Alberta Ice on kicksled (spark) and touring skates

While visiting my sister and mother in Alberta Dec 21, 2005 - Jan 6, 2006, I had some great skating and spark tours on beautiful ice on several lakes in the area. It was the best skating ice in 10 years, almost unlimited skating on all lakes in the area! Ice was mostly transparent, over 30 cm (!!) thick, smooth and clear, with only a few patches of old snow and sometimes beautiful patterns of rime frost.

Since my sister has 2 kicksleds, sometimes my twin nieces, sister, brother or mother were able to come out on the ice on the sleds while I skated.

My longest tour was 45 km (35 on spark, 10 on skates) on Pigeon Lake. So there are other winter outdoor adventures to experience in central Alberta, even when there is no snow!

Lakes:

• University of Alberta: Atlas of Alberta Lakes (source for maps below)
• Alix Lake: Lat 52-24N Long 113-12W Right in the village of Alix, on Rt 12. The shorelength is about 5 km.
• Alix Lake-Buffalo Lake canal. 25 km of Parlby Creek, between Alix and Buffalo Lake have been deepened and straightened. This is to keep up the water levels in Buffalo Lake. Water is pumped from the Red Deer River to Alix Lake.
  Map of canal system from Buffalo Lake Water Management

  The best access in Alix is from the end of 47th Street.
  

• Buffalo Lake: Lat 52-30N, Long 113-00W Buffalo Lake map (130KB)
• Cooking Lake: Lat 53-25N, Long 113-05W (30 km SE of Edmonton) Cooking Lake map (180KB)
• Pigeon Lake: Lat 53-00N, Long 114-00W (60 km SW of Edmonton) Pigeon Lake map (180KB)

• HEIA NORGE!, Pigeon Lake, Alberta, Jan 3 2006 (Many Norwegian and Swedish settlers in this area 1900-1920)
• Pigeon Lake, Jan 3, 2006
• Pigeon Lake, Jan 3 2006, Rime frost or "frost flowers"
• Pigeon Lake, Jan 3 2006, rime frost and skate
• Cooking Lake, Jan 2 2006, rime frost on leaves and lake
• Cooking Lake, Jan 2 2006 , the map shows water here in the channel between North and South Cooking Lake, but...
• Cooking Lake, Jan 2 2006, ice yachts with no wind
• Alix Lake, Dec 26 2005, "Bigfoot's" footprint in ice?
• Alix Lake, Dec 23 2005, David (skates) and niece Thomasina (spark) [photographer: brother Ron]
• Alix Lake, Dec 23 2005, David skating [photographer: Ron Dermott]
• Alix Lake,Dec 29,2005, my niece and two friends of my sister
• Parlby Creek beaver ponds at Alix, Jan 4 2006, twin nieces Thomasina and Chantal See also the Youtube video (requires high-speed connection and Flash player)
  
• Parlby Creek Alix, Jan 1 2006, upper parts are shallow and narrow, but sections flooded by beaver dams are passable.
• Buffalo Lake Canal, Dec 27 2005, brother Ron and niece Thomasina on sparks, while I skate
• Buffalo Lake, Dec 27 2005, brother and niece
• Buffalo Lake, Dec 27 2005, giving my niece a tow [photographer: brother Ron]
• Buffalo Lake, Jan 5 2006, my mother gives her granddaughter a ride to Bird Island
• Buffalo Lake, Jan 5 2006, 3 generations: my mother, my nieces and my sister returning from Bird Island
• Buffalo Lake, Jan 5 2006, ice fishing shack with 100 TV channels!

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