And So It Begins

There are going to be three legs to this journey, over 2 1/2 weeks. Leg one is 5 days in Medicine Hat visiting family. A road I have traversed, oh so many times. How is going to my Mom's house an adventure? This time it will be different. Point A to Point B will not be a straight line.

Caramel Macchiato, Ham & Cheese Bun, Cinnamon Bun

First things first! Breakfast and coffee. I'm going to make a concerted effort to support local business as much as I can. I also intend to do as much of my Christmas shopping as possible on this adventure, buying from local artisans and craftspeople. Hmmm, sounds like I need a Christmas ... (wait for it) ... list!
Trip is set to 0!

Remember how I said that one of the things I really wanted to do is go on a road trip that allows for random stops, whenever the mood strikes? Today was the first day of my adventure, and I did just that! I have lost count of the number of times we have driven Hwy 9. There is a strikingly beautiful valley for the Red Deer River between Three Hills and Hanna. The hills just beg to be explored!

Views like this make me wish I was an artist.

I love the Badlands, and how you can see all the layers! Every time I'm at a place like this, I want to know more about geology. You can see the iron in the rocks and coal seams. My great grandparents used to dig coal out of cliffs like these to heat their home. I have a chunk of petrified wood that either my great grandfather or Granddad found on one of these trips.

Lots of loose rock, should have put on the hiking boots!

Yes, that's a cactus. My Aunt Bea used to tell me about picking berries off them when they were kids. I never found a cactus with berries on them. In the pastures, the grass was tall enough, that once the cactus wasn't blooming, they were really hard to find.

 
These really pink and sparkly rocks are everywhere in the prairies and I have never seen them anywhere else. I think it's granite. Perhaps someone who knows can tell me. Stay tuned for Part 2 of Day 1. There is a unicorn involved!


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