Mist Mountain, Not Finished

I checked the weather all around Alberta starting this past Tue. to see where I could have my first 2026 hike. I eventually selected Kananaskis Country. Not only because it's close but also because my pass is still valid. I have done hikes there in the days when no pass was required. Now you have to pay for everything and gasoline price is high. Although I need to check this Canada Strong Pass for the time I'm going top a National Park. 

I set the alarm for 04:00 and then changed it to 04:30 before going to sleep! When it went off, I woke up easily but was not sure whether I should go or not! I laid down and then got the hell out of the bed, grabbed my gear and headed to Highway #1. I needed to buy some gas because I had been too lazy to buy it the night before. I stopped at a Shell gas station on Country Hill Boulevard, I think it was $1.669, then I drove deeper south, on 16th Ave., which is an extension of TransCanada Highway (and I never knew why they did that!) it was about $1.560. When I got to the intersection of Highway #1 and Highway #40, where the big casino and all the other Indigenous people's businesses are located, it was around $1.760!
The Mist Mountain trail-head is deep in Kananaskis Country. You need to pass Highwood Pass and drive for another 10 km. When I reached there it was almost 07:30, meaning from home to the trail-head took 2 freaking hours and a half! I stopped for gasoline and a coffee, of course but still it's too long. This time, despite my first attempt which was last year, and I didn't even go up because it was raining! (another stupid excuse!) I was able to find the trail, using my handheld GPS. I will write about this stupid and useless device later to everyone who buy something like that to simply save them some dollars! The trail goes through the three and it's steep and then you come out and walk beside a creek and it becomes steeper! I was almost at 1 hour when I saw three people coming down, which is always a good thing. I was told that unless I had crampons, I would not be able to pass the snow pack and it would be very risky. Good advice. 

Recent precipitation has created a beautiful green lush in the area

At  01:15 I was on a ridge with good views and could see what the guys were talking about. I was tired anyway and the excuse saved me! I spent around 15 minutes on the ridge and headed back down. The rest of the trail which would go to the Hot Spring didn't seem too hard, if someone was well equipped but I will see that the next time I try it. The funny thing is Scottie wanted to go with me and despite the fact that I know he's full of shit, if he ever says he wants to join, I will take him but with separate vehicles. So when he's stuck like a stupid mule, I'll leave him there! People like that deserve this!  

This time I tried to climb light. I didn't take any water bottle and my hydration pack was only three quarter full. Luckily it was not too hot, as drinking out of a tube is not very pleasant. They say the plastic that forms the pack is somehow get mixed with the water due to chemical reactions! So basically you're drinking poisoned water! I don't think that's untrue! You can taste the plastic in the water but it can't be worse than majority of the food that people eat or the beverages that they drink on daily basis! 

I had read that reaching the summit requires gaining a significant elevation of 1300 m (from the road, of course), which equals to 4265'! It's not a little elevation and considering the summit sits at 3140 m (10301') it's not an easy hike (combined with scrambling) but I also read that most people don't bother going past the little pond of hot water, which is for the best. I have four weeks until my Kananaskis Pass expires! So I'm going to spend the next four weeks in that part of Alberta! No! I'm just joking. I'm not a cheapskate! I will make another attempt though, either the next week or the week after.

(Photo, top: The hike ended here on this ridge where you can see the trail continues in the snow. This is probably one third of the entire hike, if not less)

Who is Backward and Primitive?

 Sally Field, the great actress who plays Betty Mahmoody (nee Lover) in a scene of movie Not Without My Daughter in the 90's calls Iranian society of post 1979 Revolution, backward and primitive, which it was and to some extent still is. Iran and generally most of the counties in the region, and I can list many, are male dominant societies. A very recent example of this concept for the world is the way Taliban treats women but the fact is other countries are not much better than Afghanistan, including Iran. People, generally, and women specifically are deprived of their basic rights and that is not only that. People are deeply tied with centuries-old religious and non-religious beliefs. Iran, as I said, is just not as just restricted and because they have natural resources, they're well-off or perhaps I shall say were well-off! Now with the sanctions, the whole country is screwed-up! The country is  not much better than the Taliban-ran Afghanistan!! Same in other nearby states: Look at what has been happening to women in India, with rape and humiliation. That is another country which the news gets out with not much difficulty.

Now we're going back to North America, where people are modern and civilized! Yet the so-called indigenous people, a very small minority, have lots of power, simply because they are in inhabitants of this continents for centuries! 

There's this guy named Nathan Lee Chasing His Horse who claimed to Medicine Man and had sexual relationship with or without consent with under-age and legally-aged if I could say women in Canada and the US because he apparently talked them into healing their spirit and fix their mental issues. And this people are not backward and primitive?! An indigenous boy was in a hospital because he had been diagnosed with a serious sickness and Chasing Horse, as a Medicine Man, claimed he could heal him based on the permission he got from his father! It was believed that the man has healing power which is better than today's science and technology! This is certainly is not being stupid, backward and primitive! Is it?

It was a few weeks ago, I think, that a so-called chief, or someone prominent(!) from a tribe, an aboriginal tribe was travelling by air with a big feather head covering! The crew asked her or him (in today's modern, non-primitive, civilized West, it doesn't matter! Everyone is equally worthless!) to remove to later-found-to-be(!) sacred head-covering and she or he refused and started an argument with the poor air crew! Imagine how selfish, self-centered, and primitive one could be to get into an argument with anyone, let alone with the air crew, over a piece of thing(!) covered in either natural or human-made feather which only has symbolic value! Does that feed a hungry man on the street? Does it give advice to a young who is clueless? It's absolutely worthless! 

What happened then? Air Canada had to apologize to that person! Who is freaking primitive and backward in addition to being selfish now?! Get your hat and shut the hell up! 

It was said nicely once: A small minority has been given too much (unnecessary) power, and this is just not about the aboriginal people of Canada, it's about everyone who tries to show others that they are better and shinier than others and we have plenty of these creatures in Canada!

(Photo: Nathan Lee Chasing His Horse, an American aboriginal actor, I believe, first was seen in Dances With Wolves in the 90's and had a tremendous performance there, seen here in the scene that the natives save Lieutenant John Dunbar from the soldiers)

The Outraged (East) Indian

I've dealt with (East) Indians a lot here but before I even get to the story I have to clarify the reason why I used parenthesis for the word, East:This has been said at least once but when Christopher Columbus stepped on the land which is known as the United States of America now, he thought he had arrived at India as it was his ultimate destination! For that reason, he called the native Americans, Indians! This name has been stayed with them after all these years and both Americans and Canadians, the majority of them, still call the native people of North America, Indian and the people from India are called East Indian! As stupid as this is, I'm not going to write more about that here.

