Issue 13, Volume 1
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Welcome to our fall double issue: one part is our feature on travel Alberta, our summer wrap up. The other part is our standard sociopolitical fare that we like to bring to you each issue. The video above is from Hot August Nights at Castrol Raceway, in Edmonton, AB. The race is among the biggest jet car meets in North America during the season. Castrol raceway is just one of the many things to take in during late summer, inexpensive excursions in Alberta.
Sidenote
Please note our pink header. We will run this throughout most of October for Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Recently, I had the opportunity to take part in Run For The Cure, in which 9000 people took part and raised $1.6 million for breast cancer research. In all of Canada, the total was over 170,000 participants who did either a 5km run, or a 1km walk, and raised over $30,000,000 towards breast cancer research. This month, please take a moment to think of all the women in your life, or yourself, if you happen to be female. One in nine women, or eleven percent, will be diagnosed with Breast Cancer this year. In Canada, that is a total of 23,400 women. Of those, 5100 will die of it. Statistics are courtesy of the Canadian Cancer Society. The death rate from Breast Cancer is the lowest it's been since the late 1950's. Screening is up, and catching it early is good. But what if we could make it such that the death rate was even lower? What if we could make early detection higher? What if we could educate as to prevent cancer? Please educate yourself this month, and donate when called upon. Thank you.
TRAVEL ALBERTA: SPECIAL FEATURE
Summer is pretty much over now. Although September usually signals fall, we had a lucky bounce of some good weather towards the end. We decided during this time (and this would explain the long absence in the magazine) that we would take the opportunity to go out and enjoy as much as we could on a shoe string budget. Here are some of the activities we took in.
Hot August Nights
Held at Castrol Raceway in Edmonton, AB, Hot August Nights takes place in late August each year, and is the biggest jet car drag race meet in North America. It also boasts funny cars and many other competitive race classes. If you've watched the video above, you know why it's a big deal. Many other cities in Alberta and small towns have tracks that run all the way to the September long weekend.
Sarah and I looking on in the grandstand.
Two Top-Alcohol funny cars line up in staging. Top Alcohol boasts about 3000hp and track times usually run in the 7 second range at over 200mph.
Yours truly with a Camaro Top Alcohol Funny Car. Back in the heyday of drag racing (early 70's) these cars were known as 'floppers) for their lift-top bodies.
Myself with 'The Burnout King' Darryl Webb and is Lucas Oil Corvette Top Alcohol Funny Car. Most pit areas are open during race events, giving you a chance to see the cars up close, and maybe even talk to your favorite driver.
Sylvan Lake
Sylvan Lake is almost the perfect Albertan lake to visit that is not in the mountains. It is off of highway 11 near Red Deer, so accessible to those who live in Edmonton and Calgary. The biggest attractions are the beach, and of course, Wild Rapids waterslides. It can be done in a day trip, or you can plan to stay a weekend there.
Summer storms are common in Alberta, especially in the evening due to daytime heating. We experienced a little rain on our way back, but it resulted in some great natural art displays.
Sarah and I in line for the slides at Wild Rapids water park. Admission is $30, but if it is a super warm day, go after 3pm, and you'll save $10 off the admission price. We did, and it turned out to be a blast.
Of course, taking gratuitous photos of yourselves driving is part of the experience. If you took a Jeep Wrangler like we did, you'd have the option of removing the top for your lake experience.
Ah, the good ol' open road. Before you hit it, make sure that your vehicle is in good working order. You should, by rule, get an oil change every 5000km-8000km depending on your manual and how hard you're driving your vehicle. Make sure your fluids are topped up, and that any unresolved issues have been taken care of. Make sure your tires and brakes are good. If you have no idea what kind of shape they're in; lay down the extra money to have your dealer, or a reputable shop do an inspection. Have them go through the inspection with you, so you become more knowledgeable. If your car is under warranty, I strongly recommend taking it to the dealership you got it at to have this done. Most passenger car tires should be inflated to about 35psi, even though max load is 44psi. Consult your manual, and your trip should be trouble free!
Drumheller, Alberta
Situated just South of Calgary, Drumheller is an easy drive. Cut into the bald prairie, the descent into the valley of the Dinosaurs is an interesting one, where you will go from wheat fields to hoodoos and badlands in a matter of minutes. There are actually a fair amount of things to take in while you're there, all for cheap.
For free, take this ferry over the Bow River. This cable driven ferry can be avoided, but when leaving Drumheller, it might be the easiest way to point yourself back in a northerly direction.
The Royal Tyrrell Museum has been a mainstay of Drumheller since the early 80's. It has been updated since, and is still a leader in the world in the science of paleontology. The museum starts with fossils and findings from the earliest known life forms, and displays many fossil findings and recreations up until present day, and takes an introspective look at the future. The Alberta Badlands, and southern Alberta have one of the biggest deposits of dinosaur fossils in the world, and researchers are still finding new species and cataloging, better giving an understanding of our past.
