Glenbow Ranch Provincial Park
I only recently 'discovered' Glenbow Ranch Provincial Park on the map so thought I would go take a look around. It is close to home (only 15 minute drive) and with the Spring sunshine beaming down I made the short trip to the large parking area on top of a prairie ridge overlooking the bow valley.
The pathways are mostly paved and on occasion where they are not, they are of solid gravel construction. I wish I'd known that before putting on big boots for hiking....my feet knew about it after only 3 hours walking...though I won't be complaining when I bring my mountain bike here for a blast.
Alongside the pavements crocuses are appearing in large numbers and though they were not open today, spring has clearly sprung. at last.
Alongside the pavements crocuses are appearing in large numbers and though they were not open today, spring has clearly sprung. at last.
There are large numbers of aspen groves dotted around the place which I am sure will provide some beautiful colour in autumn
The trails range across the prairie hills rising and falling and maneuvering through the valleys, a small pond held a number of ducks but they were not too pleased to see me and quickly scuttled off to the other end of the pond.
At the lower and of the park the Trans-Canada Railroad passes close to the trail and the Bow river meanders along just beyond it.
There are lots of trails criss-crossing each other providing a choice of routes from small loops to huge 10k wanders, though the scenery changes little there is always something to see along the way.
There are small ruins here and there sectioned off with information boards telling you all about them. As it transpires this little chimney is all that remains of a small house built in 1892 by an Englishman named Joseph Cockblaine who bought the land for the princely sum of $10. He lived here with his wife and 3 children and built up a well established property, one of the very first in the Glenbow Valley. Here I am 130 years later sharing his dreams with people all over the world, I'm sure he would be pleased to see another Englishman standing by his fireplace even after all this time.
The path has some interesting curves for the mountain bike and the dividing line ensures separation of walkers and bikers with a keep to the right understanding.
I love the wide open prairie, it's huge expanse and brown colours reminding me of life in the prairies of Oklahoma. The seemingly empty landscape is actually alive with critters of all kinds, ground squirrels, Coyotes, Deer, Eagles and even a moose. It is wonderful to be in the middle of the prairie yet so close to home.
This shot shows a couple of bikers and further along the trail a few walkers adding scale to the shot. The orange building away on the top of the hill is a visitor centre, though closed for winter a peek through the window showed an interesting set up with a small museum like area, one to check out when it reopens.
heading east I came across this dilapidated old shack with piles of bricks behind it. I was surprised to find it was actually an old brickworks that opened in 1912 and produced 100,000 bricks a day, it had it's own siding off the railroad and grew quickly, unfortunately it made very poor quality bricks and closed after trading for only a few years. Seems their wooden building has a greater longevity than their product.
Beside the path a small ground squirrel ducked down but waited until I was close before bolting down his hole, as he was so inquisitive I thought I would wait a moment to see if he came back for a look.....sure enough I didn't have to wait long, I laughed as I clicked the shutter and he bolted back into his hole once more. Click pics for larger image.
I crossed the railroad using the level crossing that is strangely located in the middle of the prairie and then turned west along the bow river.
In the trees by the river I spotted an eyrie and whilst taking a photo saw a B52 bomber (well it sure looked like one) heading toward me, I was gutted that I had only brought my 50mm lens today as a beautiful bald eagle 'buzzed' me to let me know I should move away.
Obviously I didn't move away immediately as I needed at least a few shots of that magnificent eagle, even if only with my 50mm it would be better than nothing....I begged it to get closer and waited.............eventually I managed to get a few decent shots though they are cropped from tiny portions of images they are better than missing this altogether. click images for larger view.
I'm still kicking myself about not having my telephoto lens today, but I loved every moment of this encounter. Hopefully I will be able to get back there before the eagle moves on and get some great shots ......fingers crossed.
I made my way back along the trail to the truck incredibly happy to have seen such a beautiful bird but kicking myself about the photo opportunity that got away. Glenbow Ranch is one I will definately be returning to very soon.