With that in mind, this new fella who worked with me was a different type of (East) Indian, from what I've seen. The Mumbling Guy is the main example of the majority of (East) Indians: Cheap, jealous, stingy, lair, all-time-bragging, coward, you name it! He was different but not better! He was belligerent, aggressive, lazy, coward, two-faced, gluttonous and of course, as it's the case with most of (East) Indians, jealous! I tried to establish a good relationship but it didn't go well. His laziness and aggressiveness bothered me the most but he was really jealous of everything. 

We had a good number of Ukrainian refugees who worked really hard. Coming out of a torn-apart country, by war, and a stinking village, they really wanted to compensate for their miserable life, so they all worked 10 to 12 hours and one day there was this rummer that one of the Ukrainian couples had purchased an apartment! That drove him to the wall. He had difficulty understanding how a couple of refugees from a devastated country has purchased a property in Canada less than a year after their arrival and he, a successful(!) and hard-working (East) Indian, still rents a place in one of the ugliest apartment buildings in Downtown Calgary although I have to clarify that the building is probably 100 times more comfortable and cleaner than the filthy hole in India that he has come from! He immediately told me that I had to contact my realtor(!) and ask her to find a place for him! I told him that he, first, had to talk to his bank to see how much loan he can get and that I would have been happy to introduce her to that lady realtor! He said nothing! I don't know how those guys had purchased the apartment and I don't know if it was just a rumor or truth but we all know that Ukrainians receive special treatment from the government and NGOs. He, overall, was not a bad guy(!) but because of his past and his size (he was a big guy) he thought that he was better than anyone else. Something which is quite common within (East) Indians! I called him last night to get some of my belongings that I had left behind when we used to work together. He didn't pick up! Don't know what's happened to him.

(Photo: India, the most red is the most racist nation in the world. The more red, the more racist the country and blue, is of course, not as much and it is just a general view. There are exceptions everywhere but I personally believe in it)

Production more than Needed

Canada introduced itself as the Trash Bin of the Word to the universe(!), many years ago. If there's a smallest issue at a corner of the world, people rush to Canada to not only benefit from the free services available to them, but also ruin the country as much as they can. 
The question is why Canadians do not care? First of all, most of them generally DON'T CARE about anything but themselves! I DON'T CARE was the first expression that I learned from Canadians I learnt when I first came to Canada as an immigrant. And I have to stress here that it took me 5 years to get my visa. Unlike the lying refugees who, mostly, have false claims I had to go through all sorts of screenings to get here and I had to bring a good chunk of money. So that was the first reason why Canadians do not care! The second reason is Canada, like the US, is ran by corporate and greedy people. All they care about is their wealth and to increase that. They keep bringing crappy cheap shit from China and they have to sell it! They have to destroy the forests and farms to build cheap homes, like mine(!) and sell it. The greedy Government of Canada has to make money through CRA so Justin " the fool " Trudeau travels to Ukraine and promises more money to the people who their countrymen only consist of less than 3% of the population of the country! The country has problems with poor aboriginals who have been suffering since the confederation and the idiot cares about Ukrainians and Afghans! 
Generally speaking, production is more than consumption here in Canada or perhaps it's be better to say has been. The reason is all the natural resources that has been available to people and they though they should use them all up! They have destroyed forests and replaced them with cheap homes and roads. They have been destroying farmlands and replacing them with the so-called Industrial Parks and another forms of cheap dwellings and they're so proud of that too! 
Where is this country going to, then? Hopefully not where the US is going!

(Photo: Have you ever asked yourself why a drug store shall sell milk?! This is a picture taken from a window of a Shopper's Drug Mart which primarily is a drug store but they sell all sorts of groceries, all processed food of different types. The company was purchased by Loblaws [in reality, low-blows!] a few years ago and basically is a smaller version of The Real Canadian Super"asshole" in different neighbourhoods! They sell all sort of shit that the mother companies sell and why? Because they can! And also because there's too much production of everything in this country. So drug stores, gas stations, bars, brothels[!], you name it, get their hand on everything. Greed shall never stop!)

Brainless, Indigenous People of Canada (B. I. P. C.)

 I have no sympathy for the indigenous people of Canada after these so-called graves of children are found. 100 years or some years ago brutal people savagely killed innocent children, who had been separated from their parents and as much wrong they were and sad this is, it doesn't give the native people to burn churches and say silly things. I, however, am not surprised as I truly believe we cannot expect more from people who never have wanted to grow and live at the time. 
They constantly complain that they can no longer live the way their ancestors used to live decades and centuries ago! And how is that? This is how they want to live in the modern era: hunting, trapping, doing nothing and just lazing around, fighting each other over land or herd of bison, etc.! Thousands of people come to Canada from every corner of the world and adopt themselves to the current time's situation, mostly, not that it is easy to do so, but no one, and I repeat, no one anywhere still wants to live off trapped or hunted animal anywhere in the world! 
And now what have they done? They started burning Catholic churches all over the country because, it was the Catholic church that founded Residential Schools in Canada, years ago and they are responsible for these unmarked graves of children. So today's churches, left from those days, should be burnt as a way of protest and disgust! The funny thing is the response from local authorities: They've considered these incidents as " suspicious "!!! Everyone knows that native people have done it and apparently there's not going to be any charges! It's like someone goes to the German Embassy in Ottawa and sets the place on fire because Germany invaded the neighbouring countries in 1939! That's how silly the actions of the so-called indigenous people are! 

(Photo: A destroyed church in Alberta. Destruction is something that the natives are very good at!)

Scary Ghost Town

My front tires were worn out and although it seems that winter is over, I had issues a few times on the road and decided to get them exchanged today while the temperature was -19℃ in the morning. The guy at the Toyota service said that all four should be changed and then convinced me to have them balanced as well. Fine, I said.

I don't know where exactly this poor guy was headed but I do know that Uptown Bottle Depot is closed. All I can do is wish him an easy day

Then they offered me a ride or C-Train tickets. I took the latter!

I walked to the station and happily I had my Heated Jacket on. So I turned it on and the walk became a little bit better! Just a tiny bit. There was no one at the station or on the cars but hobos! I was supposed to get off at 7th St. Station but somehow(!) I missed it and damn(!) I went to Sunnyside! 

Then I decided to cross the river on foot! Not such a good idea in the cold morning! The wind was blowing and the streets looked scary! Then another issue emerged! I had to go to bathroom(!) but how could I do that in the middle of the road, on a chilly day when most, if not all of the businesses are closed! 

There was no hope(!) but keep walking and just when I was at the other side of the river, it hit me: I can go to Midtown Market! Nice!