Historic downtown Drumheller will take up about 20 minutes of your time. Every street has a dinosaur. Ashlee got bit by a guard triceratops in front of an ice-cream stand. The one thing particularly interesting is how far back the origins of the town go; as far back as Edmonton or Calgary. It makes you curious how some areas developed into bustling metropolises, and some became the home of a dinosaur museum. Go figure.
Atlas Mine is a former coal mine, and there are many remnants of it, including the suspension bridge used to at one time to cart workers and coal across the Bow river. The government of Alberta has graciously preserved the site so future gawkers like Sarah and I have something interesting to look at.
Then there are, of course, the hoodoos. Sediment rock formations that have been carved by wind. The hard rock at the top remains, while the more brittle sandstone underneath gets whittled away, making these interesting rock formations. Some of the hoodoos on the provincial site were damaged, and roped off. However, you can still climb on most of them unsupervised. Be aware, there are rattlers and scorpions in this area, just as in any other badlands area. For this time of year (second week of September) the temperatures were soaring to 29 degrees Celsius.
Want some green with your brown? Drumheller also has a golf course where green fees are reasonable. Golf is a great way to spend a warm afternoon, even if you suck at it.
Radium Hot Springs, Invermere, Fairmont Hot Springs
Road trips are always about finding new things. If you've been to the Rockies, you're certainly familiar with Banff, Jasper, Hinton, Canmore, and more of the other tourist-y type destinations. About an hour past Banff (exit off of the Trans-Canada on to B.C. 93) you will come to the town of Radium, and its' hot springs. 25km away is Fairmont Hot Springs, B.C. with its' own attractions, and in between is the town of Invermere, featuring Lake Windemere. I know I said 'travel Alberta' - but if you're in Banff and bored of shopping at Lu-Lu-Lemon and eating at The Keg, why not get off the well beaten path, and just on to a slightly beaten one?
Lake Windemere is a beautiful mountain lake, and is great for having some fun on. Why not rent a boat? We were able to reserve, in advance, this Ski Centurion with a 345hp Mercruiser Scorpion and a Ballast system. Wakeboarding, waterskiing, and tubing were all on the agenda.
Of course, if you're not in to watersports, you can just take the boat out for a nice tour around the lake.
The coolest parts of the tour were the ones that weren't so commercial. While Radium operates a government pool hot-springs, Fairmont offers a private pool. On the other side of the private pool is the actual hot springs and waterfall, seen here behind Sarah and I. The nature hike around it is nice too.
How To Travel: Resources
- We travelled using RV, which is great, all except for gas. But if you're driving anyway, this may be the best thing. Alberta has the most RV's per capita of anywhere in the world, believe it or not. If you have a pickup truck, or even a small SUV crossover or minivan, you can usually find a used RV that will be fantastic (trailers are always cheaper than motorhomes, and most cars can tow a tent trailer). Campgrounds usually charge between $15 to $50 a night depending on what type of features you want. This includes things like 15 amp, 30 amp, or 50 amp power. For example, 15 amp will be great just to turn lights on and off, 30 amp will run an air conditioner or a microwave, and 50 amp will run all your RV's electronics together, while you also operate a small grow-op in the back of your F-150. There are other amenities available, such as potable water hook up, on site sewer hook up, cable television hook up, and phone jack. Most campgrounds now also have a wi-fi network you can hook into, like modern hotel chains.
- Sylvan lake can be done in a day trip. Any drag strip meet usually is local, and will require only an evening. If you live in Calgary, Drumheller can be a day trip, but if you live in Red Deer or Edmonton, make it a weekend trip. I would recommend a weekend or a long weekend to take in just a few of what Radium and Fairmont have to offer.
- Most of these places have hotels that range from dives to moderately priced, well appointed motel/hotels, to expensive spa-resorts.
Reader Poll
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I don't know how it ended up that colour. Anyway it takes only a second.
Alison Redford FTW - Second Ballots Are a Joke
I'm not going to divulge my political affiliation here, because I don't think it is relevant in this commentary. You didn't think everything would be just about having fun in your RV did you? Nope, I'm back to ranting about what makes the world go round; politics and economics. This one has to do with both. As you may know, Alison Redford won over Gary Mar to become the Premier Designate of Alberta, after the retirement of 'Steady' Ed Stelmach. Now, my first problem with Redford was the idea that apparently she could restore all education funding within ten days. So, then, my question is where does this money come from? Do we stop paving roads? Do we give up on healthcare? This indicates a lack of understanding regarding how the economy and government work. Well, maybe not how the government works. Outlandish promises that can't be followed through on seems to be on par for any government. Then there's the ballot process. Most people, I think, would agree that Steady Eddie did very little for Alberta, and that we're not batting as well as we could be, although we resisted inflation better than any other province in Canada. Stelmach became the leader of the PC party after coming on strong as most people's second choice. In this party race, Mar and Redford were too close to call in the second ballot, so they looked at people's second choices. That's right, Redford was more people's second choice. So everyone is pretty comfortable, maybe not thrilled, but comfortable that she's in power. The biggest problem with all of this, however, is the 'Premier-Designate' title. If someone who leads a province, country, state, city, what have you should retire, die, go AWOL, go to prison, etc, shouldn't there be an immediate election? What frustrates me is there is no immediate need to call an election. So if you weren't a part of the PC party, you didn't really get to choose who is now in premier. You had no say at all. You didn't even get the chance to relegate her - or at least elect your own - opposition. My take? Redford doesn't know what she's doing, and there should be an election. Straight to the point.
