We travel the world in search of beauty and really it is right at our doorstep. With the lock-down easing we are into the ‘staycation’ portion of travel. Our friends M and G are coming from Calgary, Debbie is traveling from Vernon, I will arrive from home in Edmonton. We are to meet near Drumheller, ‘The Badlands’, at the Bleriot Ferry Campground.The goal is to kayak the Red Deer River. It is a mellow waterway, especially downstream of Red Deer. Our plan is to travel downstream from the campground to Drumheller on day one and on the second day start upstream and paddle to the campground.
Normally we don’t tend to leave home much in the summer. With skiing in the winter and international trips in the fall and spring, the summer has been a time to spend at home and regen.
When driving solo, the conversation is a lot less active. In fact other than cursing a driver or two it is non existent. This means more time to look about and see things.
The highway is calm and I have some time to look about. Man is the country side beautiful. It is mid growing season and the crops make a perfect carpet over the land. The green and yellow checker board is like a quilt, accentuating all the dips, rolls and hummocks. People from around the world are amazed at how flat the prairies are, but I’m from here and what amazes me is how rollie they are. You are always either at a high point with vision for miles around or at a low point in the middle of a cupped hand looking up 360 at the horizon and the inside of a bowl with that checker board carpet.
This year we have had a lot of rain. All the waterways are full. The rivers are running high, the beaches at all the lakes are shrinking, and all the ponds and swamps are full to the brim. The bodies of water add so much to the landscape painting that is constantly changing as I move along the highway. The dark blueish water edged with the bright green reeds and a backdrop of yellow and green crops is a vision of joy.
As I get close to my destination suddenly some of the fields are blue. A pale purplish blue. My guess is flax. I can’t say as I have ever seen flax before but by asking a few questions when I arrive at the campground and meet up with M & G, G confirms my suspicions.
Travel the world and whatever it is you are in search of , whatever it is you want to see, hear, touch, smell, or learn is just outside your backdoor.