It was just announced by the Government of Alberta that the Keystone Pipeline has gotten the green light and the construction at both Canadian and American site will soon started. The price of oil didn't change a bit yet

Bad idea again! Why? Because Co-Op has dedicated an hour in the morning for senior shopping only: 08:00 to 09:00! and it was 08:45! I couldn't wait another 10 minutes so I kept walking! It still was not that easy! The building manager had a sign that the water would be shut down for the most of the day due to some urgent repairs! Yes! Getting a relief is not that easy these days!
Fortunately there was a little water left in the tank and I used that.
It was not much better in the afternoon when I went back to get the car! First off they called me and said that the break pads needed replacement as well! They were right. That was the first break pad, front, being replaced in the past 10 years! Then they said it would take longer! I eventually got out around 14:30 and when I was just 5 minutes to the place, on foot, I received the call but the train was even more disgusting that the morning! Damn aboriginal with Beer bottler and stolen Toilet Paper(!) on my car! I got lucky that they got off before I reach my stop!
Anyways with the amount of money I spent today, now I will have to keep the car for the next 5 years or so!

(Photo, top: Kensington road, a normally busy neighbourhood at about 08:30 AM. Do you see a soul?!)

What Have Aboriginal People Done for Canada??!!

Canada, as I have written previously, is nothing but a big dumpster that everyone throws their garbage in! No offence to Canadians as I have found many nice and respectful people in this country but criminals, retards, lazy asses, liar, you name it, from all around the world make up a story to land in Canada and benefit from it. I, on the contrary, had to wait more than 5 years to receive my visa and this is my situation after all these years: Working a labour job with a wage not higher than minimum! If it was not because of the sanctions that the major ally of this country has imposed on the original country, which by the way has destroyed the economy, I would not stay here in a week. 

On the other hand most of the filthy animals that I listed them above, eventually move their asses and get to a sort of job and make a living. Majority become the Cheap Labour Force that Canada let them in for, in the first place. Some get into crimes and since Canada is the criminal's heaven, they mostly live for years until either their rivals shot them in the head or under rare circumstances a court sentence them to a long-term imprisonment. That, by the way, could be appealed several times and occasionally they acquitted!  

What have Aboriginal people of Canada have do for this country in the past 150 years that this country has been founded??!! How much have they contributed to the society? Majority of them don't even work. They stay in the so-called reserve and they say there's no work! They stay in remote areas of the country where their ancestors used to live and tend to live how they use to live thousands of years ago: By hunting! Who lives by hunting in 21st Century?!

Majority of them are either drunkard or drug-addict, wandering around the city going from this liquor store to that liquor store, from this McDonald's to that convenience store and from this shelter to that shelter. 

These days they have decided to do something positive with their time and contribute to Canadian society by blocking the rail tracks!! These brainless idiots, no matter what their intention is, have made a wrong decision and they have been hurting the country's economy seriously and the pathetic Government of Canada led by Trudeau hasn't been able to do a damn thing! 

More stupid than this is the reaction of railroad companies just a few days after the blockade: Laying off the employees as many as 1000!!!! These are the benefits of a Capitalist Democracy in West! Millions of people can not handle a bunch of useless, disgusting Native people who have caused major issued in the country! 

(Photo: A confrontation between members of an Aboriginal group with one person holding their flag and members of an opposition group)

The Poor First Nation Man

* Disclaimer: This post in no manner has any intention to offend or downgrade the indigenous people of North America and most specifically Canada where this story happened. Please read carefully and do not make silly conclusions. This just is something happened which made me sad but similar to many things that happens in my daily life, I would like to narrate that here *

When I went to work today I was introduced to a man who, apparently, was there to cover for our temporary worker who was absent for a reason. Our temp. is a crazy Nicotine-addicted guy from one of the former USSR republics in European side, which I wish not to reveal, but because he has a good relationship with the supervisor (they both speak Russian) he is kept there. Anyways his story is separate but the supervisor told me that I should help the new fella to work with us. Fine, I said. As we went to start I asked him if he was Native and he said yes! I scored big in the first encounter. From the beginning the poor guy showed signs of lack of focus, bad vision and other physical signs which proved to me that he would not fit in but I didn't want to get the chance form him. I then realized his hands were shaking while I asked him to do something easy. He also had difficulty reading, as I said. However we worked together until the lunch break without any issue. He seemed to me a guy who was trying to recover from his past. He was clean shaven with acceptable clothing for a worker but sure he stunk. It proved to me that he had issues in the past that he was trying to move on and get back to a normal life although it seemed a little late. One thing I know is shaking hands is a sign of excessive alcohol consumption. When I say excessive, I mean way more than what some even can imagine. I always have said that The Chef is a heavy drinker but I don't think he reached this guy although The Chef has his own problems.

Anyways we carried out after the break and he seemed more focused and worked smoothly until when I was helping and I realized that he was suffering form a sort of pain. I saw that in his face and asked him what had happened. He said that he hit his foot and he had a muscle spasm. He then suddenly bolted off! He started walking so fast and went to the other side of the workplace where usually two people work but they were on their break. I followed him to see if he was OK but was not able to catch up with him and when I got closer I saw him falling but we were all lucky that he landed on his hands or he would have been seriously injured. I ran and called the supervisor. That was the time we both saw he had a seizure. It was not so bad at the beginning and he was able to respond to the supervisor's questions and kept saying that he had a muscle spasm in a certain part of his body but then as soon as the supervisor called the ambulance he got worse and foamed up his mouth and his shaking became more violent. It continued until shortly before the arrival of the medical crew. They spent a little time with him and since he had came back to normal position, they took him away. 

I felt really bad for the guy. As I said it was clear to me that he was a guy with a hard past who was trying to recover and come back to the regular life by having a temporary job but unfortunately did not succeed. One thing that I did not understand is whether the impact he had on his foot triggered the problem or what? I guess I never know. I hope he gets better and get back to regular. Unfortunately I know that the people who get seizure will never recover completely. 

(Photo: A Canadian flag decorated with indigenous people signs and symbols)

Hueco Tanks State Park, TX

As I indicated in the previous post our plan of hiking Guadeloupe Peak had to be replaced with a short hike in Hueco Tanks State Park, mainly due to persistence from Alphonse which basically ruined the second part of the trip! I always had problem finding a good partner for hiking. I have hiked with the American guy from Boston, who used to work with us, M. C., I have hiked with The Chef, I have hiked with The Hope, I have hiked with Newlywed and I have hiked with The Lady. Not a single person ever satisfied me as a good hiking partner! They all complained about being tired or cold or at risk! I guess my next hikes would be all solo like many others that I have already done.

