Waterton Lakes National Park Gallery II

Waterton Lakes National Park Gallery I

  

Where the Dinosaurs Roam "Dinosaur Provincial Park"

The nearly 29-square-mile park is best known for its extensive fossil beds which have been identified with 35 different species of dinosaurs from the Late Cretaceous Epoch (about 100 to 65 million years ago). There are also fossilized remains of Cretaceous fish, reptiles, and amphibians.  It was a spectacular sight and my camera does not give the depth and magnitude of the canyons.

Road Trip to Dinosaur Provincial Park

A few sights on the road trip to Dinosaur Provincial Park.  I particularly like the large steers quietly resting behind the fence-in pasture.  The old rusty truck with a dinosaur in a cage. The lonely decaying cabins surrounded by a golden prairie and blue skies.

Last Chance Saloon

 

I had to visit Last Chance Saloon.  It was not what I had expected but I got to see "Bee's Knees" and the small western town of Wayne.  You have to cross 11 bridges to get to Wayne.  I tried to keep count each time a bridge was crossed.  It was not a scenic drive because the river was very muddy green.  This trip was definitely out in the middle of No Where and I did not stop at the Last Chance Saloon for a drink!  I took my chances further down the road in Drumheller.

 

 

This is my favorite picture of Wayne.  It was two old rusty cars.  I am always looking for old cars and trucks left abandon sitting in fields or people's yard.  It just goes to show that there are rednecks in Canada too.

The Hoodoos a Land of Fairy Chimneys

A Hoodoo is also called a "fairy chimney."  These hoodoos are located in the heart of the Alberta Badlands.  The sediments comprising these hoodoos formed between 70 and 75 million years ago during the Cretaceous Period as clay and sand sediments from the Horseshoe Canyon Formation were deposited. These hoodoos have a unique mushroom-like appearance.  What fairy would use a hoodoo as a chimney?

 

I looked for a painting of a fairy and I like "Midsummer Eve."  Artist Edward Robert Hughes (5 November 1851 – 23 April 1914) was an English painter who worked in a style influenced by Pre-Raphaelitism and Aestheticism. One of his best known work is Midsummer Eve.

 

 

 

Ground Squirrels at Horse Thief Canyon

Red Deer River

 

Late afternoon view of Red Deer River from North Dinosaur Trail.  Red Deer River is 450 mile long and got its name from the translation of Was-ka-soo which means "elk river" in the Cree language.

Drumheller's River Valley

  

 

More photos of the valley and Red Deer River.  I particularly liked the cloud formation over the valley.

Horse Thief Canyon Canadian Badlands

 

It's obvious how the canyon got it's name.  Cowboys would rustle horses and hide them in this canyon.  Alberta Canada has it's cowboys and wild west history very similar to the states. Drumheller is part of the cowboy trail for those who are interested in the cowboy history. Horse Thief Canyon is located off the North Dinosaur Trail. 

Red Barns of the Badlands

 

I like taking photos of barns so as we drove through the Badlands of Alberta Canada, I took several pictures.  It is cowboy country with a lot of cattle.  These barns were from the ranches off Hwy 21 on the way to Drumheller.

Bieriot Ferry North Dinosaur Trail

 

Travelers must ride a ferry on the North Dinosaur Trail (Hwy 838) to cross Red Deer River.  Horse Thief Canyon is located on North Dinosaur Trail.  There were no cars or tourist so it was enjoyable.  It was almost like having the Badlands to ourselves in many places that we visited.

Canadian Badlands Orkney Viewpoint

We stayed in Calgary Canada for four nights and visited Dinosaur Country in the Badlands.  These photos were from Orkney Viewpoint off Hwy 837 which is the South Dinosaur Trail.  I did not zoom in on the canyons but choose to try and get a panoramic view of Red Deer River, the canyon floor and vastness of the landscape.  Drumheller is central and a starting point to visit the Badlands.

Artistic Waters Yellowstone River

 

To capture the colors of the landscape, I used a dry brush technique in the above photos.  The water has streaks of green as well as deep blue running fiercely over the rocks. I walked a trail along side of the rapids.  There are too many rocks for white water rafting.  This concludes my adventure at Yellowstone.  We only visited from the South Entrance up to Washburn Mountain Range.  It was a tiresome full day drive from Jackson Hole to Yellowstone and back.  I could not take photos during the golden hours of 2 hours after sunrise and two hours before sunset.  That is the best natural light for a landscape picture.  The bright sun will fade out the brilliancy of colors of the landscape no matter what filters you use.  The pigments of oil painting can bring out the gorgeous colors better then any photograph.

Lewis Falls Yellowstone

Lewis Falls is located roughly 11 miles inside Yellowstone’s south entrance, and two miles south of Lewis Lake.  If you know American history, Meriwether Lewis was a member of the famous Lewis and Clark expedition.  The expedition was the first government-sanctioned effort to explore and map the Western Frontiers.  The sun was very bright when we stopped at Lewis Falls.  The river looked white from the sunrays reflecting off the whirling waterfall.

Washburn Mountain Range

 

 

I really was not impressed with the mountain ranges of Yellowstone after visiting the Grand Teton National Park.  Even the Grand Canyon did not surpass the magnificent beauty of the Teton Range.  Mount Washburn Range is similar to the Appalachian mountains.  A lot of forest and woodlands surround the area. 

Yellowstone River Moments of Serenity

 

The river does have some areas where it is calm, peaceful and serene before it reaches the Grand Canyon area.