So I was heading to Drumheller to do the MS Walk on the first and sometimes before I go I like to look and see whats on the buy and sell for that town cause I'm going and can pick it up easier than trying to make plans to get something when I wasn't going anyways. Actually worked well that day cause it was the first of the month so the groceries were 15% off at my grocery store as well.
Anyway the walk was pretty successful, they raised 22,000. I guess its down from previous years but the economy is too so not surprising. Wasn't a real well organized walk, you could do 1,4, or 6K but no one kept track or even made sure you did walk. They sorta had the paths marked but not very well, no one knew where the different lengths started and we knew the path so we were lucky it worked out well. But they had lunch donated afterwards and it was really nice day so am glad I got to go with friends and walk. We did the 6k, I probly coulda done more but that was a good walk and I had a blister from my new shoes rubbing where my sock fell down.
(here's the crew of us, and the picture taker I dunno why hes not in the photo)
Anyways I saw a lady advertising a camera like mine with regular lens and a zoom lens, and on the off chance I just asked if she would split them and just sell the zoom. Took her forever to get back to me but she said she would. Yay! Way cheaper than new price so I was super excited!
I hooked it on my camera and needed to try it out right away, not much was around to take pics of but got a few when I got home fixing the fence so the horses could have a bit of grass.
(Bull laying down outside fence)
(wishing I would let him in)
(Closeup of the eye)
(Couple geese I think nesting in bull pasture)
(the one didn't even get up, no nest that I could find)
(our calf that was starving, hes felling fuller now)
(the cow, her bag was really chapped and dry much better now)
(Trio)
(Dee)
(mmm grass)
Turned out the horses hoping to get some fun pics but they couldn't lift up there heads.
Part of the deal when I took Easy home was that I was gonna ride him every day. Well almost he gets one day off a week, maybe 2 after a show. Not all hard rides but he needs to be kept in shape. Well since he came home and he was a bit of a nutcase I left him to settle in. Then I rode him a few times and I will be honest I was a bit worried about riding him here but as soon as I sat my butt in the saddle he was like OK I know how to do this and just was like normal, whew! Then I got busy and then it snowed and so I haven't rode him a whole lot. I really got to get back to it. Arena is way too wet to ride in now, hoping tomorrow or Friday I can work it and then ride. I guess that's the downfall of dirt, if it was sand I could work it and ride anyways even if it was wet. I really would like to show on the 8th and the 14th, will depend on if the barn is going to them shows cause I'm not confident enough to go on my own. If I had been riding him more I probly could go ride out but not sure he's ready (or me) to walk on the soggy wet uneven ground.
(Sunday)
(Sunday)
(Monday, the poplar that looks like a weeping willow)
(Monday, looks way better)
Oh snow, we really needed moisture but if you know me I don't like snow, so was super happy when I got up on Sunday and there was no snow on the ground thought that was the worst of it, then headed up to the Mane Event with a neighbor and it was quite nice up there and come home and its white all over here :( But while I was up there I went to see Brigitte Meyer of Vitality Equine and won a hat and a gift certificate! Yay. Will definitely have to use that, someday I think Easy would like that (maybe) And visited with Louisa there as well, that was fun to have someone to talk to that understands this cutting thing and as well just getting into it.
So yesterday it was fairly nice out and I was bored cause too soggy to do much and so figured Id got for a walk (road is good) and get some pics of the ponies in the snow. Well saw gooses and the ponies had no snow it had already melted!
(silly gooses in the snow)
(Razz, Jess, George)
(I love our 2 mile long driveway :) )
(An antelope track, never saw him though expect its bent horn)
(Razz watchin and Jess can't stop eating)
(the geese were back as I got home)
(hard to see but they are flying over the fence)
(the arena is pretty wet yet)
(lawn looking good, even see some new dandelions in there)
(A bit of water in the perennial bed,
guess I won't have to water your rose for a few days Shirley)
(and melting out behind the house, new lake)
(and the bottom of our stairs needs to be landscaped
feels like we are gonna get sucked in one day)
So toady will do another walk and maybe can work the garden tomorrow.
Ach I'm so behind! So much is going on that I feel like I need to blog about but had no time! But Ill start back where I left off. Hopefully can catch up soon!
***If you click on the pictures you can actually read the signs ***
Another walk I went on in Drumheller, just a couple days later. I had walked on one of the many trails they have in Drum and had planned to go to the same one again cause it was pretty. Well I parked at the same spot and then got lost haha. Started walking on the railroad track cause I thought it was on the other side of it. But couldn't find it, then I got across the highway and saw the Midland coal mine, well I had always wanted to tour that so went over there and did that instead.
(where I parked and the train bridge)
It was a cool place, there was a lot of coal mines in Drum, that's how the town started. All are closed up now but there is a bunch that they have made into tourist sites cause its always interesting to see where a town came from.
(The tourist building, must have been used for something but it doesn't say)
(the main sign of the Mercury Mine)
(telling how it all ended)
(ponies :) )
(This shows the hill to the left where the water tower stood)
(they even put in a mini gazebo so you can rest)
(old rail lines still there)
(not sure what these were for,
but there are pillars on both sides of the mowed area,
must have been footing for a building)
There is a lot of signs showing what they did while mining. Its interesting and really amazing how much is still there. Hard to get pics cause the day was pretty cloudy and I only had a phone to take pics, gonna have to go back there on a sunny day and look again.
(Showing how the men and mine cars got down in
and back out of the mine in the elevators)
(and how the mine was laid out)
(Another mine right close by, the area both these mines are in is called Midland)
(Explaining where the mines went)
(And an old coal cutter, pretty impressive machine really)
There was a lot of mines in Drumheller, but only a few did the historic stuff, I'm glad a few did, the only cooler one is just outside East Coulee, the Atlas Coal Mine, and they still have a tipple you can go in, I only been there once on Halloween, should go again in the daytime, hopefully less chainsaw killers around then.