This park, just about half an hour northeast of El Paso, was not as exciting as I had expected to be but regardless of that everything after we changed the hiking plan became complicated and chaotic! First we went to park but were stopped by a Texas Parks ranger! It was not only us! He, who looked like he was Hispanic, like many others in the area, told us that we had to wait because there were enough visitors in the park! I didn't understand! In fact I had been to so many parks in the US and Canada and that was the first time I heard something like that. I'm very impatient in situations such as that! We drove a lot to see wildlife, nature and enjoy a hike, not wait outside. So I told Alphonse to switch the plan to some place else! He wanted to wait to see what would happen! Eventually we decided to go and see a nearby guest house that we originally wanted to stay in and that was because I told him that I would not be able to sleep in Palace Inn for another night!

The vegetation is generally beautiful in the park and I'm certain it's more beautiful in summer

The place was not too far and after calling and booking the rooms  we went there to see what it looked like. Unfortunately that didn't seem to be a comfortable place for me to stay! So we headed back to the park and there surprisingly was nobody! No car! No ranger! No nothing!

We went inside and at the booth we found out what had happened. You need to fill out a form after paying the admission and then you're directed to a room to watch a short video to understand the importance of the area, its history and it's significance to local Native people. The clip was good and educational but the ranger then asked us a number of silly questions! We thought he would ask questions about the spots to avoid, collect the garbage, avoid going off the trail and such. Instead he asked questions such as what was the name of this and how many million years ago that happened?! I was going to say: Are you stupid?! You're telling me that your heritage, many pictographs, which by the way we didn't see even one single of them(!), have been destroyed by thoughtless people and you ask me questions about a million years ago! We then left the room after receiving some information as how to make it an enjoyable hike, from the ranger. 

The Hueco Hacienda, the guesthouse near Hueco Tanks State Park where we wanted to spend our night in but then the plan was changed

The park comprises of three hills which are the results of an eruption, millions of years ago. Two of the hills are off limit to the public unless they go there with a guide. We decided to take the only available hill. As I said the ranger provided some information to Alphonse as how to go up, find a cave and see pictographs but after spending nearly an hour and a half we saw nothing! The main reason was that we were exhausted both from the previous hike and the long drive from Arizona to Texas. I had told Alphonse that doing two hikes, even if they are considered moderate, is wrong. That is why I didn't enjoy much of our short hike in this park. 

We then returned to the city and discussed where to stay. Alphonse wanted to get closer to home(!) so after dinner, we drove back toward west with the hope that we can find a nice place on I-10 and sleep. 

(Photo, top: A view from the top of one of the hills in Hueco Tanks State Park looking southwest. The affect of rain, snow, ice and other atmospheric phenomena has made big holes in the area which act as water tanks and from years ago, I assume, millions, animals and human beings have used the area to rest, drink and even settle down)

Entertainment in McDonald's

I was only capable of keeping my promise partially throughout  the week! I went to McDonald's a few times because I didn't want to get stuck in the traffic but I used the 8th Coffee Promotion Card(!), mostly. Today though I woke up, had a shower and shave and realized everyone was still asleep. So decided to go for breakfast instead of waking them up by my noise due to the small size of our place. However my calculation was wrong and I did something stupid which cost me more than usual. I went to a McDonald's location which is mostly a hangout for homeless, drug addicts and hobo in general. Had a coffee and breakfast sandwich without taking my computer with me. Surprisingly the place was quiet and clean! Then went to another location close by, which although is a hang out for the same people as well (no offence to the lovely Indigenous people but that's where they mostly gather and ask for money and I'm not going to say what location is that) but you feel more secure. Big mistake! I went in there with half of my coffee still in the cup and in my winter jacket's pocket and ordered two breakfast sandwiches. Surprisingly, again and for the second surprise of the day, the Egg on Whole Grain Bagel sandwich (I customized that by eliminating the damn Cheese, Butter and I don't know what else!) tasted good and fresh! The other one was a customized sandwich as well. I usually eliminate Cheese, Butter, Sausage Patty and even the White Flour English Muffin! I started my online lesson after I finished the sandwiches and paid not much attention to the surrounding. Then I realized a young couple came in. You could tell from their appearance that they were not normal. The guy, a Caucasian fella in his late 30's, in a baseball cap and jeans said something loudly to the girl and then disappeared. Later on I realized that he was in the washroom. It was OK for a while until I heard a loud animal roar! It sounded such as an animal was being butchered alive! That was a guy in the washroom! Fortunately I didn't have to go in there but the noise was so loud that a couple of  the McDonald's employees, as usual Filipinos, came over and started their investigation! That was one hell of a scene and the guy's shouts was getting louder and more frequent! One guy came from outside to use the bathroom but changed his mind after opening the door and having a look inside! The McDonald's fellas decided to call the police while the supposedly girlfriend of his went inside to check on him but only looked quickly and backed up! The guy in the bathroom, according to McDonald's guys had injected himself with something and the reaction was that! 

I had seen police in that location but I don't know why I had not learnt my lesson! In the meantime I knew that police would not be there soon. The guy eventually came out while suffering, looked like from a stomach pain. I was thinking that we had another show, this one not only with audio but also with video(!), in the lobby but he surprisingly, as the third surprise of the day(!), left the restaurant shortly, of course before the cops arrive. I stayed there a little longer until a group of three Native people showed up at the table next to me, a young man and woman and a kid. They looked fairly normal and I tried not to do anything that triggers the guy, although there were other tables empty and I wondered why he chose the one next to me! The rest of the story is not important. Everything went normal again and that was when I realized my computer was fully charged. I thought I should get the hell out of there before something more serious and dangerous happens!

(Photo: This fella and a girl, who by the way was a very beautiful blue-eyed blonde came shortly after the show was over(!) From the first sight it was obvious that the guy was a drug addict and then they went to the washroom, I guess together, for probably a quickie and then separately to do some drugs after that. When they came out it was clear that the girl, in his mid-20's had sniffed or injected enough and was waiting for the pleasing affects!)

Stupid Request by Stupid Idiots!

I read, as well as heard that in the news that Native people in a reserve near Calgary have suggestions or requests to change the name of a number of places in the province including Calgary, Canmore and I guess a few mountains and so! Have you heard something as stupid as this?!

This country and more specifically its Native people have so many issues and all these idiots think of is changing the names of cities and towns after 150 years!!

A Native (or as the media like to call them here, Indigenous) woman sleeping on public transportation. Would a normal woman sleep like this during the day on a train car? Fix these kind of stupidity and then think of changing the freaking names!

