Drumheller is really interesting. As you are heading through flat plains, a big valley comes into view. The road drops down into "The Badlands", a canyon of sedimentary rock formed when the Red Deer River broke an ice dam at the end of the last ice age. This exposed all sorts of fossils and dinosaur remains which are excavated today!
Riding through the Bow Valley near CanmoreThe Royal Tyrell Museum was spectacular. It is very much an active research facility and as a result has a very interesting vibe. The exhibits were fascinating, with fossils and reconstructions galore.
A couple of T-Rexes in the Royal Tyrell MuseumPeople in the praries are incredibly nice. Immediately after my last post in Cochrane I was offered a place to stay for the night by Bruce and Debra. Bruce had cycled through Europe before so we talked for hours about cycling over a few beers and a hot meal. Since then I've had two free nights camping and some food on the house!
The Badlands near Drumheller
Hoodoos in the Badlands. We thought they would be bigger.Fortunately I had time to ride North through Olds to Sylvan Lake to visit my cousin Cheri, her husband Steve, and their two sons Tyler and Zach. I had a wonderful time ... but may have left them with empty cupboards due to the enormous appetite I've developed.
Next stop was Red Deer to visit Steve, a good friend from highschool. The network of bike trails and recreation paths in Red Deer was quite impressive. Unfortunately they are quite confusing to someone who is new in town.
The roads are quite straight here!
Prarie scenery. Apparently the farmer is paid a lease on the surface used for the pump, but does not own the oil or minerals below.Riding in the praries sure is an experience. So far I'm enjoying it ... but that might change after a few weeks. After 3 days of snow (not kidding) I'm enjoying the warm weather.
Hope all is well!
Dave
Hi Dave, You really are making a great trip out of this ... not just putting miles behind you but also seeing a number of sites and meeting some pretty good people (they really can be found throughout the world). Thanks for being a good blogger! Take Care ... John, Vicki and Evelyn
ReplyDeleteHaha for sure David, your Dad would have been training. Nicknamed the frog for his prodigious leaping abilities on the basketball courts, Alex would have worked his butt off preparing for that 100 km trek. Great trip David, I am vicariously living it with you, Dennis Madokoro
ReplyDeleteI make a sweet T-Rex :P
ReplyDeletePix are great, I like the commentary.
ReplyDeleteThanks or the bief update tonight.
I look forard to you next post!
Keep hammering, keep safe
Those claws on the T-Rex on the left are scary! :)
ReplyDeleteI'm glad to hear that you are finding friendly people where you are going - the people who you travel with and meet can really make the trip! Thanks for the blog posts!