Restarting Adventure

Today we had to say goodbye to the mountains, for now. We loved Alberta when we were here last time. This time we are exploring completely different areas (and I do mean completely different) and we are enjoying it just as much. The route today was a north-east course across a warren of backcountry roads. Leaving the mountains we drove through a terrain much flatter than anything we experienced on the road through Saskatchewan. We passed the largest solar farm we had ever seen. It rivaled the canola fields in size! We passed massive wind farms, and of course cattle ranches and fields of horses. We drove through few towns, but some, like the hamlet of Rosebud, looked like something created for a movie set! It was the prettiest little town! I regret not stopping for pictures, but we had places to be today! As we approached Drumheller by mid-afternoon the landscape, once again, changed dramatically. The flat fields gave way to rolling hills and very quickly we were enveloped in a land of ...

Today was our last full day here in these beautiful mountains. The weather was not great, but we also didn’t want to miss a last chance to explore, so we made the best of our day. Despite clouds that suggested more prudent action, we decided to hike to Blackiston Falls. It was down by Red Rock Canyon that we had hiked a few days ago so we knew even if it rained the drive in was beautiful enough to make the trip worthwhile. It was a bit of a climb, but as Jonathan pointed out, “If you're hiking Blackiston Falls, the water has to fall from somewhere!” No rain appeared though the clouds held promise! The upward climb more than compensated for the coolish morning – thank goodness for layers!   Crossing the bridge to hike to Blackiston Falls The water here is again crystal clear Our hiking trail criss-crosses with the trails for folks on horseback  Lingonberries, a lot of lingonberries! Bear grass not quite ready to bloom The top of Blackiston Falls A little drop Another little dro...

The rain clouds, literally and metaphorically, have cleared. Unfortunately the news from yesterday has not disappeared, it has become our new reality, but at least there was no "new" bad news. The reality of David's shingles separated us today. Jonathan and Jenna set off on an 11km adventure that led them on a hike crossing into BC, that I understand was amazing. Interestingly it led them into a section of BC Mountains where my grandfather started his mining career almost a hundred years ago. David and I decided on 5km of hiking that led to the US border, followed by a slow ramble home with many stops... just because we had to! I have been reading a book by Jon Mooallem called Wild Ones. It is a book that is essentially an examination of environmental conservation and its history. It's a great book to read on a trip like this because each hike is an opportunity to view the theoretical in action! Our first hike led us up a mountain-side (that part was in the truck, tha...