There's no week passing without seeing an Ape-like, filthy, stinking Native guy with shabby cloths walking around looking for an opportunity to rob people or hurt someone. There's barely any week going by without seeing Native people, men and women hanging out around downtown, at times drunk and barely able to balance themselves. The issue of kidnapped and killed Native women is a big one in this country and all these geniuses came up with is changing the names!!

As its said: The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has it's limits! What could you achieve by changing a name? And after 150 years! Change your disgusting attitudes and culture of laziness and being parasite! 

(Photo: I took this photo form the summit of Grotto Mountain looking down the Town of Canmore in Sep. of 2014. It was an amazing ascend reaching the 2706 m. (8877 ft.) summit although it should be mentioned here that the difficulty of an ascend does not solely depend of the elevation of the mountain. Other factors are involved. Native people would like to change the name of this town!)

The Revenant: Fictitious Story of Hungry Europeans!

There was a lot talk about this movie, The Revenant, last year this time! Yes! It's almost a year now! Don't tell me I'm way behind. I wanted to watch it then but when I read all the reviews I realized it was another Hollywood shit like many others that they release! I watched it in late Nov. last year but the post was postponed until now due to its lack of importance.

Today I'm happy that I didn't even spend a Penny on such a nonsense! I understand why there were so many negative reviews about that and they are mostly regarding the story. The acts are not bad but they are not something brilliant though, especially the DiCaprio's! Here are a few points that based on them I was not able to stand the movie and watched it once miserably(!) in case you haven't watched and intend to:

1- This movie is based on the life of an 1800's guide and trapper in northern US, to be specific North Dakota, named Hugh Glass. The events depicted in the movie, partially happened in that state which, in case you don't know, is not covered in snow-capped mountains and ice-covered rivers as it's shown in the movie. It does have the Red River Valley, which starts from Manitoba and that's where the actual events took place. So from the beginning, you see that the movie is fucking shit! Why does the director or screen writer changes the location of the story?! The only logical answer comes to mind is that they wanted to intensify the movie and make it more exciting, which I truly don't see it happening. It could be as exciting and real at the same time without so much bullshit in snow and icy river, although this is not the only problem!

2- This DiCaprio guy who fell in the icy river several times(!) and was swimming in it like it was a city pool(!) I hardly believe could have survived the real temperature, if it would be real! I have been living in Alberta for 11 years now and I have been close to Bow River in winter. Even looking at it in winter scares you! I have seen ice slabs at least 30 cm thick when ice jam happens. The temperature goes down to -21 ℃, such as tonight. What happens to someone who falls in the river and remain afloat for, say, 15 minutes?! I don't believe he would be OK.

This picture, that I took from Bow River, in the last days of December shows how scary it is. Falling in this frigid water and going with it, I don't think, will allow the body to relax. You can even see the thickness of ice on the right side of the photo

3- This guy has several incidents in his life and survived them all! 

a- He got mauled by a Grizzly really bad!

b- He fell in frigid waters! 

c- He was attacked by Natives a few times and not single bullet or arrow hit him!

d- He fell while on the horse a few hundred meters from a cliff and barely had a scratch!

e- He slept outside in fatal cold whether and wasn't bothered! 

4- I remember reading that Stephen King was quite disappointed with the adaptation of his novel, The Shining by Stanley Kubrick. They say there are differences. How about the fundamental differences 

between the life of Hugh Glass and the stupid The Revenant?!

a- Hugh Glass never married a Native woman and never had a child!

b- Hugh Glass never avenged his sun death, obviously. 

c- Hugh Glass went for the guy who Tom Hardy played him(!) but didn't kill him. 

This last part, item number 4, is all OK. You can twist the story the way you want to be able to sell it but bull-shiting audience by showing your actresses on the top of a 2500 or 3000 m. mountain in winter (there's actually a scene of the movie where the crew and actresses are transferred to the top of a mountain in the Canadian Rockies!).

After all this is the story of hungry Europeans who came to North America for money. There fought Natives and between themselves. Tom Hardy's character, Fitzgerald abandoned the guy whom he was supposed to take care of, killed his son and when his cover was blown later by Glass himself, robbed and killed his boss! The Chef said it once and that is all true. These two countries, The US and Canada, was established buy hungry, poor Europeans and now their descendents have forgotten where they came from !

I love nature, I love outdoors and I love movies in that genre but The Revenant is simply is piece of crap, a waste of money and time and pure nonsense! It has got nothing. 1 out of 5 for all the nonsense they try to feed to audience. 

(Photo: The opening scene of the movie. Glass and his son are hunting and they hear gunshot. They come back to the camp and see Natives are attacking. Surprisingly none of them suffers as much as even a scratch! They get to the boat and get the hell out of there)

Temp., Part-time Job

I received a call from a lady who coordinates volunteer jobs at, of course a place that I volunteered for a few months. She wanted to know whether I was interested in a temporary part-time job! In fact she said that they had contacted her and I came to her mind! Good! It means that I have done something good. However the position was a shit one and not very attractive but I found it rude to say no to her. I accepted that and then went for a meeting/interview after I received a call from another lady. The interview took place by a manager and a lady. Seemed OK and they called me and asked me to go for a sort of orientation meeting later which lunch was supposed to be served as well.

I went there and there were a few other guys, one from previous years and one new. The lunch, which has been the most pathetic and disgusting launch I've ever seen (I didn't even touch it!) was a number of disgusting Processed Meat-Croissant Sandwiches!!! which had been bought from a supermarket's Deli!! And they wasted time for about half an hour by presenting nonsense childish, stupid things and that was it! The only good thing was that I was given a $100 allowance which I later spent on a pair of nice Columbia shoes! The pair was for $129.93 originally which I guess I paid around $116 and then was reimbursed for $100 later!

Anyways the first day of work came and I was supposed to do a 12:00 to 20:00 shift which sounded tough in a -16 ℃ weather (not considering windchill!) I noticed that our small group considers of 5 Natives, one Caucasian and me! The piece of shit Native guy who apparently have been working full-time in there started showing signs of being a big asshole by saying stuff such as " I'm the boss here " or " I'm the supervisor " and nonsense similar to that. The other guys were fine. One of the was a dick head who just referred everything and everyone to this asshole supervisor-like creature! The Caucasian guy left in the afternoon as he had started early morning.

It got really cold when the sun went down around 16:00 although there was not much wind. I couldn't get myself warm and that was despite a few layers I had put on. Then this asshole walked up to me and said that someone had said to him that I was not polite to him!! That was it. I asked him how could that be?! and he kept telling me that I should not even talk about that and just have to take it!! I asked him if he wants me to come tomorrow and he said since ... (the manager) had hired me, he would not want me not to come(!) meaning if he had hired me, I would have been gone!

