Rose and I have seen more of Alberta in the last year than ever before.
We had different plans prior to Covid.
Those are on the shelf for now.
So Rose figured a couple of days in the Drumheller area would be fun.
She was right.
Drumheller is about 86 miles from Calgary – that’s about 1:40 minute drive.
No problem (unless it’s winter).
On the way this is what you’ll see. Prairie. The Great Plains.
Interrupted only by occasional valleys, coulees, rivers …
The Glaciers of the Ice Age swept the earth
and created these vast fertile farmlands.
As you near Drumheller you encounter Horseshoe Canyon.
Us Canadians love signs. We’ve got signs for everything.
But notice that message on the bottom left?
“If you find a fossil, leave it where it is.
Please take a photo and contact us.”
“Alberta has some of the strictest fossil protection laws in the world. The fossilized remains of plants and animals, or traces of their activities, are protected under the Government of Alberta’s Historical Resources Act. Violation of the Act is punishable by fines of up to $50,000 and/or one year in prison.”
https://tyrrellmuseum.com/research/found_a_fossil#:~:text=The%20fossilized%20remains%20of%20plants,important%20as%20the%20fossil%20itself.
I Was a Teenage Fossil Hunter
Before this law, in the mid 60’s I removed many fossils
and had an enviable collection.
Eventually, when we moved to New Brunswick,
I boxed up the whole lot and took them along.
After I left home and came back to Alberta my mother
donated my whole collection to a local school.
I can therefore testify that some school in New Brunswick has one of the finest collection
of dinosaur bones and fossils in the Maritimes.
I was no slob at what I did.
Below: Google aerial view of Horseshoe Canyon.
I never fossil hunted in Horseshoe Canyon however.
Why? Because it is picked over by the many people that go there.
You’d be very lucky to find anything.
There are some nice short and pretty easy hikes in the Canyon.
Just take some water. It can be hot down there in the Badlands.
I ventured into these Badlands of the Drumheller area hundreds of times.
And saw many areas that I felt no other person had ever seen.
An enjoyable adventure for a young lad.
Just watch out for these guys:
They have barbs and can go right through your shoe.
And these guys.
More coming …
