As all the time there are many hyperlinks throughout the article. Click on one! Click on all of them! Be taught all of the issues!
Pricey readers, admittedly the title is clickbait, however I guarantee you that there’s fact behind it. As you already know, I often journey for work and these days I’ve been working inside a correctional establishment for my main employer.
And, as you’ve seen earlier than, whereas touring often I make a detour to go activate a website within the space or alongside the route, and to get a break from the drive. Normally that detour is just 10 or 20 kilometres. I benefit from the driving and the journey, and I’m all the time on the hunt for parks I’ve not but activated and particularly the elusive ATNO -All Time New One- or phrased one other means, not but activated in any respect or with one of many widespread modes of Telephone, Digital or CW.
For this collection of journeys over the month of November, they had been the primary actual highway journeys with my new-to-me 2023 F-150 PowerBoost hybrid. Within the month main as much as this journey I used to be a busy beaver getting the radios put in within the truck to assist move the various hours on the highway. Frankly I used to be excited to arrange a brand new cell set up and proper some main shortcomings with my final; expertise is a wonderful instructor in case you are prepared to pay attention.
With all of that background and with an unseasonably heat November, I wished to go to Waterton Lakes Nationwide Park which hosts a number of POTA entities, particularly First Oil Nicely in Canada NHS CA-4776, Prince of Wales Resort NHS CA-6101, Waterton-Glacier Worldwide Peace Park CA-3157, and all of these (and plenty of others) are encompassed throughout the Waterton Biosphere Reserve CA-0109.
Waterton-Glacier is a Unesco World Heritage website and the second such I’d go to on this collection of highway journeys. On a previous week I twice activated Head Smashed-in Buffalo Soar CA-6093.
Waterton-Glacier Worldwide Peace Park encompasses each the Waterton Nationwide Park in Alberta, Canada and Glacier Nationwide Park in Montana, USA. It’s the primary worldwide designation of a park anyplace, ever. You’ve seen me write about Glacier Nationwide Park right here on QRPer final yr, and now I’d get an opportunity to finish that entity activating throughout the Canadian facet. For sure I used to be fairly excited concerning the detour and hopeful that climate can be on my facet for some spectacular pictures.
In contrast to Head Smashed-In, this journey wasn’t that near the route between house and the resort. Some cautious planning was required in order that I’d get to my ultimate vacation spot by an appointed time and have sufficient time to activate all of the entities I hoped to deal with that day. One cease can be a repeat go to, and 4 others I’ve by no means activated earlier than. I’d get shut out of considered one of them for lack of vehicular entry and I hadn’t deliberate on a hike-in activation. I’ll get to it subsequent yr maybe.
Departing house simply after first gentle and a few half hour earlier than dawn, I used to be handled to a beautiful pink-coloured cotton sweet sky however closely cloudy. By the point I used to be inside pictures vary of the Rockies the pink had handed. However I’d see different vistas later within the day to compensate for that missed alternative.
The view by no means will get previous. I aimed my truck south on Freeway 22, The Cowboy Path, and set the cruise management and loved the view.
Two and a half hours later, I used to be coming into Waterton Nationwide Park. The realm jogged my memory of the Yaha Tinda space of Central Alberta, which is a large valley that takes you straight into the guts of the Alberta Rockies’ back-country.
Regardless of my planning and analysis, I had a little bit of issue determining how to get to the First Oil Nicely website. Whereas the Prince of Wales resort could be noticed from miles away and is super-easy to get to, there’s no signage that tells you the place to show off for the First Oil Nicely. After a fast go to to the park’s customer centre the place I confirmed them my 8×10″ printed park map, I used to be set off in the fitting route together with an 11×17″ map that was a lot simpler to learn, regardless of my selecting one written in French. I’m glad I paid consideration in highschool French courses! Up the highway I went in the direction of a highway that may put me very near the Akamina-Kishinena Provincial Park CA-0691 had been I geared up to hike in and over the border to British Columbia. That park remains to be an ATNO on the time I wrote this text. On this highway I used to be inside just a few miles of not solely the border to the USA but in addition a neighbouring province.
About 8 kilometres up the Akamina Parkway highway I positioned the location. I arrange on 15m and completed up the activation from the nice and cozy consolation of my car.
Given my shut proximity to the mountains actually surrounding me from all sides, I wasn’t stunned that acquired alerts had been closely attenuated. The place I used to be giving out 519 stories, I used to be receiving 579s so I knew at the least folks might hear me. The RBN would present I used to be heard within the southern hemisphere as effectively.
Again down the hill to the Prince of Wales Resort NHS website which is on a excessive bluff on Waterton Lake. The historical past of this resort is fascinating because the spot is perpetually windy which offered distinctive challenges when it was below development. Certainly, as I parked beside the resort (closed for the season however land entry was open), my truck was rocking forwards and backwards a good bit within the gusty climate. You’ll be able to see the whitecaps in one of many pictures on this web page to get an thought. After leaving this activation and simply 8 kilometres down the highway, the wind was almost non-existent.
On today I additionally stopped at just a few different POTA entities, particularly Temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints Nationwide Historic Web site CA-6122, Police Outpost Provincial Park CA-0666, and Outpost Wetlands Pure Space CA-3098. Whereas I used to be capable of activate at two of those, the Outpost Wetlands is pedestrian entry solely and in bear/cougar nation so I handed on trying it. Each of the Outpost websites sit at 49 levels north -the border between Canada and the USA- and thus having glorious maps and GPS to make sure you don’t make an unplanned entry into the USA is a should.
Checklist of substances used for these activations:
Abstract
Touring to new locations means to be versatile as Brian, K3ES, famous in his glorious article about his 6 week highway journey. Preserve your choices open and don’t be afraid to chop your losses and transfer on when confronted with an impediment, like no highway entry at a website. Benefit from the journey. Take pictures.
Then, when you find yourself finished, write about it so others can dwell vicariously by way of your experiences!
73 and dit dit,
…Vince
First launched to the magic of radio by a member of the family in 1969, Vince has been energetic within the interest since 2002. He’s an Accredited examiner in Canada and the USA, operates on virtually the entire modes, and is regularly engaged on making his CW proficiency suck much less. He participates in public service occasions round Western Canada and is energetic on the air whereas glamping, cell, at house or doing a POTA activation. You’ll be able to hear him on the Ham Radio Workbench podcast, comply with him on Twitter @VE6LK, try his YouTube channel, and view the tasks and articles on his web site.
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