I had a hard time deciding that night then I said; Fuck it! I don't need this asshole! I e-mailed the lady who had the interview with me alongside that manager and told her that I had an injured leg. She called me after a few minutes and asked what had happened. I first hesitated to say about the fucking asshole Native but then I told her and she pretended or maybe truly was sympathetic. I asked to consider the e-mail I had sent her as my official resignation note and donate my one day wage to their organization! She accepted and hung up after regular goodbye. The same afternoon another lady, her boss, called! She also wanted to know what had happened. I gave her the same version and she insisted that I should go back! I accepted but the next day I sent another e-mail and indicated that I decided no to go to avoid confrontation. 

I then received an e-mail from one of them. My pay-stub and ROE were attached to that! I knew that would create some trouble for my EI but that was too late. Those assholes not only caused me grief and disturbance but also interfered with my EI which took me about an hour to fix it later in a Service Canada location (I'm hoping it is fixed because I have not seen the next deposit into my account). 

Then I asked The Lady whether she would pick up my cheque from their office, the cheque for my footwear and she said yes. So we drove there one day after of course checking with the lady to make sure it was ready. We went there and the first native guy either didn't recognize me or pretended not to! Then the main guy appeared in front of our car and he goes: Hello ...! I wasn't expecting him to recognize me that fast but he did! The Lady went to the office to pick up the cheque and I remembered that I had forgotten to give her the bag of their stuff! So I went to the main office and handed the damn bag over to their receptionist. At the same moment The Lady called and said that they needed the disgusting stuff! I ran back to the receptionist and wanted to grab the bag of worthless and useless(!) items while the cheque lady showed! I grabbed the cheque and got the hell out of there. It was not a pleasant last meeting tough but it's over (I hope!). I cashed the cheque and spent some of it already! I still have to wait for Service Canada's reaction to one day wage. I hope they don't make a big deal out of it because the guy whom I got on the phone was making a big one! 

So the lessons learnt here is: Never ever take on a cheap job while you are benefiting from full scale EI!
(Photo: This cartoon quite describes the job I had for one day. I hope CARTOONSTOCK does not mine me using their work)

Used Condom in McDonald's

I've criticized McDonald's several times here and everywhere else and I'm still going to a McDonald's most of the time when I want to get a coffee, particularly now that they have reduced their price! The fact is their coffee is much better than other major coffee franchises and their reward program is good. Just before this new price adjustment their prices were higher than Tim Horton's but Tim Horton's is so cheap and phony! They never had a breakfast sandwich until a few years ago. They copied everything from McDonald's! They have no free refill policy and they are so fucking cheap that you see no good newspaper in a Tim Horton's cafe but the nonsense free ones!

Nevertheless I had a very bad experience just a few weeks ago in a location that frequents by homeless although it's not located in Downtown. In fact there's barely any location that is not a hang out for the homeless, Natives and deranged but the closer it is to Downtown the more you see these people and its not that I have a problem with that but some of them become a pain in the ass by soliciting or getting too close and even assaulting.

Anyways I was at this damn location on 17th Ave. and 35 St. SW for a coffee and noticed that people are sleeping underneath a cover at one of the tables. I was not surprised or anything like that as I knew that if I'm drinking a coffee here I have to expect the company of all the ones I named above. However this time it was different, I called upon the manager or supervisor who happened to be a short Filipino girl, similar to many other locations. She, after a while, went to the person which appeared shortly that they were two girls who looked like Aboriginals, sleeping underneath a blanket-like cover! They left shortly after they were awaken and I guess I sat and drank my coffee. I didn't pay much attention to my surrounding after that but I knew that location frequented by Aboriginals. Then when was leaving the location, and I have to say here I always look where I set my foot in(!) I noticed an used condom right in front of the main entrance! Being in McDonald's, you expect everything extraordinary and strange but I certainly didn't expect this! I also didn't expect that the thing had not been noticed and no one had not said anything to the staff unless it had happened just a few seconds before I saw that. Considering I had already talked to the useless so-called supervisor of the location, I decided to leave the issue untouched and get the hell out. I wish I, at least, had taken a photo and sent to the media, their headquarters or someone although I doubt anyone would do anything regarding that. The fact is McDonald's is a hangout for poor, hungry, homeless and all sorts of people of the same kind and that does not mean I have a problem with that. There are people who had unfortunate things in their life and their life was turned upside down. I'm one of them myself, it's just not that bad yet! However it is not acceptable that people get involved in sexual intercourse in a restroom and then throw their used condom on the floor. That is despicable and disgusting.

Aboriginals' New Gift to Canada

It was in the news that almost 20 major groups or tribes of Aboriginal people from the US and Canada had gathered together and signed  a treaty between themselves to use all of their power and authority to stop any pipeline going through the countries! Great! Thank you all!

The fact that the majority of Aboriginals in Canada do nothing and basically contribute nothing to the society, cannot be denied. They probably cannot get over the fact that Europeans came to their land more than 500 years ago and changed everything! They keep fighting! It's like the dirty and drunkard Native woman who once asked my wife for a change and when she said she didn't have any on her, the Native woman in shabby cloths while barely kept herself stood said: Get out of my country!

I have nothing against Aboriginals and in fact I like them a lot. I had a buddy who was a young Aboriginal boy in my first job. My previous banker was an Aboriginal lady but what can I say. I'm not responsible for the drunkard ones who roam around the streets of Calgary and collect recyclables. These people don't work and don't let the others work as well! I don't say that pipeline have no environmental affects but people have been out of work for months! Revenues are low! Should we just all sit back and look at the sky, counting the clouds going by?! Maybe that's what the Aboriginal like because that what their ancestors used to do more than 600 years ago! 

It's a different world today. I bet the ones who agreed to the new treaty are all the ones who by big pick-up trucks and for themselves without giving a Penny to their tribe members. This was in the news a while ago. The only remaining point here is why they have not opposed to the new pipeline in BC for LNG?! Have they missed it? Is that because the pipeline is for Liquefied Natural Gas and not Crude Oil?! A pipeline harms the environment. Won't' the other one?
(Photo: This map shows the north part of BC where the project will take place, if approved)

Hike to Native Face in Oliver

I had talked to my buddy about hiking to Brent Mountain and we planned that for Tue. morning but after the fitness test I realized I had so much time until sleep as it was only 16:00 and decided to do the hike of Native Face near Oliver. Native Face or Indian Face, as the Native people of North America are still called Indian because Christopher Columbus thought that he had landed in India(!) is a cliff some 7 Km of Town of Oliver in British Columbia which if you look it from a certain angle it looks exactly similar to a Native persons face. 

