Author: mhomac

We were very pleased to realise that Milk River is actually only about 90 minutes from Waterton Lakes…..makes it kind of our local park…!!!

The drive from Waterton to Milk River for our last couple of days before the house closed, is a straight drive east, just slightly north of the Alberta/Montana border. We stopped back at Under 8 flags campground again…..a very handy spot for the border….and our house..!!!

To avert some impatient thumb twiddling we took the drive to Writing-on-Stone Provincial Park.

This park is another gem in the Alberta Parks portfolio. I had tried to snag us a campsite there…but there was nothing available around the time we needed it. When we actually saw the campground…we were even more disappointed to not have found a spot there. It’s a really lovely campground, right down on the Milk River, surrounded by big old cottonwood trees…..

This park has a really fantastic visitor centre with lots of information on the history ,geology, flora and fauna of the park.

As you walk down from the visitor centre you enter this ‘alien ‘ landscape of hoodoos…….it’s amazing…hard to believe all a naturally occurring phenomenon.

The Hoodoo trail has been set up as an interpretive walk. ……and it’s been really well done. As you start the walk, there are little booklets that explain the various lookout points/points of interest along the trail.

Even though this is another badlands landscape, it is completely different again from all the other we have seen. (Dinosaur Park, Horseshoe Canyon Trail, Badlands National Park SD )

This park has quite the array of petroglyphs…

Weaving through the rocks, climbing the carved stairs, wowing at the views around every corner.

It’s not the longest hike we have done…but its richness is unparalleled.

The rock formations are incredibly beautiful….

…and the added glimpses of the river and the valley all add to the magical quality of the park….

There were many signs warning that we were visiting during snake migrating season. We had a few sightings…the first was at one of the lookouts, I turned a corner and found this chap sunning himself on a rock…!!

He was amazing…..from the ‘shushing sound he made as he wove across the rock…to his incredible camouflage once he was in the undergrowth. You could see him when he moved, but if he was still….even though you knew exactly where he was…it was like he just became invisible…..incredible. (no rattling…!!)

This area along the Milk River was a wintering spot for Prairie Peoples. Both because it is warmer by the river, and because there is an abundance of berries and wildlife.

Further along the trail there are more pictures. The big one at the end of the trail is an extremely cool battle scene…complete with the showers of bullets from the European invaders….

It’s a huge panel of carving with intricate detail of both sides of the battle….very cool.

On the path back, we met the next prairie rattlesnake…I almost stepped on this big sucker as he made his way across the trail…. scared the living……*&%^$ out of me……LOL…..

It’s such an incredible place…we are very fortunate to have this on our doorstep. ( 41 kms from our house..!!) We took note that they do night sky activities here…..we might have to check out some of their organised night sky observances thingummies….there is so little light pollution here that the night skies are quite something.

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For our second hike in Waterton, looking at Alltrails we had identified a couple that we were interested in for sure. This one, Lineham Falls, promised a spectacular waterfall.

…and at the trailhead there was also the promise of some wildlife excitement..!!

The trail itself was a fairly steady elevation gain up the side of the valley ….and it was the hottest day of the week. Due to Watertons extensive burn in 2017 the first part of the hike was totally exposed, and an eerie climb through the vast expanse of skeletal trees.

It was so hot, I had it figured out in my head as we were walking & climbing, that I had to get to at least 2.5km before bailing due to heat…so we had at least 5km in total……it was pretty brutal ..that first bit.

Fortunately, at about that 2.5km mark the trail enters into a chunk of preserved green forested land that escaped the burn. The relief as you enter out of the sun is surprisingly impactful.

We met a couple hiking back down at this junction…..they were more than happy to stop and chat before they headed back out into the sun soaked, parched section of the return journey.

It just never gets old, as you ascend in the mountain ranges, wherever they are, the view becomes more and more awe inspiring. There is something strangely satisfying about feeling sooooo small….

Just off the trail there is a smaller waterfall that you can climb down to. There are very handy tree roots ideally placed to make it a very easy climb. The temperature was a good few degrees cooler by the water.

We stayed for a bit just because it was so beautiful. The water was crystal clear…..it was like the perfect water feature to have in your back yard….better than tv..!!!

About a km from the end of the trail, we met a guy coming back who claimed to have spotted a Grizzly at the trail end. We continued with trepidation….we caught up to mother daughter hiking duo who were also a bit spooked by the possibility of a bear encounter.

