I woke up craving that sweet precious coffee pretty heavily this morning. Winnie had kept me up the night before dry heaving. She continuously heaved with nothing coming up and I began to worry as I found myself reading into all the horrendous things it could be. I decided I would see how she was doing again in the morning and if there was no improvement I’d take her to the vet. On the bright side when I awoke she was back to normal, cheerfully wagging her tail.
Adventure was calling and it wasn’t long before I was on the road driving through waving canola fields as I wondered when my destination would make it’s appearance. Being a valley, it snuck up on me pretty quickly. Before I knew it I was dipping downward as strange looking earth enclosing me on either side revealed itself, I had arrived at Drumheller. I grabbed a quick bite to eat before continuing deeper into the town, soon arriving at an enormous dinosaur where I pulled over to take a picture. As I gazed up I realized I’d just found the visitor center and cheerfully ventured in. The lady at the counter was quite friendly, showing me all the best places to see.
It happened to be pretty cloudy at the time with the weather report claiming it was to clear up later in the day. With this in mind I set off to explore the Royal Tyrrell Museum. What an incredibly interesting place this building tucked away in the valley turned out to be. A weaving jaunt took the viewer through the various eras in the earths time, starting from the earliest known beginnings to the present day. I meandered my way about casually observing the remnants of ancient times, now but a shadowy glimpse into earlier life on the planet. I soon saw the entrance I had longed for the most, the jurassic era. I proceeded through the doorway where I was greeted by daunting gargantuan skeletons, most of them towering well above me. I had seen Jurassic Park as a kid, and as I stood before the t-rex I was reminded of the many times it had appeared in my dreams, savage and menacing. To think of these creatures wandering the earth once more was a scary thought.
I continued moving forward and soon saw the exit, returning once again to the stratified valley. I looked up and smiled, the rain had ceased and the sun was shining brightly among blue skies, it was time to continue the adventuring outdoors. The landscape layered like a cake revealed the history of ages past, every section sharing a story. It wasn’t long before I arrived at one of the many lookouts I would stop at, Horsethief Canyon. I observed as Prairie Dogs scurried about, curious and bold they would dart out of their burrows to greet people in hopes of food, often getting their desires fulfilled.
Having enjoyed an ephemeral stop I took off towards the ferry. I drove up onto the boat and parked before getting out to share in conversation with the operator. A friendly man, we found ourselves chatting a fair bit as the ferry took it’s leisure time providing passage across the river.
I had one more major stop to see before heading back, The Hoodoos. It was a decent drive but worth the detour. Upon arriving I noticed strange rocks pointing up out of the earth, an odd but fascinating sight. Like their own small little family they huddled close to one another.
A day full of adventures and many unique sights came to its close as I said my goodbyes and headed back to see Dale and Janice before spending my final night in their home. Tomorrow lingers on the horizon, new adventures beckoning me forward.
One of my favourite places to go, so glad you got a chance to explore Drum. Jasper and Winnie had another fun day of playing. I think they are besties now.