We decided to drive to Medicine Hat today, so left after coffee and local pastry. The landscape changes after leaving Moose Jaw where the road takes us through rolling hills, fewer farms and more grazing land. There were blue skies ahead and we were looking forward to sunshine. There are lagoons here and there like lakes with some being very large. At one point we got to a mining operation at one of the largest ponds, it looked like a salt mine operation. It turns out to be sulphur oxide production, used for fertilizer production.
We could see stormy weather to the south of us some 50km away and it started to get really windy with some pretty good gusts. Sulphur and dust clouds blew across the road like snow along with the occasional tumbleweeds. It looked like we were going to drive around this weather system, but as we got closer to Medicine Hat, it started to rain. We drove into the town in the pouring rain and decided to stay the night in a hotel, good choice way more comfortable.
After breakfast the next morning we drove south west on Hwy3 to the Red Rock Coulee, an interesting feature in the flat landscape. This coulee is on old river bed carved out of the landscape. There are unusual red round boulders of all sizes strewn over the landscape. The largest of them 3 mt. in diameter. These rocks are in an area of some 20 acres and nowhere else to be seen.
We returned to Medicine Hat for a walk around the old downtown. Many buildings have beautiful murals painted on the outside walls.
And then there are the James Marshal Murals. These are some outstanding brick murals and it all started here. There are more than 350 of these across Canada.
We then had a visit to the worlds largest Tepee, paying homage to The Saamis peoples, the natives of southern Alberta.
We then hit Hwy1 again, driving west to Calgary across flat prairie land only dotted by power lines and a few farm buildings in the distance.
Tomorrow we will driving home, sweet home!
This concludes my travel blog for this trip. There were many highlights on this trip and the best of all was our drive from Huntsville, Ontario though Algonquin Park. The fall colours of the Muskokas were in full splendour, it was beautiful and amazing. If you have not seen this, put it on your bucket list, it’s worth it.
Until next time, remember to have some fun, be happy and smile :)