There was no sign of any type of bear being there or having been there….and there was no cover and no berries in that particular area….so whether he was just having fun or really did spot one….we did not….!!

The Lineham waterfall is actually beyond the trail end sign. We continued to see if we could manage a better photo op ……..it became a bit of a scramble to the point where only the intrepid photographer scrambled the last 200 feet to get the pix.

The weather had suggested that there may be some rain in the afternoon, and as we drew closer to the falls we felt some drops and heard some loud thunder like booms. We decided in the end that the drops were actually from the falls as the wind had picked up, and the booms were the wind ‘cracking’ over the ridge.

After a stop for water and snacks, a bit of scenery appreciation and chat with our hike mates…..we turned around for the alternate viewpoint of the trail (otherwise known as the descent…!! the views going back down are what you didn’t see on the way up…!!). We met a ‘little buddy’ on the path…….we waited to make sure he made it to the greenery before we left ‘im to it.

Once we broke out of the trees it did not seem nearly as hot as the journey up….that may have been cos we were not working as hard tho…LOL….

Another very beautiful hike under our belts……..highly recommend this one……as long as they day is not too hot…!!

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After Patricia Rodeo (click here if you missed it), instead of going back to Cochrane and Springhill RV to wait for the clock to tick round to house possession day..!!!!…We thought a trip back to Waterton Lakes National Park seemed like a good idea. We skipped by this park last year on our way through and with a little time to fill, it fit the bill….

There were no sites inside the park for the time frame we needed…but just outside the boundary…I found Crooked Creek RV park. It was a really lovely little campground set around the meanders of Crooked Creek. The campground has really nice tenting sites in the middle around the creek, all of them level and tucked in behind willow hedges.

Crooked Creek campground sunset

It sits just 5 minutes drive from the main gate to the park. We decided that next time we are here….the Crooked Creek is probably a nicer, smaller, definitely more sheltered spot than the sites actually in the park…well at the townsite park anyway. Waterton also has another campground further into the back country, but it has not re-opened since the devastating wildfire that hit the park in 2017. ( click here for the fire map of just how much of the park burned…..from a lightening strike in BC..!!)

After our Sofa Mountain hike we headed in to the visitor centre ( I always have to go to see if they have a pin for my growing collection……they did..!!) On our way into the town of Waterton, a black bear ambled across the road and continued on North….curses to cell phone cameras at any distance….He was maybe about 80 to 100 feet in front of us… ( if you click on it, the picture will appear bigger )

We ended up doing more hikes than we thought we would here……it is a spectacularly beautiful park….and I think probably less busy than Banff and co further north.

The views come with the wildfire reality check. Its hard to imagine that the burn here was 5 years ago….when you see the charred skeletal trees it might have been last year. A reminder that growth, and regrowth take time here…..

The irony is, that it exposes more of the landscape….enhancing the breathtaking views….!!

We also had a surprise snowstorm………a bit of a shock in the morning……but what a sight on the mountains….

After another successful stop for Patricia Rodeo we still had some time to fill before taking possession of our new abode at Rancho Relaxo..!!!

Waterton Lakes National Park was close enough to be able to hop over to Milk River if we needed to, and another interesting spot of Alberta that we had not yet visited.

There were no spots available in the campground in the park for the dates I needed…..but I found a quite delightful stop 5km from the Park gate. Being that close to the Rockies, the views from our campsite were magnificent.

We were super keen for a hike to stretch our legs after all that sitting for the rodeo. Sofa Mountain was the appointed target for the day.

The trailhead is within the Park boundary, but off a side road before you enter the main gate……and about 15km from the US border. The trail was about 9.5km with a moderate but steady elevation gain. The weather was quite spectacular…..a little cooler than it had been for the Rodeo…thankfully..!!

We were delighted to be the only vehicle in the parking area. The trail was quite overgrown with raspberries.

We were acutely aware of the likely presence of bears with these sweet treats all over…….if there were any…they saw/heard us first and stayed out of sight……we have developed the habit of being quite noisy as we walk….surprising bears at afternoon snack-time is not in my plan..!!!

Despite the smokiness from the Washington/Idaho wildfires…..it was remarkably clear as we climbed.

It was a bit steeper than I had intended after the break from hikes…..but then…there’s only one way to get up a mountain…!!!

Much like Yamnuska, hiking on the edge of the Rockies gives you this amazing contrast between the vista across the prairies behind you and craggy, textured folded over rock layers of the Rocky Mountains.

