ELKFORD

Welcome to the Canadian Rocky Mountains and our NEW home. It sure is a beautiful place, but I suggest you don't move your family here in the WINTER when it is already -20 C! It might not make for a good transition for your wife and her Dodge Durango who doesn't appreciate the cold and not having a block heater to keep warm so he wants to start from day-to-day. Needless to say next weekend we are getting one installed so that my car doesn't die from the bitter cold before I do! Although, on the positive side, it is a good time to move because they bears are in hibernation instead of roaming the streets of our neighborhood!

Steve drove to Utah the week before Halloween and rented a UHAUL, packed our stuff for the ten thousandth time and moved us back to Canada. Let's just say that we were hoping to find a good job in Utah or even the United States for that matter, but we weren't so lucky. Steve got a job finishing his Electrical Apprenticeship up here in Canada. He works for a company that does contract work for the 5 open Coal Mines here in "Elk Valley." He loves his job and the people he works with and if nothing goes south, we should be here for a few years.

The River that runs through town (Elk River, I think)

So far, it has been a great place. It is a VERY small town with about 3,000 people but only one small grocery store, pizza place, pool, library, hockey rink, pub and of course we can't forget the Kut and Kurl's salon down the street which I am sure gives amazing make-overs lol. The people are super NORMAL (which is hard to say everywhere else I have lived in Canada) and super friendly. Maddie and myself don't get out much because there is nothing to do and nowhere to go. The closest Wal-Mart is about 2 hours from here and the closest REAL grocery store is about 45 minutes. It has been a good adjustment for our budget because I have nowhere to spend money, but as an apprentice there is no extra money to spend anyways ha ha.

On the road out of town

Our church is a 35 minute drive, but so far we absolutely love our ward. Maddie is coming out of her shell and has found a best friend in nursery who she adores. She seems to feel more safe and secure now that we have our own place and she realizes it is more permanent. She doesn't beg to sleep with us anymore, but her bed is still on our floor...she isn't ready for her own room just yet. We are missing our family really bad, but feel so blessed to be here with a good job and warm roof over our heads. We know there is a reason for us to be here and are excited to settle in and make some good memories here.

You will find all the wildlife licking the salt off any car or truck they pass. Steve said they are lined up at the mines every morning waiting for trucks to come so they can lick the salt off.

The pictures don't show all the snow we have now, but they will give you an idea of how beautiful it is. I wasn't joking when I said we live "IN" the Canadian Rocky Mountains. Our town is actually built down the side of one of the mountains. I wasn't kidding about bears roaming our neighborhood. The first week we got here, there was a flier in our mailbox warning everyone that a mother bear and her cubs have been walking the highway a block from our house. That was a great welcoming flier for a somewhat city girl. There are deer in our yard daily, elk, moose, sheep and cougars roaming all over. Haven't seen the cougars or bears and don't plan on it either!

Sheep on the side of the road


The view from our apartment

Before it got bitter cold

A backroad by our apartment

For your information...VISITORS WELCOME!! (as long as you can cramp like sardines in a tiny apartment because the motel in town probably carries bed bugs)