Enroute to Alberta

Here was the plan. My mother had become friendly with a farm and ranch owner In Macleod, Alberta. The owner was a Mrs. Buckwell, a very kindly lady, who invited Air Force personnel on weekend passes to be her guest at the ranch. They could ride, fish, hunt or just enjoy the ranch for a couple of days. Apparently, my mother had availed herself of several invitations. During her visits Mrs. Buckwell Became aware that Mother had a son (me) and I guess she said how much she missed me, etc. In any event, Mrs. Buckwell extended an invitation to have me come and live with her family for the duration. The idea was that I could go to school in Macleod and help out around the ranch in exchange for my room and board. Mrs. Buckwell had two sons; Walter who was serving overseas as a bomber pilot, and Leighton who was helping his mother run the ranch.

My father was contacted, and he was not too happy. He thought that I should have stayed in Vancouver and finish school. Mother prevailed, and I found myself on the ferry over to the city and then on the interurban train to the town of Steveston, where my father lived. I had my suitcase with a few belongings; I had left my school uniform jacket behind with Mr. Allen at the school. It was sad to say good bye. Now I was to spend a few days with my father before I left for Calgary, Alberta. When I reached my dad's house, who should be there to greet me; my dog Chum. It was a wonderful reunion. I stayed for about three days, and then it was time to say goodbye again to both my Dad and my dog. I was sure I would never Chum again.

I was to fly from Vancouver to Calgary, which was the closest commercial airport to my final destination, the town of Macleod. This was my first flight, and I recall that I was very excited at the prospect of this new discovery. I had reservations on United Air Lines. Little did I know that someday in the future, I would be working for them?

My airplane was a DC-3 aircraft and was only about half full. I remember flying over the Canadian Rockies with my face pressed up against the window. I couldn't get enough of the awesome view. It looked like you could reach out and touch the mountains. About half way there, it began to snow. By the time we reached Calgary, the snow was so bad you couldn't see the ground. I remember the pilot putting on his landing lights and you could see the snow and ice falling off the wings. The pilot said over the speaker that we were returning to Vancouver as the weather was too bad to land. I don't think I'll ever forget my first flight.

United put the passengers up in a hotel overnight. The next day we took off, and this time we made Calgary. My mother, who had been informed by the airline of the new arrival time, was on hand to meet me. She had come up by bus and had stayed overnight in Calgary. We had a few hours to wait for the bus that was to take us on the 106 mile trip to Macleod where I would meet the Buckwell family

In the meantime, Mother and I walked around Calgary, exploring the city. One thing that I remember was the hitching post outside the Calgary Hotel. You have to remember that this was almost seventy years ago. Calgary was like a frontier town; cowboys rode into town and tied up their horses outside the hotel. This was also Indian country with numerous Indian reservations. Calgary was also home to the famous Calgary Stampede. Cowboys would compete at various Provence competitions during the summer, with the winners competing in Calgary for championship status.

The annual Calgary Stampede is still a famous event in Calgary and I had the pleasure to attend it later in life, while attending a Rotary International Convention in that town.

Now Mother and I were on our way to Macleod. The bus travelled along a highway that was like a ribbon across the flat prairie; 106 miles of farmland and cattle ranches with hardly a tree in sight, while far off in the distance, barely visible, were the Rocky Mountains. The Rockies formed a barrier between Alberta and British Columbia. As I sat in the bus I thought of what I had just left behind, and what lay ahead. I wondered how I would be received…