After crossing the creek a couple of times we rose up to the level of the basin of Sofa Mountain……beautiful. There are little thickets of trees where the path winds through……loud singing required……..(only place for bears to hide around here…!!)

Once we made it up to the ridge, the basin opened up in front of us…..I guess that would be the ‘Sofa”.

As we reached the cliff, the waterfall ahead has very little water in it at this time of year, but as we approached we could see a couple of mountain goats standing on the ledges. Then a few more stood up, then a few more……

If they had not moved we would never have seen them…..but they gradually all stood up and moved down towards us……

We stopped to sit down and have a snack and some water as they moved on down……

They were completely non-plussed by us and stood to graze about 20 feet away from us. 13 adults and 5 babies……..(it was pretty cool…!!)

We decided to circle around them a little to be sure not to make them run…….and headed back down the path…..very satisfied with our first good walk in a while.

Walking back down is incredible looking out over the prairies…it was a little smoky, but more than enough visibility to be impressive.

….and a bit of loud singing through the thickets….!!!

This was a very lovely hike……and a very satisfying day out.

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Patricia Rodeo…well what can I say…the much anticipated event lived up to expectations yet again. This year we arrived with a much better camera…I hope you appreciate the results. ( Last year I downloaded some of the pictures from other photographers. This year they are all taken my personal blog photographer…Scott..😁)

There are going to be a lot of pictures in this post…and a lot of sequences….I hope it adequately conveys the event…!!

All of the pictures are clickable if you wish a clearer view…opening the first picture in a sequence will allow you to scroll through an entire sequence…and it is worth the time and effort…..(IMHO) .!!!!

It is a three day event over the Labour Day Weekend with all kinds of shenanigans going on from Bulls under the Bulbs on the Friday night to Cow Pie bingo on the Sunday. There is Chariot racing, Chuck Wagons, Bull Riding, Steer Riding and the craziest of all crazy,,,,the Wild Horse Race.

Friday.

The Friday evening kicks off with the Chariot and Chuck wagon races.

Next pic is the girl that won the chariots overall. Super picture don’t you think..!!

For your dose of cuteness, they run the Mini Chuck Wagons in between the Chariot and the Chuck Wagon events with kids as young as 3 years old driving mini horses.

Boy oh boy those little legs can run…!!!

Chuck Wagons.

We have no pictures of the Bulls on Friday night because despite the set up with the lights there was just not enough for decent pictures with what we have. The most impressive part of the bull riding are the rodeo clown, the bull fighters and the pick up guys. (bull fighters being part of the team that protect the riders, not Matadors..!!)

Saturday is the big day of events.

Kicking off with heat 1 of 4 of the Wild Horse race. ( the definition of crazy..!!)

Six teams, 6 chutes, six wild horses. Teams of three must catch their horse, saddle him, and put a rider on who then has to make it all the way around the track holding onto just the saddle. This year the Goodeagle team ( the guys in the turquoise shirts) made it round in the very first heat. Amazing.

Once they have lost the horse they are not allowed to catch him again.

…..and once they have that saddle on the only thing to hold onto is the saddle itself.

The Goodeagle team doing their thing……

The pick up guys were amazing. There were two regular guys and a young one in training this year…….it is quite the thing to watch them work.

Saddle Broncs.

And here is another great sequence of the pick-up guys.

Tie down roping.….

Steer riding.

This is the younger kids on smaller steers…….that look just as scary as the bulls to me..!!

Scott nabbed these great sequences of the bull fighters doing their thing.

There was one steer left in the chute…….so the rodeo clown guy volunteered to ride him. His face tells the whole story…!!!

Oh…and then there was mutton busting……last year, I don’t think any of the kids actually stayed on….this year there were quite a few……

I dont know if its a regular thing at rodeos……but here, they bring out the heavy horses to do the harrowing between events.

So all of that stuff was just Saturday morning…….the afternoon kicks off again with round 2 (of 4) of the wild horse race. more saddle broncs, steer riding and barrel racing.

Its hard to breathe while this event is on…there is just so much going on in the arena…….those guys sure know what they are doing…..!!!

Another nice sequence here as we get back to the saddle broncs.

Then some Barrel racing.

….and more steers…..

Then we are back to Chariots, mini Chucks and Chuck wagons to end the day. What a day…so much skill and so much fun.

It is incredible just how fast these races are and how tight these teams turn.

