Alberta Highways

I was on a solo 500 km road trip from Lethbridge to Edmonton today.  It was actually quite enjoyable, even on my own.  I listened to music and sang along enjoying the beautiful fall day.  I had my camera on the seat beside me and took pictures along the way - some without stopping the car - others  after a brief stop.

Here are some of the sights along the way.  The fuzzier ones are the drive-by shootings.

I followed this police car for a number of kms, not daring to pass him as he was going exactly the speed limit.  So I braced the camera on my steering wheel and took a couple of pictures of the car.  I had no sooner done so when he pulled over to the side and stopped.  Oh no! I was going to get a ticket for distracted driving!  But wait!  As soon as I passed him, he turned around in the middle of the highway and went back the way he came.  That was the only police car I saw all day.

At this time of year, all the farmers and ranchers are busy getting their crops in.  This looked like a busy operation although I have no idea what it is.

A lot of hay and/or straw was baled and stacked ready for storing for the winter, or selling.

The irrigation equipment was still out on the fields, to be put into use again in the spring.

The fall colors were beautiful. This drive-by shot doesn't do it justice.

As on most farms, the barn is much larger than the house and outbuildings.

 

 

These large cement structures have been replacing the traditional grain elevators that once dotted the prairies.  The train is waiting on the track to be filled with processed seed (I think)

 

My one gas stop of the day, Vulcan.  This is a favorite pit stop of ours, coming and going. 

 

In the small town of Vulcan, across the street from the PetroCan station, above, is a small park dedicated to the Star Trek shows, especially Mr. Spock, the Vulcan character. It features a large model of the USS Enterprise.  Pointy plastic ears can be purchased at the store in the PetroCan.  The small town nearest Vulcan is called Kirkaldy, but I don't think it's named after Captian Kirk of the USS Enterprise  ;). 

 

 

This attractive homestead features a large brick house.  I'd like to see inside it some day.

 

 

More beautiful fall colors lined both sides of the highway.

 

And one of the several abandoned barns visible from the highway.  I like how the tree shelters part of it.

 

In this oil rich province, it's not unusual to see these oil pumps in the fields with the crops.

I love these grain elevators at Mossleigh.  They can be seen from miles away and are approached after rounding a large wide bend in the road.

At this time of year, I love seeing the baled hay scattered through the fields waiting to be loaded and stored.

The ranchers sometimes share their large equipment and drive them from ranch to ranch, backing up traffic behind them.  I'm glad this one was coming toward me instead of me having to follow it down the road.

Those pictures were all taken in the southern part of the province.  By the time I got halfway home, the traffic had increased and it wasn't as easy to stop (or not) to take pictures. 

When we make the drive from Edmonton to Lethbridge, we never take the large highway, the QE2, which goes right through Calgary.  *shudder*.  Instead we take the much quieter, and more scenic, secondary highways and avoid the stress of the traffic and enjoy the scenery.

It's good to be back but I know there'll be many such trips in my near future.