Day 21 – A swan dive for a hearty meal

I had quite the productive morning. Being on the road so much I make use of the facilities when I can. A morning of laundry, showering, cooking a hearty breakfast and working on the blog had me feeling pretty good.
I got on the road a lot later than I thought I would, although being back behind the wheel setting off into the uncharted felt invigorating. Through the seemingly unending farmers fields I drove, my destination guiding me south.


The wind grew in strength with the aging day, a small breeze growing into a powerful gale that almost ripped my door off when I stopped to take a picture. Off in the distance I could see towering windmills that spun steadily, harnessing a seemingly endless supply of energy from the potent gusts.


At last I made it to the gates, I had arrived at the Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump World Heritage Site. I laced up my hiking boots and set off to see the famous cliff. For thousands of years aboriginals would drive the buffalo over the steep edge, the animals plunging to their death. After the animals smashed their head in on the earth below the people would proceed to harvest them, using the meat and other parts of the animal for survival. A brutal and yet effective way to hunt. It was a strange feeling standing in a place of countless bloodshed and yet a place that had sustained generations of people for millennia.

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It was starting to get late and with the wind being as strong as it was I decided to head east, hoping for calmer weather. The sun was gone, the last remnants of it’s fiery colors sinking deeper into the horizon. It wasn’t long before the moon crept up as dusk gave way to the night. I pressed on, passing through various towns until I arrived at the hamlet of Grassy Lake. Despite the wind being a force to be reckoned with I decided I’d set up my tent, a task that tested the limits of my patience. I found myself cussing about as the heavy gusts made setting up my tent an arduous task. Thankfully I was able to make use of a custom tent spike that Dale had made and gifted to me the day before. It was effective, making my task far more bearable. Cheers to you Dale, you rock!