Right In Your Own Backyard

On our way home from Red Rock Coulee and the Etzicom Windmill Museum, it was definitely time for a coffee. Mom had heard of a new place close to the Medicine Hat Airport, which was right on our way. The Homestead Market is right on Highway 3. It was so much more than we were expecting. The gift shop showcases local artisans and producers. There is everything - woodworking, soapmaking, pottery, jewelry, art, quilts, leather goods. (yes, I got some Christmas presents here!) Meat, honey, ice cream, pies, soups, spices and sauces. In the back there is a flower shop, and a soon to be salon. In the front is a coffee shop. It was amazing coffee!

Sometimes I like to anticipate an experience before it happens. Do a little research, speculate on what it will be like, and write those thoughts down. Then come back after the experience and reflect on it.



Before

Since one of my goals of my travels was follow the direction of inspiration, I'm going to do just that. A few days ago, at Crockstock, the Indigenous story teller told of a unique feature close to Medicine Hat. We did some research when we got home and found the Badlands Guardian. No one we talked to had ever heard of it. It is literally 30km from our family farm. Even closer to where we grazed our cattle.

The Badlands Guardian is a geomorphological feature, that when viewed from the air looks like a face, wearing a feather headdress, looking West. It was created by erosion of the the clay soil and although the images make the feature appear convex, it is actually concave. 

Realistically, I don't know what I will be able to see without a drone or the helicopter I left at home. (ok, the only helicopter I have is smaller than my hand and made of red plastic. Probably not useful in this situation!) However, it's not far out of my way on the next leg of my journey, and I feel compelled to explore it.

The Badlands Guardian as captured by Google Earth


https://earth.google.com/web/@50.00923328,-110.11305517,784.29242106a,1767.77812451d,35y,-0h,0t,0r

The prairies are the place of my childhood. Being able to see for miles across the hills and coulees, with the grass dancing in the wind, is incredibly restful and soothing. The subtle texture and colour changes take time to absorb and appreciate. This is no flashy mountain peak or waterfall. The birds and animals are perfectly suited to the region and also take a practised eye to locate.

Just as the pincushion cacti disappear after they bloom, so that I was never able to find berries, so do some birds nests. Since the prairies have few trees, several species build nests on the ground. Twice, I have found a burrowing owls nest. Even though I made a careful mental note of it's location (counting fence posts and steps), by the time I returned with a camera, there was no hope of ever finding it again! Moments like these are fleeting, and just have to be absorbed and appreciated for what they are. They aren't meant to be captured and shared with others. It's a gift for you, and you alone.

After

I had no difficulty reaching the spot that Google maps and Google Earth sent me to. Unfortunately the whole area is privately owned land. I was able to get some nice views from the tops of hills. I didn't see a single vehicle after I left the highway (not even tractors in fields!), so I could stop anywhere along the road to take pictures. I saw many antelope (Pronghorn, if I'm going to be proper, but we grew up calling them antelope!) and a hawk. He declined posing for a picture, maybe he's on the run?

I was planning to find a spot for a picnic lunch, but there was no place appropriate. After communing with the gophers for a while, I continued onto the second leg of my journey.



Years ago, my Dad told me the the horizontal lines in the hills, that we see all over the prairies, are from the buffalo. They would walk horizontally around the hill, eating the grass on either side of their path, creating trails over the years, like peeling an apple. It was easier that walking up and down the slopes.


Zoomed in from previous photo


I saw many antelope (Pronghorn, if I'm going to be proper, but we grew up calling them antelope!) and a hawk. He declined posing for a picture, maybe he's on the run?


I was planning to find a spot for a picnic lunch, but there was no place appropriate. After communing with the gophers for a while, I continued onto the second leg of my journey.





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