At the best of times, St. Albert is a bustling burb with busy people and busy roads. At the worst of times – around this time of year – its avenues and boulevards are hypertensive arteries: conduits of frenzied activity filled with anxious shoppers hoping to get deals in different commercial centres while dealing with slushy, slippery streets and other frustrated commuters.
Winter, in this city, is not a place for a sane person to seek traffic. It's all red lights, rush hour, and road rage.
Where oh where must a person go to find respite? Going placidly amid the noise and haste of such a transit town is not an easy task. If one is seeking silence, solitude and perhaps a little communion with nature and one's soul then that means one must exercise intent and enterprise to explore the places away from activity. I've always said that finding peace on earth is one of the best ways to feel goodwill toward others. But in the height of December's seasonal shopping blitzes, it's easy to understand how escaping the crowd might seem impossible.
Yes, Virginia … all good things are possible. Even in such a fair burg as this where looking up and down St. Albert Trail could result in the viewing of 10,000 vehicles and 10,000 motorists chewing their nails, checking the little clock on their dashboards and flicking their cigarettes out the window, there are still sideways turns to help you find places of peace and quiet where you can breathe and simply enjoy the view. Everybody needs an escape.
"Here. Come here," they seem to beckon. Once you know where you can go, you'll feel a whole lot better. These are just a few of my quiet places. I won't tell you all of them because even I like to have some things just to myself.
The balconies above the Sturgeon River
Everybody knows that St. Albert Place is a people's place but most of us only think of the inside of the building. If you stay outdoors then I can show you how to get the most beautiful view of the Sturgeon River right in the heart of the downtown core. If you haven't been to the Red Willow path side then it's about time you did.
There are three staircases that you probably walked right past: one on the north just to the right of the doors that take you straight to the Musée Héritage Museum, one on the west as you move toward Lions Park, and one right in the middle of those two, smack dab on the Mile Zero marker on the plaza for all the trail runners out there.
These balconies wrap around the back of Douglas Cardinal's architectural wonder, giving people a prime view of the river valley, the Children's Bridge, the train trestle, and all of the pedestrians and wildlife that flutter about. Sadly, it's not accessible to all.
This place only really sees action on New Year's Eve as the fireworks shoot into the sky just a block north from Seven Hills. Mostly though, it's as quiet as a lakefront cabin. You could have a picnic and a nap there on a sunny day too.
Thanks Doug!
Speaking of lakefront views…
Big Lake was one of the big reasons that the mission was established here in the first place but it's baffling that it's still one of the city's big secrets. The natural wonder isn't even listed on the city's new tourist signs that direct you to other destinations like St. Albert Centre or Fountain Park.
Yes, this is a city on a lake. You might have been to the Enjoy Centre and been astonished to see it out of the windows. You could get a lot closer to it too if you don't mind a bit of a walk.
Find yourself down Riel Drive and hike a turn at Rodeo Drive right in between the rugby club and the Kinsmen Korral. Drive down to the end and get out of your car. Get to the pathway on the river's edge and follow it toward Ray Gibbon Drive. Keep going. Soon, you'll be on the other side where the mouth of the Sturgeon opens up into the vast expanse of Big Lake. There's a marvelous pier called the BLESS Platform that has a binocular pedestal for wildlife viewing. Trust me, there's lots of wildlife to view too and the sunsets are always spectacular.
Keep going along the path and you'll soon be on the John E. Poole boardwalk through a spanse of wetlands. It was established by Ducks Unlimited a few years ago as another way to help us enjoy the Lois Hole Provincial Park. Welcome to nature. You'll easily forget the hustle and bustle of the freeway traffic just a few hundred meters away, I promise. Say hi to the moose and the goose for me.
The forest for the trees
Here's a stretch, but it's all the way on the other side of the city. You probably don't even know about Riverlot 56 unless you live in Kingswood or you swing your nine iron at the Sturgeon Valley Golf Club.
Take Sir Winston Churchill Avenue straight north. Better yet, go down Sturgeon Road for a more scenic drive and go past the botanic park (another fine spot) and click left at the T-intersection. You're soon going to find the Kingswood Park on one side and Poundmaker Road on the other. It's a gravel road – that's a good sign – that you need to take for about a kilometre before the riverlot's parking lot appears.
Inside the park is a wealth of fauna and flora, not to mention the wonderful forest pathways that are so good for cross-country running or skiing. This to me is about as close as you can get to feeling far away while still staying close to home and work.
A field of stone and names
You don't have to be Catholic to visit the Holy Cross Cemetery on the site of the St. Albert Parish at the top of Mission Hill. I don't have any relatives or friends interred there but graveyards are meant for silence and respectful reflection. If the hubbub of your daily grind is getting to you, or if Christmas has lost its meaning because of family strain or financial struggles, visiting the dead is a really great way of reminding yourself that everything is transitory.
Remember to breathe, take care of yourself, and enjoy your life as best you can. Nothing lasts forever: not your job, not your worries, not even yourself.
