Old Bones

Old Bones, originally uploaded by susanvg.

We spent a fair amount of time at the Royal Tyrrell Museum in Drumheller, Alberta. It is devoted totally to paleontology. It has an extraordinary collection that is extremely informative. A visit to their web site is essential. In addition to the many dinosaur skeletons, the exhibits go back to much earlier life (both plant and animal) and trace the changes and causes as the Earth continued (and continues) to evolve.

Many of the specimens were found in Alberta. The badlands is prime hunting ground for old fossilized bones.

We made our way back to Calgary to fly home, but first a drive near Drumheller to cross the Red Deer River on the ferry that is pulled by a cable and up to get a view of the incredible sculpted mountains.

and the valley below

And so the trip ended - back home, back to work (unlike this fellow below)

Last Chance Saloon

Last Chance Saloon, originally uploaded by susanvg.

Driving from Brooks to Drumheller is a trip through the old west. Towns that once thrived are now practically ghost towns. Coal mines which provided many jobs are now shut down. Wayne is off the beaten path, across nine single lane bridges (there are two more past this saloon) along a winding road. The Last Chance Saloon is full of an eclectic collection: bottles, photographs, animal heads, antlers, tobacco tins and all kinds of memorabilia. Beer is served in canning jars.

Another village, Dorothy has only a few houses an abandonned grain elevator and what looked like two out of use churches. Perhaps one or both are still in use, but they look quite lonely in the Badlands landscape.

One place everyone stops is at the hoodoos. Their odd shapes are other-worldly. Carved out of the sandstone, they are slowly eroding.

Constantly Eroding

Constantly Eroding, originally uploaded by susanvg.

We went to Dinosaur Provincial Park in the evening on an organized tour. It's odd to approach it on grassy plains. The canyon lies below. Only a small part of the park can be viewed on your own. The bus took us into fascinating areas with sandstone canyons, buttes, mesas and coulees. The area was formed at the time of the dinosaurs, millions of years ago. Many dinosaur bones are found here.

The sandstone has been sculpted by water, weather and time. Rills mark the hills which are striped from the time the sand deposits and mineral deposits were being pushed in and down by the formation of the mountains to the west. Streaks of iron-laden rock seem painted on.

Hoodoos are constantly changing, eroded by rain and wind. The capstones sit like umbrellas protecting what is underneath. Eventually the capstones fall off and then erosion happens quickly.

It is extraordinary landscape - in places not much grows as the sand and dried mud cover much of the ground.

It really looks like another world.

On the Road

Livestock At Large, originally uploaded by susanvg.

A drive from Banff to Brooks is an extraordinary experience. The day starts in majestic mountains, rocky, craggy and snow capped. We drove down through the Kananaskis Mountains. We stopped for a short hike only to see goats on the road.

A Columbia ground squirrel made its presence known with high pitched squeaks.
Some livestock are free to range in the along the way. Texas gates keep them from going past certain boundaries. We had to wait while they crossed the road.

Eventually the mountains turned to hills and the forests gave way to farmland. Oil wells look out of place in the middle of fields.

Still later the land flattened even more - fields of grass, bales of hay, reaching out to the sky. Brooks is in the Badlands of Alberta. Coming.... a trip to Dinosaur Provincial Park.

Mount Rundle

Mount Rundle, originally uploaded by susanvg.

Look down any street in Banff and you will see a mountain (you can see a wire across this picture - it was taken right in town) - a towering rock-faced giant. Mount Rundle is one of my favourites - its curved side appears to me. When the Rockies were first formed Tunnel Mountain was part of it, but at a certain point they split apart. If we think there are a lot of earthquakes now, I can only imagine the period when these mountains were pushed up from the sea as being exponentially worse.

We took the gondola up Sulphur Mountain for a view from the top - simply breathtaking to look at the peaks from their level instead of looking up.

And to look down at the town of Banff with the Bow River snaking through the valley.

We took a raft trip along the river, past the hoodoos (Sandstone that has eroded; a rock - capstone - on top shelters it so that the sides erode, but the top does not), proof again of Mother Nature's art work.

Even mist covered, Mount Rundle captivates me - its graceful sweep, and craggy top - a lovely form.

The Rockies

Morraine Lake 2, originally uploaded by susanvg.

I've been home for a week, trying to sort through the myriad of photographs. Our Arctic trip ended with a flight from Resolute Bay to Edmonton, so we spent another 9 days in Southern Alberta - first time in the Rockies. I had been before, so the mountains and lakes were not quite as astounding as the first time, but their beauty and grandeur are incredible. Glacier fed lakes and rivers are every shade of turquoise and green.

Although we didn't see a lot of large wildlife, we did see some delightful smaller creatures.

Lake Louise is breathtaking with the mountains towering over it and the glacier perched on the craggy mountains at the far end. Red canoes dot the lake dwarfed by the peaks.

As these splendours are in a national park, preservation of wildlife is paramount. As you drive the highway through the park, you pass under overpasses built as animal crossings. Cameras have proven their effectiveness. Some of the deer in the area are so tame, they come to feed in the town of Banff. Once made a meal of the flowers in front of our hotel.