Ahhh…the bucolic ranch land of
Alberta! There is beautiful grazing
land, a few trees, some terrific looking horses…and a couple of ‘mc mansions’
in the distance.
The feeling you have when driving in the
countryside of Alberta is much like what we’ve experienced in Montana… It’s big
sky country with vast expanses of grassland.
There was a lot of rain in this area of Alberta this year, so despite
the fact that it was early August, everything was very green.
Perhaps it’s because the countryside is
relatively flat…or maybe it’s the lack of any significant forests, but we were
startled to note how clear the definition was between the ‘country’ and the
city of Calgary. At least on the south
and southwest sides of the metropolitan area, the delineation between
development and open range was obvious.
In the Chicago area…and in everywhere else we’ve ever lived, there were
patches of development…new subdivisions…interspersed with undeveloped
land. This isn’t true in the areas we
saw near Calgary.
This is another ‘big sky’ view of the
Alberta countryside that was taken as we drove along the road…
Major Floods! If I remember correctly, this is the Sheep
River just outside of Turner Valley.
Horrendous floods struck this area of Alberta, including Calgary, right
around the end of June. There was almost
no news coverage stateside. We did see
one bit on CNN.
Our drive took us down Route 2A to the
town of Okotoks and then along Route 7 to Black Diamond and Turner Valley. From Turner Valley, we headed up Route 22 to
Route 22x and then back into the southern edge of Calgary.
This is another view showing the
aftermath of the flooding along the Sheep River. The highway and the bridge over the river had
to be rebuilt due to the damage. We were
impressed by the fact that the work was done by the time we drove through the
area…only about 5 weeks or so after the flood!
Four people were confirmed dead as a
direct result of the flooding and over 100,000 people were displaced throughout
the region. Parts of the center of Calgary were devastated…including the
zoo. Some 2,200 Canadian Armed Forces troops
were deployed to help in flooded areas. Estimates
suggest damage from the flood could reach or exceed $5 billion. For more about June’s floods in Alberta, go
to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2013_Alberta_floods.
One more view along the road… It was a
beautiful afternoon!
This photo really shows the clear
delineation between the countryside and the encroaching development of the
Calgary metropolitan area. Perhaps it’s because
of some kind of zoning control designed to prevent uncontrolled sprawl…
Did you know? As of the 2011 census, the Calgary
metropolitan area had a population of 1,214,839, making it the largest city in
Alberta and the fifth-largest metropolitan area in Canada. In 2012 Calgary ranked 32nd out of
221 cities worldwide in Mercer’s Quality of Living Survey. It placed higher than any major city in the
USA…
With the beginnings of the foothills of
the Rocky Mountains in the distance, we noted this occupied Osprey nest along
the road as we returned to Calgary…
We didn’t take these next 2 photos. Based on the map of Spruce Meadows on their website,
I believe that this is a photo from an event at the International Ring. We didn’t know that this facility / attraction
existed until we drove by it on Route 22x on our way back to Calgary in the
late afternoon…
Spruce Meadows is a privately owned and
operated facility that is committed to being the leading venue in the world for
international horse sports. Their focus
is on show jumping tournaments.
Visitors to Spruce Meadows are welcome
year around. As you can see, this is a
very large and impressive facility.
There are many, many show rings.
Stables can be toured unless a competition is underway. Visitors can watch trainers exercise their
horses. There is a large Tack Shop, the
grounds and gardens are open and there is an upscale playground for children. Admission is free unless you are attending a
competitive event and parking is always free.
For more information about Spruce Meadows,
its event schedule and other activities, you can go to http://sprucemeadows.com/.
Just click on any of these photos in
order to enlarge them…
Thanks for stopping by for a visit!
Take Care, Big Daddy Dave