I am in a race this weekend, won't be very fast, probably will walk the whole thing but that's OK. But because of this I made up a workout plan and been sticking to it fairly well. Monday and Fridays I walk short distances (getting longer as race day gets closer) and Tuesday and Wednesday I been biking (going about 7 miles each day) and since the race is on a Saturday I been making that my long day, starting at 1 mile and increasing half mile every week till this week will be 5 miles perfect for race day.
Anyways I been bored at home walking so every time I go to town I been walking on the trails there. A couple weeks ago we walked in Brooks around Stafford Lake, its not that big but it was nice and Neil walked it with me.
(Neil walking, good thing hes not speeding......
really that's the Number 1 highway up there,
doesn't seem that close when walking as it looks)
(Lighthouse from across the lake)
(Weird seed pods on this tree, I think its a Willow)
(Geese and ducks on the rock islands)
(Closer view of the lighthouse)
(And we had to get our pic by it, Neil)
(And Neil got me, but he zoomed in and missed the whole lighthouse)
It even has a lighthouse! Not a very big one but its there. I think it housed the pump cause they used to have a fountain there is the summer, not sure what happened cause I haven't seen it for a couple years. And there was still geese and ducks on the lake. Pretty cool place overall. I think it was only 2.3 miles around but still a change of view.
We were curious every time we went to Great Falls, where the great falls were. We seen the one set in town but they were not that impressive so we went on a search for them, someone said they are a little ways out of town but no one really knew. So to Google it was. Apparently there are 5 sets of falls within 20 miles and that's too much for ships to travel over so they did what any town with falls would do....build dams. 5 of them, one on each set of falls. That's why its called the Electric City, who knew? They were old, I was amazed how old some of those dams are, started in 1897 the oldest one and I think the last one was completed in the 30s. I feel like we went on a history lesson lol. But it was way more fun than school ever was. There was developed trails to all the dams and nice signs so we went and toured them, Friday night we headed out to Ryan's Dam first cause it was the first sign we saw, even though its was 4th from town. Its the first falls that Lewis and Clark saw on their journey
(Neil looking at the dam)
(Pretty neat how they built them on top of the falls
so they get more drop with less build
the river drops 550 feet over the 20 miles)
(a big tree)
(bridge to Ryan's Island...only open in the summer)
(more bridge)
(a nice lady offered to take our picture together)
(another view of the dam)
(the leaves were so pretty and so Maple like lol felt like at home)
We looked at the dam and then there was a cool walking trail we took, so much more interesting than just looking at something. I was impressed how much Neil was into hiking on these trails with me, we decided one day we are gonna go back and do the whole trail or maybe even participate in one of thier walk/runs they do throughout the year. Lots to see on the trail, including a rattlesnake, that was kinda a surprise, he coiled up and hissed at us...we walked around him.
(The trail sign)
(neat maps showing where all the trails and tourist lookouts are)
(Neil checking out the stone house)
(view down river)
(this tree didn't look very big till we were close to it)
(neat jutting out rock)
(Box Canyon releases into that grassy area when it rains lots)
(cool holes in the stones)
(water tower for those living by the dam)
(Ryan's Island from above, its too bad it was closed looked really nice and manicured)
(Neil at the edge of the cliff)
(the Dam from above)
(neat set of falls)
(Me on a cliff)
(Neil wondering why I am making him pose so much lol)
(Me on a rock)
(And I called Neil as he was walking through the gate)
After that there was still a little daylight and it was warm out so we headed out to the last dam of the 5, Morony Dam. It is cool how all of them are built differently. It got kinda dark before we left but we had to finish that part of the tour.
(the sign, I missed the one for Ryan's Dam)
(looking over it)
(the reservoir, I think it was the best reservoir we saw)
(The front of the dam from the side)
(the front farther away, it was the one we got the closest too)
On Sunday morning before we left, we headed out to see the other dams, they had to be driven to on the south side of the river. First we stopped Rainbow at it is the second dam down, It was rebuilt a few years ago because it killed too many fish going through it, now it has a long canal and kills less than 5% of the fish that go through it. Its kinda neat cause the falls are almost dry till the canal drops water back into the river.
(A railroad trestle)
(that we got to drive under :) )
(more signs)
(a list of all the falls and where they are)
(Lewis and |Clarks Portage trail)
(A view of the canal)
(the falls)
(still some water goes over)
(almost dry Missouri)
(a closer canal view)
(The whole front of the dam)
(A full river again)
Then we went to Black Eagle Dam which is right in town, but they have an island that you can walk around and so we did that too. Not as nice as Ryan's Island but open. Its the first in the string of dams.
(Monument where we were)
(info sign)
(How it all started)
The train bridge on the side)
(where the old hydro building was)
(Neil if front of the dam)
(more info signs)
(I loved this little fuzzy plant I so want one but we weren't allowed to take plants home)
(and its a good thing too cause its ugly when it grows its seed head)
(lots of flowing water)
(A Monarch landed right in front of us)
(Neil's choice to get his picture taken here)
(My pic in front of the water, I wish I'd pulled my shirt down,
men don't notice these things)
(Statues on the hill far far away)
(Canada Geese follow us everywhere lol)
(and a Pelican fishing)
(The hydro building now, behind a not in the ground fence)
(I had to climb the dry falls)
(it was a lot easier going up than coming down)
The third dam in the row, Cochrane Dam had no road to it and it was a 4 mile hike there so we are waiting for next trip and we will walk the whole way down.