I had already gotten the information from Tourism BC office in Oliver so I headed north on the main road and the first time I missed my left turn and had to go and make a u-turn and take the road going to Covert Farms. There you park your vehicle and then go to their property and from there they guide you to the trail-head which is a kilometer inside their property. When I reached there and went inside after being guided by a woman who was working on a pathway, the gentleman behind the counter told me they'd close in three min. when I asked him about their business hours! I know it's not nice but I told him that I wanted a bottle wine for my friend as a gift and I truly wanted one because I didn't fell it's right just to simply ask him about the trail-head. He said their cheapest one was some $23. I told him that I would pick it up later and headed out towards the trail-head. I guess they have a cafe there as well but wine is a big thing in Canadian cuisine and I don't think many families have their dinner or maybe lunch without wine. Besides A. F., my buddy said that the businesses were all doing great. I hope.

A beautiful Bitterroot. I had never seen one until this hike!

So I grabbed my stuff from the trunk and headed north on the trail. The trail goes from a big vineyard. There was nobody around because it was late. I started the hike at 17:05. After a short walk beside the vineyard I reached a tall fence and gate with chain. I went trough the gate and continued on the well-marked trail. What surprised me at this stage was something that I had not seen before: An electric fence sign. Now I don't know whether it was true or just to trow people out but I tried to stay away from the fence. The trail gets a little elevation after a while where you begin to see the vineyards and town. It's a very beautiful hike and for me who has been to hikes in many places it had its own uniqueness and beauty. At this stage I happen to hear a loud noise which was very similar to cow's Moo! I thought that could not be true because deep in me I wanted to see wildlife but soon I realize that was an empty hope! There was a herd of cow which apparently didn't like my presence and made more noises when they saw me. I found not not wise to continue on the trail because it was very likely that they attack. I went around and carried on. This was at a small pond which according to the information is called Rattlesnake Lake! I have seen water puddles larger than this which have not been called lake! I checked with two horseback riders and they simply told me to follow the trail to get to the top of the rock. Here just after a few minutes something happened which usually happens during my hikes and scrambles: I lost the trail! I went north at this point, instead of going east because the head is located at the east side of the so-called lake. I started going up and there I get a better view of the town. I took a few photos and headed back down. I told myself that was OK. I exercised a little bit. I took good photos and that's enough. I suddenly found the trail again when I was going down, though! I first thought it was late but I kept going until I reached the top of the cliff. There were better views over there. I took a few more photos and headed back down quickly. It was getting dark and I reached the lake again. I took a few shots of the small waterfowl birds but they noticed me and flew away. I wanted to spend more time in there but I didn't want to get caught by the dark. The cows now where at the foothills of the mountain watching over Rattlesnake Lake.

Vaseux Lake from the top of the mountain next to Native Face. Here I'm looking east. Look at that little island and the house in it. The owner of it must have so much fun!

I continued further down and for a minute I thought I had lost the trail again but I was fine. But I head a sudden noise which sounded like a few young guys screaming and howling at the same time! I first thought there was a bunch of teenagers partying in the area, smoking shit and drinking alcohol but it sounded a little bit different. It reminded me of a family trip that I had many years ago in the old country in one of the cities close to Caspian Sea. The almost same sound would be heard at time on those years which we knew at the time it was Jackals! I knew there was no Jackal in Okanagan but at the same time I knew Wolves and Coyotes are frequent in the area so I got scared a little bit. I thought if Wolves and Coyotes come in packs I don't have much chances! There was nobody within probably 2 to 3 Km and if I could get a signal on my mobile phone and called for help, by the time they would got there, I would have been dead! So I double-timed it and headed down. On my way and close to the fence I scared a couple of birds which could have been Pheasants or Grouse. I heard that scary noise once again and finally reached the car at around 21:00, I guess it was. It's a double fun in my opinion. You get good exercise and nice photos and then if you start your hike early you can relax in Covert Farms cafe and enjoy a meal. Wonderful hike.
(Photo, top: If you stand at the right angle and look at the northeastern part, just like I did, when taking this photo, you'll see the Native person's face. That's where the name of this cliff or bluff has come from)

New Help for Aboriginals?

I probably have written this earlier but Aboriginal people of Canada, the majority of them, don't live in a good condition. Apart from a small number of them who have good jobs either in private sector or governments, including their own assembly, the rest live in Third World conditions:

rundown houses on Reserves, wandering around the cities looking for change, bottles and cans, intoxicated, getting in to fights and often getting stabbed and killed, you name it. All bad things that you can imagine happens to these poor people.

Aboriginals have been in fight with the Federal Government over land, for decades. And these fights are over certain areas. Parliament Hill in Ottawa where the House of Commons is located is one of them! Can you imagine? This country has been established or confederated more than 148 years ago and they are still in fight with original settlers over land! And wasn't all the land belong to Aboriginal people? Why then they have claim over some?! Shouldn't they say: Hey! This is all my land. Get the hell out!

One of their claims have been over Castle Mountain area in Banff National Park. I have been in the area. Once I and The Lady did the wonderful hike of Rockbound Lake. The lake is actually located behind the Castle Mountain. The other time I had a walk in Johnston Canyon and then drove by and took a few photos. This claim has apparently settled recently. The Native people of area, the Siksika Nation agreed to receive $123 million to give up the claim they had over the land! So money resolved the problem but what percentage of this money is going to improve the standards of living of these people? And what percentage is going to be invested? There has been several stories of chiefs driving luxury trucks and living in mansions while their own people are deprived of the basics of living. This is in addition to violence towards Aboriginal women which has led to disappearance and murder or several of them. It is not the topic of this discussion though. These people have suffered a lot since the European settlers have stepped their foot on their sole. At one stage their children were separated from then put in special schools to learn the modern European lifestyle and language! 

Anyways money tempts everyone and this $123 million is lot of money. Considering the number of voter, 3444, I assume each person receives a share of over $35000 which is not bad for the families who are considered low-income, mostly. 

(Photo: Castle Mountain in Banff National Park. I took this photo in November of 2014 after my short walk in Johnston Canyon. I never had trouble with any Aboriginal when hiked in the area)

A Fool Aboriginal Mrs. Universe

It was in the news a few days ago that an Aboriginal woman from Alberta had been crowned as Mrs. Universe 2015. It apparently is different from Miss Universe but that's not the point. I have never been interested in stuff like that. This time this person got my attention because she showed a unique silliness that probably has never been seen!

