We tried to get to Drumheller today, but we just couldn't make it. Bad headwinds and not enough sleep made for hard driving today. Rarely went over 85 km/h - otherwise it would rev over 3000 rpm, which is tough on the engine and gas consumption. Even still, our little trailer is worth it!
Left Regina around 9:30 and saw what I think are potash deposits just outside the city. Stopped in Moose Jaw to get the requisite picture of Mac the Moose. We managed to miss him on the first pass. How do you miss a giant moose - were distracted by the snowbird. When taking pics, a cute little ground squirred came out looking for treats.
It was very flat outside Regina, we could see the entire lenght of trains as they passed. Lots of farmland, mostly hay and canola. We stopped in Chaplin, halfway between Regina and Swift Current, for lunch. Chaplin Lake is quite large, so the rest stop included a tower for viewing shorebirds and nature interpretation centre. There was a giant sandpiper in the parking lot, but DH forgot to get a picture...
We entered the Cypress Hills as we approached to AB border. Very different landscape from the rest of SK, the hills look like giant grassy moguls. They were quite pretty, and supposedly the highest point east of the Rockies!
Once in Alberta and past the Cypress Hills, the landscape flattened out to ranchlands. Lots of black cattle (?Black Angus?) and oil derricks.
Finally got a good shot of the T-Can in SK, this was taken just before the washout near Medicine Hat...
Travelling through the washout was fine, no delays, but the damage to the highway gives you and idea of the farmers' suffering.Pulled into Ross River RV Park, just off the T-Can on the outskirts of Medicine Hat. The park was sandwiched between the highway and the CN line, but it was fine for a stopover. The girls liked watching the trains go by every 20 minutes!
I beleive it is potash that is mined at Kalium, but I will have to double check with my DH parents.
ReplyDeleteIt can be tough to spot Mac, he has since been moved from the last time I was in Moose Jaw. But he looks good now! I would have called your little inquisitive friend a gopher, not a ground squirrel...I will have to google to see if they are the same creature.
Sorry to hear about the head winds, some trucking friends of ours have mentioned winds being a problem with their big rigs. Nice to see that the wash out at Medicine Hat did not keep you too long, I was wondering how big a portion of the high way was underwater. Will have to call a friend there to get the story.
It can be quite nice watching trains go by...I had a fond memory of a wedding in Quill Lake with a train going by at 2 am, horn sounding the whole time, especailly wonderful after a night of drinking...but I imagine the girls would have enjoyed them much more than I.