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.

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.