Tag: @Canada

Remington Carriage Museum, Cardston Alberta

The Remington Carriage Museum has the largest collection of horse drawn carriages, wagons, etc. in all of North America (270 of them); it is located in this small border town near one of the US/Canadian border crossings. They have trained young docents who give free hourly guided tours.
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This really is NOT something you would expect to find in this location. It was a private collection by Don Remington (a local horse carriage geek) who donated his “babies” to the government on three conditions: firstly, that it must stay in his home town town, and secondly, that the pieces be kept together, and thirdly, that he have access to it whenever he wanted it. The government accepted his terms and spent $12.5 million building this facility to house the collection.
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It is absolutely massive, and holds 270 carriages and wagons, etc., of the sort drawn by horses and rarely used anymore, like totally massive. Its so enormous that locals get year passes just so that they can use it as an indoor walking area during incremental weather.
Of the carriages, 49 belonged to Remington who began the collections, and another 175 are on loan from other organizations that don’t have the space to display them, or were donated. The museum facilities also do restorations of carriages that people bring in, but those are not the ones that go into the collection on display, because those are considered historical artifacts so they try to avoid restoring them as that would negatively affect their value.  Got everything from carriages for hauling wood to carriages for hauling the rich. There is also like a 20 minute documentary on the history and evolution of the carriage industry in America

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I was there on a weekday, and NOT during tourist season, so some of what’s “available” wasn’t while I was there: There is also a barn that holds a collection of Clydesdales and other horses, that provide carriage rides; there’s a working ironsmith, etc. There is also a restaurant, but it too was closed.

Carway US/Canda Border Crossing

I am in Canada!  But this crossing didn’t go as smoothly as I would have hoped

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Getting through customs was “interesting;” I think a freaked them out just a little bit. I was honest with them, I was intending to stay in Canada from May 29th through Sept 1st, and I technically, don’t have a job. Suffice it to say, they were not happy about this. I suppose if I had pulled up in an upscale RV (some of those suckers range in the millions) and looked to be over 65 they would have had less of an issue with it — or if I were only staying for a week or two, but as it is, no one pegs me for being as old as 51 (which I am). And the truth is that I’m currently living off my savings…

I don’t think the fact that I asked if I could get out of my car and take bunch of pictures of the border crossing facilities (denied) went over all that well either.

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Anyway I was the only car of many that got pulled to the side and then they put me into a little room, with no TV and no magazines, while they did a background check on me. I was in there a good 20 minutes of bored pacing back and forth. After the background check was over the demeanor of the guy went from somewhat threatening — which is where it had been — to downright friendly (I’m guessing they not only verified my paid in advance Airbnb bookings, but also checked my credit rating). They checked to make sure I had credit cards with me, and let me go with the warning that under no circumstances should I accept any sort of a job while I’m in Canada.