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Aug 16 The Mountains to the Plains. As you know, we have been surrounded by mountains of all shapes and sizes for the last two months. On this Monday, we drove almost 500 km from Nelson BC to Fort MacLeod AB and the transitions in the landscape were dramatic. It started with the longest free ferry ride in the world across Kootenay Lake, just east of Nelson. 35 minutes on a modern ferry with views that rivaled the Norwegian fjords. Then south on highway 3A to Creston – a road considered by many to be the best place for a motorcycle trip. A winding road with great vistas. Then we travelled west through the east Kootenay mountains covered in evergreens with productive farm lands in wider valleys. As we approached Crowsnest Pass (less of a mountain pass than we had seen before), the last of the high sharp-peaked Rockies stood there to say ‘farewell’. Suddenly the high plains of Alberta (1000 metres) appeared with almost no trees. The transition was sudden and remarkable – please see pictures. Gently rolling hills felt very friendly and there were hundreds of windmills in this breezy landscape. That night we camped in Buffalo Plains RV park, just 4 km. from ‘Head Smashed-in Buffalo Jump’.

Aug 17-21 Alberta history. Fort MacLeod, named after the first RCMP Commissioner there when the fort was established in 1873. We enjoyed the exhibit because it helped fill in so much of Canada’s early western history. There was much information about Crowfoot, his respect for MacLeod and the famous ‘Treaty number 7” which was to provide the natives with much protection. Sadly, Canada has not lived up to this bargain.
“Head Smashed-in Buffalo Jump” – a terrible name, but easy to remember. With many days of planning, several tribes would collaborate in the fall to drive 100s of Buffalo (properly called Bison) being panicked over a 20 m. high cliff. The meat, skin, hides, bones and internal organs were all used and helped them survive the winter. Because of white man’s interference (especially Prime Minister John MacDonald) the Buffalo were eradicated by about 1875.

Drumheller is the location of the world-renowned Royal Tyrrell Museum of dinosaurs. Our pictures show only a small part of this wonderful place and any trip west should include this stop. It is fabulous for kids, though it can take a whole day to see everything. It is fascinating to know that the work continues with new discoveries every year in the ‘Badlands’ area. Anyone interested could spend a summer here. The larger Badlands area in Dinosaur Provincial Park is also worth seeing because this is where many of the discoveries are made.

22 Mountains to Plains

23 Alberta History