Just a short post to say that the three day road trip to Saskatchewan and all associated shots are now posted in the usual format, on one page with all the images and text from this wonderful trip. It really was one of our best even though it was perhaps our shortests ever road trip. Click here for the full details page.
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The last day of our road trip to Saskatchewan produced some fantastic photos including this spectacular sight taken on the north side of highway 7 just east of Kindersley. As we left the town we noticed a huge fast moving cloud swirling around over a large wetland area and just ahead a little used track leading in that direction. I flicked the 4x4 switch and turned down the rutted dirt road going as far as possible before getting out and walking until we started sinking. From the moment we stepped out of the truck the noise was deafening, tens of thousands of snow geese preparing for migration flew above and floated on the lake. It was like a scene from the serengeti, truly stunning in every way. The gallery below has a closer shot of some of the geese so you can understand their size and realise just how large an area is showing in the main shot, you can also click the main image for a larger version.
In the gallery below is another shot I love from today of a Snowy Owl in the prairie grass. He didn't like it when I stopped to take his picture and flew off but we watched him go and saw where he landed, another 4x4 moment on some very dodgy ground got me as close as I dare and then I got out quietly and sneaked along a hundred meters before getting close enough for a beautiful image of him peeking from behind the grass. There's also the usual prairie sunrise and a night scene from the hotel in Saskatoon. After stopping at safeway for bread and milk we were home by 4pm having had a fantastic prairie road trip.....I think we'll be going back. We were up for sunrise again this morning and left Leader, Saskatchewan by 07:00 heading into the rising sun. We had a fantastic journey across the wide open prairie landscape on empty highways. We stopped for a few shots of the sunrise along the way and again at Saskatchewan Landing Provincial Park where we made a short hike to stretch the legs. After continuing on for an hour or so we stopped again at Diefenbaker Lake and the huge Gardiner Dam where we wandered across the spillway and on a nice little beach. Our last stop before Saskatoon was to grab a shot of some roadside buffalo. We soon arrived in Saskatoon and in our very nice hotel where all the comforts of home awaited. We walked in the city and had a bite to eat in the main central mall before making a circular route along the riverside park. As I write this piece the sun is setting over the city and we are heading out for a nice steak dinner. Tomorrow is the long ride home and as always a few stops for photos along the way. The main shot below is at Saskatchewan Landing Provincial Park and the gallery has captions with location information.
Yesterday we decided to take a long weekend in the prairies, we've never been over to Saskatchewan which is the province directly east of Alberta so we planned a route, booked a couple of hotels and set out at sunrise this morning with a lot to cram into day one.
We started with a visit to an old mine site east of Drumheller, Alberta where a wobbly swing bridge left Sarah hanging on. Then on to the ghost town of Wayne, Alberta which once boasted a population of more than 2 thousand but is now only 26. Before reaching the Saskatchewan border we stopped at some great hoodoos and had a wander around the pathway there and again at a lovely old grain silo close to the border. We found our overnight spot in the small town of Leader, Saskatchewan just 30 minutes from the Great Sand Dunes Provincial Park. After dropping in our luggage we went back out and dashed to the park for sunset (just making it with no time at all to spare). After making some sunset shots as darkness fell and the coyotes howled across the empty prairie we messed around with some long exposures and coloured lights before returning to Leader and a pizza and coffee supper before bed. Tomorrow it's on to Saskatoon, Saskatchewan (with a few stops for photos of course) The gallery below is captioned, the main shot is of a boot rack at the Great Sand Dunes lit by the sunset with the moon as a backdrop. After a couple of days at home I've gone through the Oregon photos and laid them out in the full trip following the usual format, so to see our third road trip in 2016 in full, click here to go to the detailed page.
