Thursday, November 29, 2012

On the road again; sing it Willie

View from the road looking away from the coulee, a whole different landscape. As we were leaving we met a photographer waiting for the full moon to rise, oh how I wanted to stay longer but our tummies were growling and we needed to find a camp for the night.

 Forthy five min later we see the moon the photographer was waiting for, and was it ever grand.

 See the smoky haze? It seems no one knew where it was coming from, most just said heat haze but to us it looked like fire smoke haze. Were the sweetgrass hills to the south on fire in late august?
 Down gravel roads that put city pavement to shame, holy cows, we were doing 60k and the hawk was travelling parallel to us. I managed three shots shooting straight out past my sweeties face and the steering wheel then the hawk left us in the dust.
See the reddish glow, well out the opposite window...
was this burning sunset.
Enjoy!

Red Rock, Red Lichens

Late august we meandered south letting randomness decide where we would camp and what we would see though we had set a destination point of Cyprus Hills as I had not been there yet. But thats another post as for years I've wanted to see the following wonder.
 Beautiful round boulder formations in southern Alberta that are covered with equally beautiful patterns of lichens. A magical and mysterious place that calls to me.

A touch of green overshadowed by the red-ochre cast of its surrounding environment.
 A variety of birds flitted amongst the rocks and low shrubs.
 Horned Lark
 Two views of the landscape. When we get a chance to go back I would love to walk this canyon to view the carved hoodoos. One elderly fella whom we met said its gorgeous with subtle coloration's and shapes that one does not see until amidst it. I was not able to walk that distance due heat and recouping from a bee sting the night before.
 Looks like the giant marbles spilled across the land.
 Many of the concentric were halved by weather or man exposing the boulders to be layers of flat circles one upon the other...
 though some as in image below look like radiating spokes. 

 High-jumping Jack flees over the ridge.
 Sparrows
Beautiful golden light from plant blossoms.
Alberta holds many areas of natural beauty that is fast disappearing under commercialism and the monetary illusion of gain, I fear the beauty we see today will be wiped off the map, leaving only a trace of memory.