More pics

I thought that I would add some more pictures from my outings last weekend. With the amount of ground that I want to cover I am starting to think that buying a bicycle might be a good idea. There are just so many back roads and trails that it would take forever to walk them. And every trail that I go down there seems to be fantastic scenery. I am thinking that a mountain bike might be in order. If I knew for sure that I would be staying at this camp I would buy one for sure. But you just never know from one day to the next.

Bears

Apparently there have been bear sightings outside the camp the last couple of days. Today there was a large cinnamon bear sunning itself a couple hundred feet outside the front doors. Once I have made a trip home I am going to grab my good camera and long lens. Hopefully I can get some good shots of the bears from a distance.

I have also been trying to research whether or not there really are grizzly bears in the area. I have heard people on both sides of the fence. Some say that there are no grizzlies in the area, others say there are. I would love to get a few pictures of some grizzlies, from a much farther distance of course.

Sunday out

I went out and about today. I refuse to sit in the camp moping like the other guys on my weekend off. I ended up going about 7km through the bush. I found quite a few streams and rivers. There sure is a lot of really pretty scenery around here.

I also ran into an guide that works for an outfitter from Grand Prairie. He was out baiting for bear. Apparently they have people coming in from Sweden for the spring bear hunt. Of course he has been baiting all the areas that I go hiking in the woods! I guess if the bears have the bait to tend to they will probably leave me alone.

More hiking!

I cannot seem to get enough of the hiking around here. All told yesterday I went about 10-12 km. When in the bush it reminds me of being at our cabin in Bancroft Ontario. I just cannot believe how nice it is around here. It is so hard to tell going by everything at 110 km/h on a bus. But when you get out there and walk it, there is alot of nice rivers and streams, and the topology of the area is great. If you like the bush and hiking this is a great place. There is all kinds of wildlife around. Of course I have not yet run into a bear, but I am sure that I will. I think Sesame Street retired Big Bird up here. I found his footprints in the mud.

The one picture you see here is of Hwy. 63 looking north from Beaver river, about 2km south of 'the bridge to nowhere.'

Another Hike

I got out for another hike today with a couple of workmates. We went down along the Athabasca river. Along our trek we found a couple of bones that looked like leg bones from a moose. The scenery along the river is absolutely gorgeous. If it wasn't for all these oil sands developments it would be pristine up here. But then we wouldn't be here making all this money.

Giant Beetles

Apparently there are these giant beetles here that the guys call an 'oilsands beetle'. I do not know that this is the correct term for them, but they are huge. We found one on the job today, and I am told that this one is small.

I went for another hike tonight along a road that runs parallel to the Athabasca river. Wow, what a beautiful place. And there is lots of wildlife starting to move about now that spring is here (20 C tomorrow). I took some pictures of the Athabasca with its ice flowing out. I also got some of the tracks of different wildlife.