This moron who has married someone out of her tribe or reserve because her surname has been changes, said something against the Prime Minister and accused him of paying no attention to the Aboriginals and their problems! This is absolutely idiotic! I don't know what the circumstances were that under which this creature was selected as Mrs. Universe but I would easily give her the crown of Mrs. Stupid World.

Aboriginal people of Canada have to get themselves together and pay attention to themselves, help each other. Living the life style of 200 or 2000 years ago is no longer works in this country. How many times we have heard the stories of the chiefs that steal from their own people. They drive big luxury trucks while their tribesmen live in absolute poverty. Who wanders around the streets drunk and under the influence of drugs and ask for change? Those are Aboriginals. Hundred of thousands of people have come to this country and many worked hard and built a life. Why don't these guys forget the past and get a life? I guess everyone knows and has at least one experience with these people. I have had more than one. I have said enough. I only add: Pure stupidity is what she emits from herself!

(Photo: Mrs. Stupid World with an open mouth widen as a result of being shocked how awful most of Aboriginal people look in this country. I don't know if she was trying to punch any of them!)

Arizona Road Trip (11): Lower Antelop Canyon

I had an almost OK sleep the night before this adventure. It was a little bit cold but I managed to survive using an extra blanket which was available. I made a couple of cups of coffee in the kitchen. The motel's stuff was all Wal-Mart sub-par quality. Lucky me that I had some coffee left from Views Inn! Before heading out I caught up with an American fella named Matt. from Phoenix, originally from Michigan. He told me about a good experience he had at Lower Antelope Canyon and I told him about Glen Canyon Dam. These American guys, some of them are terrific. He even gave me the telephone number of the tour from his iPhone! We shock hands and he headed out. 

I then wanted to grab a breakfast sandwich and headed to McDonald's but realized it had been passed the breakfast hour so I just went to the nearby Wal-Mart to break a note for the tour. I forgot to mention that I called and the guy told me that the tour would have cost $28 and would have started at around noon or so. So that was why I wanted to get exact cash for the tour. I also spent a little time in Glen Canyon Recreation Area and took a few photos as I had time and then got on the road and headed east close to where the power plant is located.

Strangely shaped rocks under the ground have created this amazing maze! 

It was not really hard to find the tour place based on what the guy had told me on the phone. I parked and there were only 4 other people: A Japanese young couple and an East Indian young couple. Add to that our tour guide who was a nice young Native girl: A small group of 6. I have to say that I really enjoyed the tour. We walked for 10 minutes to reach the entrance and then walked down from the ladders and followed the girl. She provided knowledge and answer every questions we had patiently. I asked her about the power plant and she said that was a coal power plant. The coal mine was further east and connected via railway. The facility belongs to Navajo Nation and possibly ran by them, I don't know if technically. The tour took a bit one hour and it was amazing to see how the rocks had been shaped. I took several photos and we all came out of a different hole and appeared on the ground. 

Another shot showing how you would go through cliffs 

There are other similar tours available in the area but I learnt that they cost more and take longer. In my opinion 1 hour is enough and you get both exercise and opportunity to see and take photos. The price is OK and you don't have to pay much or get on trucks but others might like to try other tours as well. The other good thing about this tour is it is not very crowded. So you can enjoy very much. These tours all are managed by Native people of the area as the land belongs to them. All the people in addition to our guide that I already mentioned her, the guy who answered the phone and the girl whom I paid to were Natives. What amazes me the most about this Native people is I can't recall seeing one of them smiles in the entire road trip of Arizona! Obviously they are upset that their land is occupied but that was 200 years ago. Get over it! 

(Photo, top: Navajo Generating Plant, as they call it in the area,  in the east side of the town)

Arizona Road Trip (10): Glen Canyon Dam and Horseshoe Bend

The first thing I did after arriving at Page was obviously checking into the motel I had booked. Being a small town which was originally founded for the workers who built Glen Canyon Dam, it's not really hard to find your motel and go around. Lu Lu's is the motel's name and when I entered there was a Hispanic lady whom I talked to in order to get my key (My review about the motel is available in Google Maps). She barely spoke English but was being supported by a guy from the same background so there was not much of problem. I asked her if there was any tourist information office and she said no. I guess that was also the answer the guy gave me. Nevertheless I checked the information I had and went to Powell Museum, a small museum in the town which was about to close! There were two old ladies who helped me a lot and gave me hand-outs and after that I went to Carl Hayden Visitor Center. This is a huge building by Glen Canyon Dam. There was a very nice gentleman there whom helped me with my plan for an Utah hike which I had planned briefly but he gave me much detailed information and explained things on their huge model on the floor. I spent a few minutes around the dam and took a few photos. There are tours available in the dam area but again I'm not a kind of guy who would be able to spend that much money. It would have been great though. 

I decided to go to Horseshoe Bend after that. I looked at the map given to me by the old ladies at the museum and almost got where I had to go but in order to be certain I went to a local McDonald's, apparently the only one in the town, and checked that with the Native girls. 

This is the best I could capture from Horseshoe Bend. I arrived there late and there was a crowed. I decided to go around the cliff clockwise to get a good shot and this is the result. You either need a wide-angle lens or access the scene from the top. I had neither and didn't want to fall 300 meter down in Colorado River. However if I go to page again, I will take a river tour and go down there to explorer and enjoy. 

There were two of them in the restaurant talking and I approached and told them that I was on my way to Flagstaff but would have liked to check this place called Horseshoe Bend! If you tell them you are there simply to see the place, you would not most likely receive a good answer but what I told them made one to give me a good direction. Horseshoe Bend is not too far from the town and its overlook or viewpoint is not far away from the parking lot. So it's easy to get crowded even during the week. The best time to see this place in early morning, which is not crowded or at noon when you have sunlight directly over the river. I decided to go around the place, clockwise and find a spot to both avoid the crowd and also be able to get a good shot. I almost achieved the first goal but there was not much opportunities for photography. I reached a barbed-wire fence after a few minutes and realized by crossing that I might get myself into trouble with the local Natives but then said Screw 'em! and continued. The cliff structure was very interesting in the area but I was closing to the sunset without getting a better photo opportunity. I decided to take a few photos and go back to the car. By the time I arrived at the parking it was completely dark and there was only one or maybe two cars left. On the way back to the motel I checked a Wal-Mart. It was huge and they sell everything that you might find in the local stores. The customers and staff were mostly Native people but unlike Chinle and Tuba City you could also see Caucasians. 

Apart from my experience with Wal-Mart, if I really had wanted to enjoy Horseshoe Bend, I would have gone there the next day, early morning or at noon but I had other plans which you will see.
(Photo: Glen Canyon Dam near Page. Those small light blue things are boats for the people who are interested in Colorado River tours, something I might consider next time I'm in the area)