Summer is on its way in Alberta

Alberta, although mostly known for the Rockies, it also has a farming side...and technically its part of the Canadian 'prairies'. Over the winter, I tend not to head east as the photography is pretty stark (which has its own beauty), and because there's almost no wind cover it makes for pretty cold adventures. It's much tougher to convince the fam to go hang out in a field in the middle of the snow.

Golden fields

Summer on the prairies is gorgeous and I just can't wait. It won't be too long now and the canola will turn yellow, and we'll truly have fields of gold. Best to ask permission before you go trudging through farmers fields - but I haven't had too much trouble so far. Mostly the farmers are curious of why we're in the middle of a field - and after we tell them we're taking pictures - they laugh and shake their heads.

Relics of the past

Drive enough of the side roads and you're bound to stumble on an old bard or two. Sadly many of the older ones have been reclaimed for the boards, but there are still some dotted here and there. Keep an eye out for wasp nests though - they love spots like this, and those little bastards sting. My friend who was climbing this one found out the hard way.

The badlands

A lesser known part of Alberta are the badlands. This kind of landscape you generally associate with the US - but we've got hoodoos too. You can get a sneak peek around Drumheller, Alberta. The picture below is from horse thief canyon. But if you really want to see some alien landscapes, head east another 4 hours and camp in Dinosaur Provincial Park. It's incredible, and if you're lucky you might find a dino bone or two.

As I said, with the warmer weather I'm starting to think about those long summer days. And I'm sure I'll be taking a drive or two east to run through some fields and swim in some shallow streams. If you're ever this way, Calgary is a great base to visit both the mountains and Drumheller. You can do both in a single visit - without too much trouble - and only a few hours of driving. Well worth it.