Crossing the Prairies

Our journey across the Prairies has been ANYTHING but boring – as some people had told us it would be.  School geography lessons talked of many miles of flat farmland.  The reality is very different.

The word Prairie means ‘meadow’ and originally incorporated a huge area of natural grassland in the interior of North America.  It was known for its flatness and lack of trees but most importantly, it was where the buffalo roamed and were hunted by the Plains Indians.  Today, the buffalo are pretty well extinct and though the flatness can be seemingly endless, there are huge variations, depending on what part of the Prairies you are passing through.  Every tone of green is on show in deep river valleys.  There are low rolling hills in other places.   Lots of wild ducks, geese and other birds enjoy life on the frequent small ponds (known as Prairie Sloughs).  Many shades of yellow and green spread as far as the eye can see.  The yellow (rapeseed) is brought to life when the sun peeps out from behind a cloud.  Lulu has faced infinite miles of straight road, mostly in much better condition than in the eastern provinces!  Mirages play tricks on your eyesight.  Clumps of trees hide the farmsteads, protecting them from the incessant winds. Huge herds of cattle enjoy the open pastures.  Tall colourfully painted grain elevators  (known as “cathedrals of the plains”) appear frequently, beside the railway tracks which criss-cross the plains.

But the overriding impression is of HUGE skies – more sky than land.  They are vast and awe inspiring.  Cloud formations just blow the mind.  Constantly changing and shifting, from white and fluffy to dark and foreboding.

Thanks to the expanse of sky we could watch a thunderstorm approaching whilst the sun was still breaking through in places, which provided a marvellous contrast.

Three days and four nights saw us crossing the Prairies from Winnipeg.  Crossing into Saskatchewan (province no 8), Moosemin Lake Park was a lovely site nestled in the rolling hills with a man made lake built in the 1950’s for farm irrigation, now supporting water sports and a beach area.  We spent a night in Lumesden Campground near Regina and then had a relaxing day meeting up with several of Peter’s distant cousins, descendants of relatives who immigrated to Canada in the late 1800’s. Moosejaw was our last stop in Saskatchewan before crossing into Alberta (province no 9). Medicine Hat in Alberta had a secluded and well protected campground which proved its worth during some torrential Prairie rain storms.  Once again we were thankful for Lulu  – we were not under canvas!

Approaching Waterton National Park in south-western Alberta was one of the most memorable parts of our journey.  After an extended time on the Prairies the sight of mountains looming in the distance, rising out of the plains was intoxicating.   Waterton was the scene of one of three devastating wild fires in the mountains in 2017.  Ignited by a lightning strike the fire raged for some six weeks and burned more than 20,000 hectares of parkland and forest.  Thanks to the heroics of the many firefighting teams, the local village was saved as was the famous Prince of Wales Hotel, built in 1927 by the Great Northern Railway – and now a good place for afternoon tea!  About half the park is still closed off following last year’s fire, but a two hour hike to a local waterfall gave us some wonderful views, as well as some much needed exercise, before we relaxed on the beach which must have one of the best views in existence!

But Waterton was just a ‘taster’ of the mountains to come.  The Alberta ‘Badlands’ was our next destination.  Heading north-east, back into the interior of Alberta, the Prairie plains were gradually replaced by much drier areas as lush farmlands became dull grasslands.  Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump was our first stop in Badlands.  What a name, eh!  The name says it all.  In a very cleverly designed building, built into the dry cliffs, we were told how the Blackfoot Indians used to patiently drive the buffalo herds towards the cliff.  Their belief was that the buffalo was created for them – they used every part of the buffalo to live on – but the easiest way to kill the buffalo was to herd them together and drive them over the cliff.  This was all done in a controlled annual cull – when the weather and the winds were right.  Sadly as the Whiteman arrived with more advanced tools and weapons the buffalo were quickly wiped out.

Horseshoe Canyon gave us our first taste of ‘Dinosaur land’  – deep cut valleys, with layers of rock – known to be millions of years old.

Drumheller is home to the National Paleontology Museum where, despite crowds of people, we were brought face to face with dinosaurs of all shapes and sizes.  Alberta, 70 million years ago, was home to many dinosaurs and their bones are still being discovered today.  Again the interpretation and showmanship in these centres is second to none.  It is humbling to think that we have so much to learn about the history of our planet.

Could our day in ‘Badlands’ get even better?  Oh yes!  In the hot, dry, dusty early evening sunshine, we joined thousands of other spectators to enjoy the Canadian Passion Play which was performed in the Amphitheatre at Drumheller.  Three and a half hours, with live animals, a bit of humour, and some lovely music, telling the story we all know so well.  Very moving – not a dry eye in the house! Actors appearing from behind the hills, angels materializing high on the hills above us, and a captivating (and very real) crucifixion scene which had us all transfixed.    Very clever acting from a huge cast.  Definitely the icing on the cake for us!

Moving into the Rockies now – see you next week!