Boondocking in Calgary

We woke up to the same sound we had fallen asleep to- idling trucks. It always takes us a minute to realize where we are when we first wake up. The interior always stays the same in our cozy Wander Wagon, but wherever we are parked changes so frequently it’s hard to keep up. Today we had woken up parked at a Flying J outside of Calgary, Alberta.

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We had spent the day before catching up on errands and work and now we were finally going to explore the city! We made our way a bit nervously into the beckoning skyscrapers and we felt a little claustrophobic driving our big van along the skinny and busy city streets. But, Corbin stayed calm and we found a great parking spot were we felt reasonably safe leaving our van and all of our current belongings.

We really didn’t know what to expect from Calgary. We often don’t do much research into the areas we pass through, preferring to just explore and see what we discover. The skyscrapers were so tall in the middle of downtown that they blocked out the sun, and you would never know it was a bright sunny day if you arrived there in the morning and left after the sun went down. Everyone was dressed in very formal work attire and walked quickly with obvious purpose. Corbin, our dog, Paris and I stood out quite humorously with our backpacks, casual clothes, and a meandering sort of walk. Paris especially got a lot of attention, but then again most people can’t resist his cute little self.

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Even with little research done, we did have two goals for exploring Calgary. First, I knew there was an art sculpture I wanted to see so we made our way over there. The “Wonderland” sculpture created by Jaume Plensa, is placed in front of Bow Tower, and it really is incredible. Shaped like a 3D silhouette of a feminine face, it towers high next to the skyscraper and creates a sense of magic or transformation as you walk through the sculpture and look up and out to the city through its middle.

After admiring the sculpture, our next goal was to find some real Canadian poutine! We walked out of the downtown area and entered a more relaxed part of the city, and what looked to be the college area. Corbin and I definitely fit in more here. We found a spot for poutine and enjoyed two different styles for lunch, one more traditional with just the cheese curds and gravy, and another one we thought sounded tasty which included veggies. Both were delicious!

With both of our goals completed we went back to simply taking in the city and enjoying the different sights and people we passed. When we had walked our legs sore, we made our way back to the van and prepared to head to our sleeping destination. We would be spending the next couple of days at a nearby Boondocker’s house. This family had agreed to let us park in their driveway for free and they even had an electrical hookup we were welcomed to use.

We really didn’t know what to expect, as we were just about to park in a stranger’s driveway and hope for the best. Our theory was that if we felt in the least bit uncomfortable, then we could turn our home on wheels right back around. We had no idea just how welcoming and lovely the people we were about to meet were.

They were an older couple who had done their fair share of RVing and they made us feel so at home it felt like we were staying with family or close friends. They opened up their home to us, preparing delicious meals we still drool over, allowing us real hot showers, sharing their homemade wine, and they even allowed us to do some much needed laundry. They were just great company as well, sharing their own personal adventure stories and giving us information about Alberta and Canada in general. It was so cozy and relaxing, and just what we needed to recuperate from the constant variations of life on the road. But, after a couple of days, it was time to move on. Next stop was a place we could not wait any longer to see- Banff National Park.