30mar14-05apr14-kittitas-wa-via.html

Early start Monday morning we really started our hard drive to the family reunion in Sprucewoods/Brandon, Manitoba.  As always I-90 thru Spokane, WA, is no fun; once in Idaho we switched over to US-95 north (a very scenic road).  Entry into Canada was the fastest one ever for usJ!  The road from Cranbrook, BC, to Sparwood, BC, was very scenic.  We tried to stay at Mt Fergie Provincial Park – lousy road, no ranger station at gate, no info about where rangers are?  So down the road to a commercial park in Sparwood, BC; 430 miles driven.

Tuesday morning back on the road.  Outside Fort Macleod, AB, we run into major traffic jam because the authorities have decided to carry out a commercial vehicle safety inspection in the middle of the highway in both directions.

On our drive we passed thru what appeared to be a recent, major slide outside Crowsnest Pass, AB.  We noted a sign naming this “The Frank Slide” (see below wiki info The Frank Slide).

 

“The Frank Slide was a rockslide that buried part of the mining town of Frank, Northwest Territories, Canada, on the morning of April 29, 1903. It occurred at 4:10 am, when over 82 million tonnes (90 million tons) of limestone rock slid down Turtle Mountain within 100 seconds, obliterating the eastern edge of Frank, the Canadian Pacific Railway line and the coal mine. It was one of the largest landslidesin Canadian history and remains the deadliest, as between 70 and 90 of the town's residents were killed, most of whom remain buried in the rubble. Multiple factors led to the slide. Turtle Mountain's formation left it in a constant state of instability, leading area Native tribes to call it, "the mountain that moves". Coal mining operations may have weakened the mountain's internal structure, as did a wet winter and cold snap on the night of the slide.”

“The railway was repaired within three weeks and the mine was quickly reopened. The section of town closest to the mountain was relocated in 1911 amid fears that another slide was possible. The town's population nearly doubled its pre-slide population by 1906, but dwindled after the mine closed permanently in 1917. The community is now part of the Municipality of Crowsnest Pass in the Province of Alberta and has a population around 200. The site of the disaster, which remains nearly unchanged since the slide, is now a popular tourist destination. It has been designated a Provincial Historic Site of Alberta and is home to an interpretive centre that receives over 100,000 visitors annually.”

Averaging about 60mph we drive 460 miles to Moose Jaw, SK.

Tomorrow 288 miles to Sprucewoods, MB, & the Canadian side of family.