The Frosh 15 - Eating Right for Students
I was reading an article in the Metro (yeah that's right) a few weeks ago regarding the 'Frosh' or 'Freshman' 15 - the 15lbs that new students usually gain in the first year of their post secondary experience. Apparently it's quite common, the majority of students will go through it. There is many tips on how to eat right.
There is one problem: eating right costs money.
With rising tuition costs, living costs, text book costs, course costs, transportation costs, and most of all food costs - a 9% inflation of food prices over last year - how are new students supposed to afford to eat right? I do not generally see campuses trying to provide better meal options through the eateries in their yard, after all, business investments make student unions' and institutions money. There is no place on a loan form (if you can get a loan) that indicates you need more money because you want to eat healthy. Here is a sad fact: it costs more to eat better. Maybe what we need to keep this happening is to make post secondary institutions understand that, like residence and parking, food available to students should be an issue up there with everything else. I mean, do we really want our students having to pay their student loans whilst paying for their diabetes medication at the same time? It is a possible future reality.
Philip Baker is Back
You might remember this character, the gentleman who was the Dean of Medicine at the University of Alberta. This man ripped off an entire speech to give to the graduating class for 2010, and was caught, and kicked out as dean. Now he's back working his usual hospital rounds, as well, he will be reinstated at the University of Alberta, not as a Dean of Medicine, but he will be working there.
He should be cleaning floors.
I posit why the University of Alberta needs this person who so blatantly does not give a shit when they could easily give the position to someone else. Even scarier than him teaching new graduates, he's back practicing himself. Would you want someone that thought he was above (and could not take 10 minutes of time to write his own) plagiarizing a speech for a large event working on you if you were a patient?
Fire this guy for good.
Movie Reviews - We Got 'Em
I felt why not, I watch films, I know something about them, I might as well talk about them. Think about this as less reviews and more recommendations. I'm not going to suggest films or talk about films I wasn't excited about.
In Theaters: Drive
Drive is a film starring Ryan Gosling, Albert Brooks, Ron Perlman, and Bryan Cranston, directed by Nicholas Winding Refn, and is possibly unlike anything you've seen before. For those that think this is going to be simply a car-chase flick, you're totally wrong. There are a few fun car chases, but the film is really about the tension built around Ryan Gosling's character (Driver - like Ryan O'Niel in 1978's Driver) and his increasingly unpredictability when pressed by gangsters played by Brooks and Perlman. The film is a fantastic working product, as seamless as an iPod. But like PC users that suddenly use a Mac product, you might not immediately get it if you're too used to a PC. For example, there is not a lot of dialogue. You might be used to blahbity-blah-blah of Hollywood movies. We are a society used to being talked at, not necessarily to. Look at the constant news, constant shows where people can't shut up, the media we have access to all the time. When was the last time you were in a car with someone you particularly didn't want to talk to, and neither of you had the adult pacifier of a smart phone to dive in to. That's what this film is like in places. It helps to build tension, and keep the story flowing. Now, if you don't like gratuitous violence, you may not like this movie. It is, however, not any worse than any Tarantino film, and not nearly as cheesy. The complex situations that Gosling finds himself in are perfect to real life, asking yourself what you would do should you have found yourself in his situation. Scarier is Al Brooks' character. A cold and calculated criminal who seems like he could be your Dad. It's confusing; you want to like him, he seems like he could be likable, but he is, after all, a gangster, and you shouldn't like him or trust him. Ultimately this could be the greatest film of the year; winning the Cannes Film Festival award for Best Director. The soundtrack was great, and the modern interpretation of Driver was not lost on me, even though it did stray from that film (it is not based on that film, but does pay some homage). It is definitely not B-roll, but very artfully and skillfully put together such that every character and situation or scene is felt by the audience. Don't miss it.
On Video: One Week
One Week has been out since 2008; a story of a man diagnosed with cancer, that buys a 1974 Triumph Motorcycle and rides across Canada. Joshua Jackson plays the lead, and is a likable one. Canadiana reigns supreme in this independent film shod with cameos that only a Canuck would appreciate. The film also asks questions regarding one's own mortality. But it's not sad, as far as cancer films go. It's not funny like 50/50 tries to be. It's just real. It's available on Netflix, or whatever video store still exists near you.
Letters To The Editor
rbw2@ualberta.ca
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Upcoming Issues
-Next Issue: Special Metal Feature, featuring Alterity, other local metal, and the metal scene in general. Get ready for Halloween with some loud and angry music!
-Upcoming: Don't know what to do for Halloween? How about throw your own party?
Thanks for reading, as always! We appreciate each and every reader.
