Medicine Hat....

City Hall, Library and Courthouse on the South Saskatchewan River

...Alberta, the name is a translation of the Crowfoot word for an eagle tail feather,
something that may be more useful is information on the weather;
this is a busy place, that means a lot going on,
it's where they take natural gas, it keeps your stove going on.

So much gas is in the ground and it has been for many years,
Rudyard Kipling called it a town having "all hell for a basement", cheers;
also know as a mining center for the clay that potters use,
I don't know how they extract it, but I wouldn't light a fuse.

A pond in Echodale Park

Sunset on the South Saskatchewan River

The Indian Head, seen from space, not done on purpose, it's just
a collection of valleys in the landscape, the head is about 1000 yards across  it is located about
25 miles from Medicine Hat - live and learn.

Rocky Mountain House...

Life along the rivers and lakes

...Alberta.  The name?  I guess the mountain range need a home.
That's a good thing who need mountains to roam.
I think though it was named by the railroad men who had the say,
lots of towns in Canada and the US got tagged that way.

We have oil and agriculture mixed with tourism in this very place,
it's close to those large parks we visited when west was our race;
nice scenery is a pleasure as we roll along in our old beast,
so just hang on to your old hat, as we're headed east.

The Clearwater River drops here, kayak at the top going down - click



North Saskatchewan River at sunset



A walkway along the river, to a small island.

Drayton Valley...

Drayton Valley seen from the highway - click

...Alberta, a town known for its oil production,
drill a hole, put pipe in the ground, add suction;
that how it happens, in simple terms, up here,
but there's really more to the town too, so cheer.

It started out with farming, like so many others,
the oil was found in the 1950s, and so they had their druthers;
as the drilling went on, the small town grew,
but there's still plenty of room for a visit by you.

Up and down, up and down these things are relentless. - click



A display of derricks (they're not real ones) in the park - click



An albino Mother Moose, a spotted child in Drayton Valley-click

Whitecourt.....

An aerial view of Whitecourt

...Alberta, the "Snowmobile Capital of Alberta", is the tag,
but there are no photos of that dog to wag,
instead there are pictures of a lumber mill town,
and the two rivers together after, before up and down.

There don't seem to be as many park as we head east,
if they're there I'll find them to say the least;
but we'll see more towns as we travel along,
until old Tehachapi finds home, where he can belong.

The countryside near Whitecourt

The mill, and major employer, it's very large

Buckeye Reciprocal Steam Engine, this powered the first mill in town - click

Grimshaw....

Peace River near Grimshaw-click

...Alberta, plenty of road switching, and plenty of wheat,
this ag shipping town, although small, is hard to beat;
things have slowed down in the last sixty years,
so they have taken their time, switching gears.

There was a time, back some time ago,
when more wheat was loaded then we could know;
train after train loaded with local grown gold,
but land gets developed, no wheat, that's cold.

1953, four elevators



2008 two elevators, the blue one is a "double"



Downtown Grimshaw 2010

High Level....

High Level at night (sometimes)

...Alberta, it's on the high point of land between two rivers,
not settled until 1947, new, does it give you shivers?
Now you wonder why we see this brand new place,
the answer is easy, oil fields won the race.

We've got the Peace River and Hay River too,
and it had another name before, but who knew?
Tloc Moi, that's Hay Meadow, for those of us who didn't know,
well...at lease the lights at night gives us a good show.

Highway 35, going into town

It has an airport...



...and winter too!



Manning....

Nice Town Office!

...Alberta, shipping point for lumber and wheat,
an important small town, they can't be beat;
natural gas is shipped from here too,
and the outlying area would like to see you.

It's on the highway that goes up north,
on to Yellowknife, shall we go forth?
the Northwest Territory is in our sights,
but we won't be there for a couple of nights.

Another load rolls out-click

..just passing through-click

River front view

Greene Valley Provincial Park....

It's green, this Greene Valley

...Alberta, part of the Heart River valley along...
..the Nampa River, not a bad association in which to belong,
hiking trails are many, some easier than others,
so come take a look, be sure to bring your brothers.

It's named for Dr. William Greene, a settler of sorts,
he was a physician and dentist who helped gold miners lots,
in 1910 he was one of eight men with license to fly.
They've named a cairn here, for climbing, want to try?

The Renfew Museum

Nice view from a hill - click

from another hilltop, autumn - click

Lesser Slave Lake Provincial Park...

Lesser Slave Lake

...Alberta, home of the Boreal Centre for Bird Conservation,
home of 246 species, more than most parks in the nation;
twenty-six kinds of wood warblers in here,
that should be a reason to stand up and cheer.

It is a large park, on a very large lake,
but "Lesser" has meaning, so it will take...
a really large body or water to make...
a "greater" Slave Lake will take the cake.

Mourning Warbler

Ruddy ducklings

Wild Alberta Rose

Queen Elizabeth Provincial Park...

Lake Lac Cardinal

...Alberta, kind of off the beaten path, and out of the wheat,
we find this smallish park, with a lot that can't be beat;
if you like walking on good trails, or fishing with a lure,
you'd like this park, is just for you, for all your ills a cure.

Playgrounds for the little ones, big thing for the more adult,
drop on up, if you get a chance, and see what's it all about;
it's on 15 kilometers west of Peace River, we've been there before,
so pack that car, fill up with gas, through the arch, there's an open door.

Raged rapids

Fall colors on the trail

Full fall-click

Hines Creek....

Going into town...-click

..Alberta, wheat to bread, bread to table,
these are some of those who make it able...
..to live in plentiful times, wheat to market starts right here,
we owe these four hundred people, a hundred cheers.

Grain elevators full to the brim,
waiting for the train, rail cars to come in,
there is no telling where the wheat will go,
eaten here are going to sea, golden cargo.




Lots of cats, lots of mice-click



Country road and tractor tracks-click

Saint Pokrovshye Old Russian Orthodox Church
-click

Dunvegan West Wildland Park...

A section with steep river banks

...Alberta, the Peace River crosses the border to British Columbia in this park,
lots of things to see like hoodoos and fossils, or hiking on a lark,
there are walking trails, or climbing up some very steep slopes,
and some places you can go, but you need to know the ropes.

Hoodoos are formations, fairy chimneys, or toadstools of stone,
topped by turf they stick straight up, erosion don't affect the stone,
there are also grassy fields where the Bison roam,
but make sure you want to be here, it's a long way from home.

Hoodoos at Dunvegan

One of the walking trails

The Peace River at Dunvegan