CANADIAN QUEST

For our weekend off we decided to go on a day trip north to Rocky Mountain House. We took the back road up along the foothills west of Calgary, highway 22X. The drive was very scenic and pleasant, except for the very strong northerly winds. It was nice to get out of the city and explore some more country side.

There wasn’t much going on in Rocky Mountain House so we ventured out past the town only to discover herds of Bison in the paddocks! These guys are impressive in their size and how the move around.

After a quick photo session we hopped back in Rangi to keep out of the icy northerly wind and headed east to Sylvan Lake. There was oil rigs, (rocking horses) scattered all over the farmland due to large oil reserves in the area.

On our way east we took a quick detour down a gravel road that went straight down to the lakefront, and by the looks of it, in winter continued out onto the lake! It was spring time now and we didn’t want to try our luck driving on the ice.

After a short stop in the township at Sylvan Lake we headed south down Deerfoot Trail (SH2), and then onto the quieter SH2A.

While making our way home we encountered an interesting sight. A frightened moose was charging down the paddock next to the road, before jumping a fence and crossing the road in front of us! It was a very strange and funny sight to behold.

Rail bridge over the North Saskatchewan River at Rocky Mountain House (note the metre or so of ice at the edge of the river)