Spring tours continue!

We wanted to go 'somewhere', but it took a long time to decide where to go.  All lakes still too cold to swim, still snow on all the mountain trails, fuel prices at an all time high ...

Finally, we decided to head east!  To the Drumheller, Alberta area.

It is a very scenic and interesting area of badlands, along the Red Deer river.  It has become famous for the large number of dinosaur fossils that are discovered there, with more eroding out of the hills every year.

The city was originally based around the abundant coal deposits and mines in the area, but now have pretty much adopted the dinosaur as their mascot, and there are dinosaurs on almost every street corner all over town.  There are lots of good biking options around, so I was putting some miles on the e-bike.

At one point, I felt like I was being watched, or followed? Likely it was nothing!

 

One spot I like to camp is right on the river, a few miles upstream from town.

Directly across the river is a Bald Eagle nest, that seems to get used every year, and this year was no exception.

 

 

There was always one parent guarding the nest, while the other was out hunting, or enjoying some soaring time away from the kids.  At feeding times, I could see three little heads come up, looking for a morsel torn from the latest hunt.

 

 

The sun had to be just right to see it, but there was also a dinosaur hiding in the bushes just across the river!

The spot is also a popular launch point for some canoe and kayak tours ...

 

"Wait, where's my kayak?"

Orkney viewpoint is another place that I have occasionally overnighted in the past. Then, last year it sprouted a 'no camping' sign :-(  This year the sign was gone, but I don't know whether it was vandalized or intentionally removed?

 

 Like many places, and much to my chagrin, signs are posted, but clearly (or not so clearly) are meant to be ignored!  Like - this sign on the wide-open entrance gate!

 

Even the pit toilets on site had their instructional signs.

Last time I'll go fishing there, I guess :-)

 

 

 

 

I also spent some enjoyable time hiking in and around Horseshoe Canyon, just a few miles out of town.

 

Before leaving the area, it is 'mandatory' to cross the river on the free Bleriot ferry!

It's such a short crossing that if the ferry was a little longer, they could just call it a floating bridge!

Where to from here?  North? South? East? or West?

Tune in next time to see where we end up!

Spring travels

 Weather in this part of Alberta has been a mixed bag, and we're still seeing overnight frost more than half the time.  But, it is improving slowly ...

Therefore, it was time to ditch the 5th wheel hitch and load the truck camper!

The seasonal snow has all melted, but there were still flurries every few days to remind us that it was not summer yet.

So- it was time to get out and test the equipment with a shake-down run in the camper.  First time out was only an overnighter at a favourite camp spot on the Clearwater River, less than an hour from home.

 Leaves are just now starting to turn green in isolated areas.

 

On the way back towards home, we took some random logging roads that led us to some other pretty decent looking camp spots!

 

The 'Sasquatch' has been adopted as a sort of mascot for back country recreation in this area.

 

 The area is also home to a fairly large population of 'wild' horses, and we encountered 3-4 different groups as we drove around.

After a rough winter, they were all enjoying the warm sunshine and the first bits of green grass.

About a week later, we headed out for another short, unplanned trip, just before the holiday long weekend.  Once again, only one night was planned, with the option to stay out longer if conditions were favourable.   

This time, we started out west of Water Valley, after enjoying some good wings with friends at the local saloon there.

The night was windy and cool, but wonderfully quiet, so we headed up the Trunk road to see what lay in store for the next few days.  Unfortunately, the snow had other ideas, and it began to snow quite heavily.

Not sure what this group of timber company trucks was up to, but perhaps it was an ATV training course, as all the trucks had trailers attached.  Any more snow and they'd be wishing for snowmobiles!

 

The further we went, the heavier the snow became, and soon the road became a sloppy mess of mud and melting snow.  That, and the impending long weekend was enough to convince us to head for home and start hosing the mud off the truck and camper.  Spring-time in Alberta!

 Hailey decided to take up her old position up front, to help me drive and spot the wild horses

 

 

Meanwhile, back at home, it looks like we had some visitors stop by ...

 

 

It took a while, but the birds finally discovered the seed in the feeders.

And, of cours, there are always a few disagreements!

 

The long weekend, with the usual snow and rain is now behind us, so Hailey and I are once again on the road - somewhere.  We really have no idea where we will end up, or how long it will take!  Hopefully, that will spur another blog post before too long!  Stay tuned.