May 31 Edmonton/West Edmonton Mall

We thought it was time to take a day of from ‘being educated’ and just have a day of fun and shopping… not that I ever really like shopping to begin with.

We drove around Edmonton for a bit just to see the Legislative buildings as Edmonton is the capital of Alberta and get a general view of the city. We couldn’t find a good place to park and walk so it was literally a drive through. Edmonton is a pretty city spread out along the North Saskatchewan River, the same river we camped on at Metis Crossing, with an abundance of park land.

Then we headed for the world famous West Edmonton Mall! In addition to the usual Mall shopping, it has the world’s largest indoor wave pool, a skating rink, a complete amusement park, two mini golf areas, an escape room, a bowling alley, a small aquarium with South African penguins and sea lions, a full sized replica of a Spanish galleon, swan boats, a shooting gallery, indoor electric go carts, two food courts, and Bourbon Street where you can find restaurants of all sorts… a real cross between Disney World, Las Vegas and shopping.

We spent several hours 🙃… as my husband stated, it’s the first time we’ve ever eaten two consecutive meals in a Mall! Food court for lunch and steak dinner on Bourbon Street.

We did some personal shopping before lunch so we could take everything back to the van, and spent the afternoon exploring the amusements. We went to the aquarium and played mini golf. It’s a pretty fantastic place actually.

West Edmonton Mall

By the time we left the mall at about 7 pm, another evening thunder storm was in full spate. The beauty of our vehicle is that we can pull into camp and not have to get out to set anything up. We decided, because of the weather, not to hook up. Makes it much easier to pack up in the morning anyway. We had a glass of wine, watched a movie and went to bed.

Edmonton, AB

Edmonton is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. Edmonton is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Alberta’s central region. The city anchors the northern end of what Statistics Canada defines as the “Calgary–Edmonton Corridor,” a region spanning between Edmonton and the city of Calgary, which includes the many smaller municipalities between the two.

Edmonton is the northernmost city and metropolitan area in North America to have a population of over one million.

By 1795, many trading posts had been established around the present metropolitan area, and by 1801 they had all moved to the current site of the city of Edmonton. “Fort Edmonton,” as it was known, became the main centre for trade in the area after the 1821 merger of the HBC and the NWC.

The coming of the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) to southern Alberta in 1885 helped the Edmonton economy, and the 1891 building of the Calgary and Edmonton (C&E) Railway resulted in the emergence of a railway townsite (South Edmonton/Strathcona) on the river’s south side, across from Edmonton. The arrival of the CPR and the C&E Railway helped bring settlers and entrepreneurs from eastern Canada, Europe, the U.S. and other parts of the world. The Edmonton area’s fertile soil and cheap land attracted settlers, further establishing Edmonton as a major regional commercial and agricultural centre. Edmonton is the major economic centre for northern and central Alberta and a major centre for the oil and gas industry. 

Edmonton traditionally has been a hub for Albertan petrochemical industries, earning it the nickname “Oil Capital of Canada” in the 1940s.Supply and service industries drive the energy extraction engine, while research develops new technologies and supports expanded value-added processing of Alberta’s massive oil, gas, and oil sands reserves. These are reported to be the second-largest in the world, after Saudi Arabia.

Much of the growth in technology sectors is due to Edmonton’s reputation as one of Canada’s premier research and education centres. Research initiatives are anchored by educational institutions such as the University of Alberta (U of A) as well as government initiatives underway at Alberta Innovates and Edmonton Research Park. The U of A campus is home to the National Institute for Nanotechnology.

Those post-secondary institutions based in Edmonton that are publicly funded include Concordia University of Edmonton, MacEwan University, King’s University, NorQuest College, the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT) and the University of Alberta (U of A). The publicly funded Athabasca University also has a campus in Edmonton. Other post-secondary institutions within Edmonton include Newman Theological College, Taylor College and Seminary, and Yellowhead Tribal College (an Indigenous college).