{"id":3222,"date":"2018-08-07T16:00:19","date_gmt":"2018-08-07T23:00:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/travelblog.lewington.ca\/wordpress\/?p=3222"},"modified":"2018-10-15T21:55:00","modified_gmt":"2018-10-16T04:55:00","slug":"edmonton-sherwood-park","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/travelblog.lewington.ca\/wordpress\/edmonton-sherwood-park\/","title":{"rendered":"Edmonton \u2013 Sherwood Park"},"content":{"rendered":"

So, we\u2019ve been here in the \u2018Park\u2019 for 4 weeks now.\u00a0 It\u2019s not a place where one usually goes on vacation.\u00a0 Most people leave here and go to Jasper, Banff, the Okanagan\u2026somewhere else.\u00a0 But since we are on permanent vacation, this is where we are.\u00a0 I hear the collective \u201cWhy?\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Well, I grew up here, south Edmonton and the \u2018Park\u2019 more or less.\u00a0 Edmonton was smaller back in the day and the \u2018Park\u2019 was a small hamlet just a few miles east.\u00a0 My family moved here in the early \u201860s and I stayed until 1979 when I graduated from University.\u00a0 This was where I spent my formative years.\u00a0 I made life-long friends and still have some family here.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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We came across this abandoned barn in Strathcona County, about 1\/2 hour NE from where we are staying.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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Sherwood Park is in Strathcona county and if you are not familiar with Alberta, Strathcona county is where all the refineries and gas plants live along with Agrium plants, Celanese, Dow, and anything else that\u2019s even remotely connected to the petroleum industry and sits just on the eastern side of Edmonton. There\u2019s a lot of money here county-wise and the \u2018Park\u2019 being the main residential area benefits greatly.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

It has changed a LOT since I lived here but it is still classified as a hamlet albeit with 100,000 more people.\u00a0 It is pretty much a suburb of Edmonton these days but Strathcona doesn\u2019t like to share so it remains separate from the metropolis on it\u2019s borders.\u00a0 When I was here, much of the \u2018Park\u2019 was bush and farmers\u2019 fields and it was a great place to be a kid.\u00a0 In the winter, you\u2019d just lace up the skates and go play some hockey on the closest slough down the block.\u00a0 Now the bush is man-made and the sloughs have been turned into small lakes for the residents to enjoy.\u00a0 It\u2019s a myriad of twisty little designer streets, schools, rec centers, all surrounded by Costco, Save-On, Home Depot, and fast food chain restaurants.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Still, it\u2019s quite pleasant here and while it may not be quite as I remember it, the \u2018Park\u2019 has a nice feel to it.\u00a0 The people here are friendly, down to earth, and always smile and say \u2018hi\u2019 when we pass them on the street.\u00a0 That\u2019s the Alberta I remember and I\u2019m glad it hasn\u2019t changed.\u00a0 The weather has been very nice with the occasional passing storm in the evening, and it\u2019s been enjoyable hanging out with friends.\u00a0 Teresa, not having spent much time here, has commented \u201cWell, this is certainly different from Vancouver!\u201d.\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Yes it is. \u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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View from our Air B&B<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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View from our back deck during a hail storm. The storms are pretty amazing to watch (from indoors)!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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