You might have noticed that most of our pictures of the Chariots and wagons focus on the O’Connor racing team. We met these guys last year….and its way easier to tell a story with a favourite team.

Sunday

Sunday kicks off with the heavy horses doing some precision work with the log pulling in the morning…..

Those big horses are amazingly dainty…….

Then the afternoon pace heats up a notch with heat 3 of the wild horse insanity.

Little Britches.

Little Britches is the Sunday fun……tiny little people on huge horses doing amazing things.

….and a little more mutton busting……

These little people have some serious grit…..

The keg race is like musical chairs on horses…..the following pictures shows the hilarity and good nature as one girl slid right off her horse onto the keg/bucket…it fell over and there she is still on the ground. She had to right it and sit back down on it before the other girl could get there….(she succeeded..!!)

In addition to the calf roping and pole bending for the little kids….

.there is the calf wrestling….teams of two have to rope and then wrestle a calf to the ground.

.there is the Wild Pony race…the junior version of the Wild Horse race…..the difference being that the kids just have to get onto the pony…not ride him anywhere. This next sequence is all the same kid….they make ’em tough out here…!!!!

…and a few more of those kids with the wild ponies……

As if you were not breathless enough after that….there is one more round of wild horses……

The night finishes with more chariots, mini chucks and Chuck wagon races…..

There were so many great shots this weekend…..we had an absolute blast. Can’t wait ’til next year…!!! 😁

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Settled back in our familiar camp spot at Spring Hill RV, just outside Cochrane (just north of Calgary). After all the excitement of tearing across the country and finding our next home base, now we are in a holding pattern waiting for the date..!! Some activity being required, and having just acquired a Kananaskis annual pass, Alltrails yielded a promising hike at Mount Yamnuska a mere 38 minutes drive from Spring Hill. Actually it is one valley over from Grotto Canyon where we were last year.

Its always a spectacular drive heading towards the mountains. There is no gradual change in the relief, Its gently undulating prairie, then mountain after mountain after mountain. ( Its just Wow every time..!!)

The beginning of the trail is, as many of them are, a groomed gravel path. The incline doesn’t hesitate to leap out and hit your legs right from the beginning.

I guess its the thing with climbing mountains …..the only way to get to the top is to climb….!!!….up….!!

The first part is through trees so at least there is some shade, once you climb the switchbacks, the view down in to the valley instantly cures the ache in your legs.

Nature also provides a few excuses to stop and catch a breath..

The switchbacks continue on up, and up. You have to keep stopping to look out in wonder at the landscape below (and to catch your breath..!!)

Nearing the top…it just gets steeper…..a bit of a scramble……and quite a bit cooler.

Ravens End was my end of path, but the path does go further for the sturdier of heart than me..!!

Its one of those spots that makes you wish you had brought your lunch and a picnic blanket.

The signage confirmed for me that I was stopping, my intrepid photographer had to go catch a few more pix…!!! I have marked up the next three pictures to point to the path in the first one, and the guy walking up the path (not me) in the second and third.

Once you go through the notch there are chains attached to the rock face to get around…….I am NOT going there…!!

The journey back down was challenging on the knees. It was a steadily steep path. As ever…you find out just how steep on the way back down.

But you also get to see some of the views that you might have been suffering too much to really see on the way up…..LOL….

There may have been as many stops on the way down tho……it was hard on the knees……

All in all it was a great day out.

(Please note…All of the pictures are clickable if you wish a clearer view. Underlined text is also clickable providing links for further information. )

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So, having landed back in Alberta after that looong drive Kananaskis Country called us back for a short hike on a hot day. Stretching out the legs was a blessed relief after all that sitting..!!

I think we were one valley over from the Ice Cave hike we did in the spring.

It was great to be outside…..and not driving endlessly..LOL….

We met some local residents. Those guys always make me a bit nervous…I know they are likely completely harmless…..but ya just never know…..!!! My photographer/editor always finds this highly amusing…!!!

We had a couple of muddy creeks to cross…….No…I did not fall in…!!! ( Editor. But if she did I was ready ! )

The hike itself offered some steep climbs towards the end….good thing it was a short one on our jelly legs from driving…!!

It was maybe a little on the warm side….but it was a beautiful day to be out…..and it truly is incredible countryside….with the occasional sneak peak of the mountains to the west.

We invested in the annual pass for Kananaskis/Bow River Alberta parks. ($90)…so I’m predicting a few more Alberta Parks in our future.

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