Alberta's North East - Love it!

Monday September 21 found me scrambling in the office for about an hour trying to get myself organized for my first trip of the season. I am usually a pretty organized person but the fact that I had left the week prior for a few days in Orlando, Florida left me feeling like I was forgetting something.

Once I got myself organized and got on the road I drove for eight hours to reach my first destination of Fort McMurray, AB. The drive was beautiful and thankfully uneventful but I was certainly happy to relax in the hotel with a nice meal and the season premiere of House.

We had a full day of events on Tuesday including Fort McMurray Composite, Westwood and Father Patrick Mecredi. SAIT was popular when it came to our Apprenticeship programs, Professional Cooking and Business but I was surprised by how many people were looking for Audio/Sound Engineering.

Wednesday was a relaxing day compared to the day before. After driving from Fort McMurray to Athabasca, I spent a very energetic couple of hours with the students of Edwin Parr High School. The majority of the questions I fielded were about the Trades, Business programs and about the scholarships that SAIT has available.

After the event I drove to Cold Lake, my favorite place in Alberta! I was happy to stay in the Lakeshore Inn again as it is a beautiful Bed and Breakfast right on the Lake. For dinner I went to Clark’s General Store and had the Blackened Haddock, which was fantastic, as usual.

After the Athabasca event on Wednesday I didn’t have another event until Thursday night and was able to enjoy the room at Lakeshore to the fullest. I had plenty of time to get some administrative work done and feel like I have caught up slightly.

The event on Thursday night was held at the new Cold Lake High School and was a great success. I was pretty steady all night with questions about Broadcast Systems, Information Technology and of course with the programs that are available through the Non-Commissioned Subsidy Education Plan with the Canadian Forces.

Friday took me home. The drive from Cold Lake to Calgary was wonderful. This time of year the leaves are turning and this area of Alberta is spotted with hills, valleys and lakes.

Next week, Edmonton!