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“Pic of the Week”, December 25, 2020: Some Scenes from Central Alberta
The terrain of Alberta is mostly that of the great Canadian prairies. It’s where farms on gently rolling hills yield vast crops of canola, wheat and beef. It’s where lots of oil is pumped from the ground — part of the rich dinosaur heritage of the region.
This past summer I spent several days driving around the central part of the province, between the major cities of Calgary and Edmonton, exploring small towns and destinations I’d not yet seen. Here’s a sampler of what that’s like:
(Click on thumbnails to enlarge, right arrow to advance slideshow)
Dec 24, 2020
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“Pic of the Week”, January 3, 2020: The Bounty of Canada’s Great Plains
The great Canadian prairies (and their American counterparts) grow a lot of food. More food than can be consumed in either country and which is then transported to destinations all around our hungry world. The Canadian prairies extend from Alberta in the west, to Saskatchewan, to Manitoba in the east.
While driving across the prairies to visit my father in Winnipeg this past year, I made a point of randomly turning up a country road or two, driving a few miles to see what was there.
One turn lead to field of corn. Corn is not that common a crop on the prairies and this likely would end up as feed corn for livestock (less likely for consumption in nearby Winnipeg …
Jan 2, 2020
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“Pic of the Week”, August 2, 2019: Saskatchewan Sunset
When I was driving across Saskatchewan last summer, I saw darkening clouds on the distant horizon which got progressively closer with each passing mile. It was dusk, and I thought the light of the setting sun quite lovely against the storm clouds. I stopped several times and snapped some photos along the drive.
Fortunately it stayed dry into the early night, until I’d checked into my hotel. After that, the heavens opened for quite a downpour.
(Click on thumbnails to enlarge, right arrow to advance slideshow)
Aug 1, 2019
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“Pic of the Week”, April 5, 2019: Union Point Church, Manitoba.
Sometimes it’s good to stop at places you’ve driven by hundreds of times and actually explore them. Such was the case with my visit to the Union Point Church south of St. Agathe in southern Manitoba.
The church is situated between the north and south-bound lanes of highway 75, the road that connects Winnipeg to southern Manitoba and North Dakota. It’s a fairly important road, so thousands of people drive by the church every day but I suspect hardly anyone ever stops for a visit.
Union Point church was originally built in 1887, destroyed by fire in 1939, and rebuilt in 1940. There’s a small cemetery beside the church with tombstones dating to the late 19th century. There was once also a …
Apr 4, 2019
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.All Trips / Alberta / Central Canada / North America
Beautiful Writing-On-Stone Provincial Park!
Writing-on-Stone Provincial Park lies in the Milk River valley of the province’s prairie grasslands ecosystem and has characteristic “Badlands” erosion. It is situated in southern Alberta, just north of the Montana border.
This place is sacred to the Blackfoot native population as the Park contains the largest concentration of petroglyphs (rock carvings) and pictographs (rock paintings) on the North American plains. It is believed this site was a place where the ancestors of the Blackfoot people gathered to socialize and tell stories.
I visited this park several years ago. It’s in a fairly remote place, about a half day’s drive from the city of Calgary and an hour and a half from Lethbridge. I visited on a rainy, windy June day that …
“Pic of the Week”, January 5, 2018: Prairie Sunrise, Alberta
One of the things I enjoy about prairie winters is the soft diffused quality of the sunlight. The sun is far to the south during the winter months and with cloud cover over the Rockies and its foothills the light is often filtered.
Recently while making an early trip down the Cowboy Trail highway I enjoyed this lovely sunrise, which I thought I’d share with you today.
(Click on thumbnails to enlarge, right arrow to advance slideshow)
“Pic of the Week”, September 1, 2017: Canola field, Saskatchewan
I had a pleasant drive across the Canadian prairies this summer with my father. While the landscape is flat and lacks relief, it was a great time to do the trip because the canola and flax were blooming, adding a lot of color to the landscape. And the first cutting of hay was being bailed, putting a fresh pleasant scent in the wind.
Canola has become a popular crop in Canada these past few decades and canola fields are everywhere. The plants are about a meter high and produce beautiful small yellow flowers that ripen into bean-like pods. Black seeds from the pods are harvested and crushed to create canola oil and meal. Canola seeds contain about 45 percent oil …
Aug 31, 2017
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.All Trips / Central USA / Colorado / North America
Flatirons Vista Loop Hike, Boulder, Colorado
One of my favorite regions to hike is anywhere near the transition between the great Central Plains and the Rocky Mountains. The region offers opportunity to explore several ecosystems and to enjoy grand panoramic views of the mountains and a seemingly endless prairie, with relatively little effort due to the flatness of the plains.
Flatirons Vista Trail offers a hike that’s custom-tailored to the above description. It’s just south of the college city of Boulder, Colorado (where my youngest son is currently a postgrad in physics), immediately off Highway 93, and is a loop trail that offers great views of Boulder’s famous Flatirons. There’s lots of parking (for a fee for non-residents, so bring small bills with you). The trail is quite …