At last we got to see some sunset over the pacific, not the most impressive of sunsets but sunset just the same. The weather this morning at Newport was horrible so we headed south along the Pacific Coast Highway until we found blue skies and sunshine. We stopped off at Thors Well and watched huge waves blow up and out of this incredible tidal 'blowhole'. We also stopped off at several beaches in Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area which is all stunning. We had lunch in the small town of Florence and spent the afternoon on the sand messing arround in the water and sitting on a driftwood log until the tide came and chased us away. We drove back to Newport for dinner and suddenly the break is over. It has been great but all too short, tomorrow I'll be driving Sarah back to Portland for her flight home and I'll be making my way by road..maybe directly or maybe via somewhere if the weather looks promising.
We were up 'up and at em' this morning waiting for the breakfast place to open. Once we had eaten we made the 5 minute drive into Newport town centre and parked in the harbour area, we walked along empty streets and watched the seals fighting over places on the moorings. After the harbour we crossed the bridge and visited the State Park on the south side where we walked the dunes. A quick visit to a long jetty kept us up to speed on the crab catchers who lined the sides jockeying for position like the seals on the moorings.
A coffee break in in town was followed by a visit to Yaquina Bay 'Outstanding Natural Area' and the beach and lighthouse there after which we headed a little further north to Depoe Bay and walked the shops and beachfront there. Lunch was a light snack back in Newport in the lovely Nye District which in places resembles a small cornish village. After hitting the shops in the Nye District we returned to the hotel to scrub up ready for a chinese dinner and a bit of sunset, it's been another great day on the coast. Great day today. We set out from Portland this morning heading north west to Astoria where we walked around the harbour area and pier 39. We stopped in at an old cannery for a coffee and cake and other spots for photos including this long exposure of an old cannery with the sun just lighting it up perfectly. We then made the drive south along the pacific coast stopping off at various places along the way. It was a grey day but that didn't matter at all, we talked to people on a long jetty catching Dungeness crabs with drop nets and an old lady who told us all about the salmon fishing in Nehalem Bay. Our hotel in Newport is right on the beach and our view of the pacific is stunning so it's a quiet night in the local restaurant and on the balcony tonight and then exploring the area tomorrow and Sunday.
Late last night I set out from Calgary to make the 13 hour drive to Portland, Oregon so Sarah and I could begin (yet another) short break. The drive to Portland was uneventful, I went via the Crowsnest Pass to Cranbrook, British Columbia where I grabbed a last minute room at a motel for a few hours. In the morning I dropped down into Idaho and followed a wonderfully scenic route through Bonners Ferry, Sandpoint and Coeur d'Alene. From there it was into Spokane, Washington then down into Portland. I arrived in good time and booked into the hotel before collecting Sarah from the airport, we went straight from there to a 'Famous Daves' restaurant where American sized portions of ribs, chicken, pulled pork, spud wedges, beans, coleslaw, corn on the cob, cornbread and fried bread made a ludicrous evening meal. Those who have read more of our exploits will be familiar with the huge dustbin lid of food as we have eaten in 'Famous Daves' in Branson, Missouri a few times back in 2007/8 (yes it is literally a dustbin lid). Anyway, this phone pic was the only shot of the journey so far as the weather was not conducive to image making, although northern Idaho tested that theory with it's stunning display of autumn colour but the lack of light meant the camera stayed in the bag for the whole journey. Tomorrow we head west to the coast and along the Pacific Coast Highway to Newport, Oregon where we will spend the next 3 nights exploring the area before heading back to Portland on Monday. I'll try to post more images along the way as usual but it is dependent on the quality of the internet connection on the coast.
With the much needed rain keeping me indoors today I wrote up a one page 'all in' version of our trip to Vancouver Island, with tons more photos and a few more words to describe our trip it puts it all in one place so if you want to see a blow by blow account of the whole week grab a cuppa and click here.
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AuthorWe arrived in Calgary, Canada on 29th December 2011 to continue our journey. This blog is intended to keep our family and friends informed whilst we explore Canada.You can use the RSS feed below to stay updated. Categories
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