A big mall is just that—a big mall

Halleluiah!  About an hour down the highway, the clouds parted and we had sun.  The first sun since Alaska, and we didn’t see much sun there.  The sun came out as we were leaving the mountains and entering the prairie.  It is pretty here in Alberta—rolling hills and farmland.  Lots of small towns, and interesting views. 
The plan today was the West Edmonton Mall and we drove until we reached it, except for a short stop in Mayerthorpe to give the dogs an airing at the Monument to the Fallen Four, a peace officer memorial.  It was a very nice tribute to peace officers who have given the ultimate sacrifice, and the perfect stop to exercise the terriers. 

We arrived at “WEM,” as it calls itself, and well . . . it was a mall but a really really big one.  Not terribly interesting.  

We did have a nice lunch there and looked at the replica of Columbus’s Santa Maria and appreciated how crazy big and fancy the water park is.   If we had kids with us, this would be a required stop.  The pool had waves and the slides were huge and scary looking. 

We also stopped to watch some very good skaters practicing on an ice rink.  One pair of ice dancers did a routine and then watched a video of themselves, so we had the impression that the practice was serious.

We bought bread at a huge Asian grocery.

Then we continued on our way (which at this point is the Yellowhead trail) to another provincial park.  This one is in Vermillion.  It is noteworthy because we have our first public campground with flush toilets and showers—livin’ large!  And without an increase in price.  Again, there are only a couple of sites filled—except there were a large group of RV’s on a ridge.  We went up there assuming we would find a view only to discover that this was the part of the camp ground with power and other services.  We returned to the more attractive sites below—our solar panel gives us enough power for television and whatever.  The park is quite nice, but we are on the prairie, and the scenery is not spectacular but we do have grass and trees. 

It is after the Labor Day weekend and we are starting to lose traveler services.  They locked the restrooms for the season right before we pulled away from the campsite.  And it is raining again, sigh, with more rain forecast for the remainder of the week.

345 miles; Vermillion Provincial Park, Alberta; N 53° 21.914’ W 110° 52.674’