Day 15 -- Farewell Rocky Mountains

Making some progress Eastward

Summary:

• Leave the wondrously glorious mountains and head toward Drumheller, Alberta
• Distance Travelled: 430 km
• Random oddities seen: (2)
• Big Head Statue
• Okotoks Erratic
• Wildlife Seen: (4)
• mountain goat
• big horned sheep
• deer
• black-billed magpie

above Canmore, AB

 (I had to google "black and white bird, Alberta" to determine it was the magpie, but after seeing it a gazillion times, I had to add it to today's list ... it truly is beautiful, even if you aren't an ornithologist)

Three Sisters ... along the Smith Dorrien Trail (AB hwy 742)

As my own personal farewell to the mountains, I decided to take the gravel road less travelled ... My plan had been to take the Smith Dorrien Trail (gravel) to the southern portion of the Kananaski Trail  (hwy 40) over the Highwood Pass.  Sadly, the southern portion of the Kananaski Trail doesn't open until 1 June ... so I missed my opportunity to drive on the highest highway in Canada (the pass is at 7310 ft).  However, I was still treated with marvelous views as I drove the Smith Dorrien Trail then took the northern portion of the Kananaski Trail up to the Trans Canada.  It was the perfect way to leave the Rockies.

Spray Lake (on SD Trail)

Driving on, I dropped into the foothills, the landscape filling with cattle and horses grazing in pastures.  The Rockies were ever-present in my rearview mirror, practically begging me to turn around.  I fear I may have done this road trip in the wrong direction ... how will anything else that I see compare to these first two weeks?

Okotoks Erratic ... a big rock but not that impressive after the mountains

With the mountains taunting me, I tried to focus on the road ahead.  I stuck to the back roads to make my way to the Okotoks Erratic ... basically a giant rock that was carried to south of Calgary from Jasper by a glacier a long time ago ...  

cat, on a leash

While here, I saw a man walking a cat on a leash ... because that's what people do when they're traveling with a cat (I assume) ... but that makes me wonder, who actually travels with a cat?!?!

Canmore means "big head" or "chief" in Gaelic?!?

My other random item of the day was actually in Canmore (before I left the mountains) ... this is a public park in Canmore ... a local sculpture.

I'm staying in a tiny little hamlet called Rosebud this evening.  It's the type of town that's not really a town, just a 4 way stop, a few houses and a couple of businesses.  

Just outside Rosebud

But it does have an apparently great local theater that brings in young talent from across Canada.  I missed today's show but may try to grab the matinee tomorrow.  Who knows.  The one cafe in town, the Thorny Rose, is quite delicious with a very nice proprietor.  When Ginger couldn't make me the salad I ordered and she realized that I was leaving town tomorrow, she made me stock up on some items for free to ensure I had snacks for the road.  Very cool.

Random dilapidated building 

live long and prosper

And finally ... Vulcan, Alberta is an actual place ... I didn't drive the 90 minutes out of my way to explore it (I have no excuse) ... but