Panning the Pembina

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“Mom! Mom! Come here I found gold!” I wasn’t convinced. My three-year-old son had staked his claim earlier in the morning and started “panning” for gold, with a frisbee. When I took a closer look there were some shiny specks no bigger than the head of a pin. So, if it was gold, safe to say that it wasn’t going to be paying for his college tuition any time soon.

We ended up on the banks of the mighty Pembina River, on the suggestion of my friend. A conversation about fossils with a work colleague led her to dig a bit deeper where she found an article stating that Entwistle, Alberta is the “Diamond Capital of Canada.” A claim that may be overstated but lured us out there anyways.

A few hours later, we did find something that resembled fossils, in the large stone slabs. “Take a picture, so we can prove that we found one,” suggested one of the kids.

With a click of the camera we were out of there and planning what to do next. The timepiece was edging on noon so we headed up the road to Evansburg.

Evansburg is a small town self branded as the “Home of the Grouch”, with #thegrouch murals painted all over town. It is also home to a bakery and ice cream shop and a lovely Saturday market from 10-2.

“What do you want: bakery or ice cream?” I asked. “Ice cream!”

As we weren’t the only ones out for ice cream on a hot Saturday we were trying to keep a lid on the orangutans when a gentleman reading his morning newspaper looked up.

“You are experiencing a very special moment here. Try to hold on to it,” he said.

Later he told us that seeing the kids out of ice cream was bringing back memories of 50 years ago with his own family. It was the reminder I needed to just let the moment happen.

On eating our ice cream we discovered that Evanburg has a lovely little market 10-2 on Saturdays. With permanent kiosks, there were honey vendors, knick knack vendors, home made quilts, and your home based network marketing products. A point of caution, do not go without cash. I did and missed out on buying anything.

So, what started out as just an early morning outing turned into a full morning in Evansburg and I got a new idea on a backyard bucket list bike ride route.

Hiking | Brazeau and BeyondSaturday morning itinerary:

9:00 a.m. Arrive at Pembina River Provincial Park park in the day use area. To look for fossils, head up stream under the Hwy 16 A bridge to sandstone and rock slab. This is a shallow area if the river is shallow, with a sand bar, and a lot of interest for kids.

11:30 a.m. Evansburg bakery and ice cream stop (playground across the street at the Tipple Park Museum)

12:00 Evansburg Mainstreet Market (10 am – 2 pm). A mini farmers market downtown. You will find honey, quilts and locally crafted goods.

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