Something old ... something older.

If you're following my blog you'll know we spent our summer vacation in the breathtaking province of Alberta. Using Canmore as a base we enjoyed day-trips, touring the area. We couldn't possibly fly home without a trip to a totally different part of the province, and a history every kid likes.

Looking at the map, we had two options to head east. As beautiful as the Trans Canada Highway is, we opted for a scenic route with a different perspective.

With the luggage packed and a picnic lunch ready, we waved goodbye to the mountains as they vanished in the rearview mirror. 

Our journey took us through Cochrane, Airdrie & Acme. Beautiful, bustling towns with gorgeous parks. So much to see, so little time, we kept rolling along toward our destination.

Why is it our stomachs had to have the worst timing in the world? Seriously, all three of our bellies imitated a thunderstorm in the middle of nowhere. One grumbled and the domino effect went wild. The rumbling drowned out the music. 

So where did we stop for our picnic lunch? On a side-road by a farmer's field. I'm surprised the residents of the area didn't send men in white jackets to rescue us. I must admit it certainly was peaceful. Most of the time. Too bad the odd truck went by. Nothing quite like a cloud of dust smothering our sandwiches. Just kidding. We closed the doors and raised the windows to keep the air clean and fresh. At least we tried to. We kept the mini coughing fits to a minimum. Amazing what guzzling a mouthful of water can accomplish.

The picnic bag/cooler went back to the trunk and our journey continued. 

 The land of the oil.

Once we got out of the mountains, Alberta seemed relatively flat. 


And then suddenly, out of the blue, the descent began. 



Impressive really. It felt like we were entering a tunnel, but I could see that rich blue sky through the skylight. Doing a little research, if you think about how the area came about, it really does make sense. They began mining for oil and low and behold, didn't they find dinosaur bones and fossils.  




Yes, we had arrived in Drumheller, Alberta.

First impressions. Wow. Simply wow. Driving through the winding hills into the valley known as the town. Second impression. Wow. This truly is the land of the forgotten, in more ways than one. Shame on our previous government. Nine years in power. His home province. This area is and should be heavily promoted as a tourist attraction. We saw, and talked to a lot of people from all over the globe. Tourists are visiting. A little bit of money invested and this town would flourish. They just need financial aid to get started with the cleanup. Give tourists a reason to stop and stay more than a day. But then, when has there ever been employment created through tourism? (Just a touch of sarcasm there).

After checking into the hotel, the highest point in the entire city, we headed for the renowned Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology. Friends had raved and with good reason. The state-of-the-art building is nothing shy of spectacular.

We paid our admission and walked through the archway. A humongous dinosaur and her not-so-tiny baby greeted us. Literally. Eyeballs glared into our souls and they spoke. Well, they growled, a chest-rattling friendly sort of voice. Excited as a kid Christmas morning I was hooked. 

The stroll around the museum continued. We met Clement along the path. Knowledgable and super enthusiast his words rolled off his tongue like he was born to discover these ancient creatures. 

A five-star review for the museum. I couldn't come up with a complaint about the place if I had to. A must-see if you're anywhere near the area. Pictures do not do justice to this museum.

           

We overstayed our visit, hogging his time, closing the place down but not before getting a 'recommendation' for dinner from another tourist. My travelling companions wanted a beer so we headed to the Vintage Pub and Grill and had a meal with the locals. Relaxed service and yummy food. We trudged back to the hotel with full bellies. 

Energized the following morning we would tour around this incredible area. 

The land of the largest dinosaur. 

But that can wait until next month's blog.  Stay tuned. Hoodoo!