Sewell Travels: Calgary, Alberta

The $20 CAD trim.

We left Watertone Park and headed to Calgary. This is Fort McMurray one of the" old towns" on the way. Barbershop was a classic as was the barber. The landscape was dead flat arable country. Thousands of hectares of oats, barley etc interpersed by the odd house. Dozens of silos and we spotted a line up of 16 combine harvesters. If you mistakenly left your lunch on a post before you started you would not get back to it by lunchtime as the paddocks were massive. Big areas farmed by Bretheren and Amish.

Arrived to the west of Calgary at Jeff's friend Brenda. She was on the Contiki trip with Jeff in 1979. She lives in a condominium (duplex, semi detached) with her sister. Very generous of them to host us for a couple of days.

Next day went for a morning walk in Gifford Park, 93ha in the city. Took in the Heritage Park also that houses the "Gasoline Alley" display Jeff wanted to see.

Gifford Park

Gasoline Alley

Hertage Park

Lunch was at a "farmer market". We did admire all the trays of raspberries, strawberries, and blueberries. Blueberries worked out to $20NZD for 2kgs!! If only at home.

Next day lovely blue sky so a visit to the city to take in the river walk. This is 60km cycle/ walk with multiple bridges and passing through old and modern areas. We were unable to rent cycles as shop closed ( for the Pride parade?) but walked 11km with lots of interesting things to see.

The river is used by paddle boarders, kayak and rafting folks. They have an area where the river has been diverted into manmade grades 1,2,3 rapids.

Calgary downtown

Interesting mix

This is on the leftbank, notice all the seating and wide enough for all users

Some of the steering left a bit to be desired. Canadian geese took it in their stride

This was a good cafe for a lunchbreak. Met a couple from Calgary and chatted for an hour. He was a local and his wife originally Mexico. Were good fun and he had backpacked in the late 70's in NZ. They travel extensively. Lamented the economy and politics of Justin Trudeau.

The city council have really tried to make river area, a valuable feature, safe and fun for everyone. Someone worked out if you have lights on all night the vagrant population will not inhabit under the bridges so that folks do not have to step over sleepers and their detritus.

No light on this path underpass.

Many families use the Peace Park near the man made rapids as a picnic area. This is a holiday weekend - the end of sumner in Canada called Labour Day - plenty of families with an array of floatation devices.

Even the dog has a float device.

That evening we decided to check out the impro theatre called the Loose Moose in the city. Went to a nearby cafe "Cactus Club", manic but good meal. The theatre group of 12 were very good with all sorts of short ad lib acting which was "scored" by the audience.

Met a couple who had driven three hours to have a "date night" the distances folks drive astounds us.

We felt very brave driving back at 10pm on freeways in a city we did not know. Did ok!!

There is an area East of Calgary called Drumheller. A unique landscape and back in 1884 someone discovered it was choca with dinosaur remains. Paleontology heaven. There is magnificent museum which we spent sometime in. Also landscape is nothing like we have seen before. Wind erosion of Bentonite, cyclonic floods, glaciers coming and going over millennia have crafted this.

Known as the Hoodoos.

We were appalled that folks could walk all over this lanscape. It was unique.

Local resident a few million years ago. There as literally dozens of dinosaur of every variety in the museum. According to the writeups various species came and went - extinct - depending on the then climate. Some like dry centuries, others wet, ice age or warmer periods. Evolution and a changing climate. Sounded very familiar without the hysterics.