Wildlife Crossings

About an hour west of Calgary is the gateway to Banff National Park.  The route to and through the park is eighty-three kilometers along the Trans-Canada Highway - a fast and furious road carrying millions of trucks, cars, motorbikes and cyclists each year; tourists and day-trippers, workers and holiday-makers - and a startling array of RV's, campers and fifth-wheelers!

Collisions between vehicles and wildlife can be fatal, on either side of the equation, but obviously the animals come out far worse than the metal beasts that mow them down.

By about 2014, there were six completed overpasses in place.  

These are 50m wide "bridges" over the highway and have cost millions of dollars to build.  They are finished like the surrounding natural habitat with earth, plants and trees.

It can take years for large wildlife to feel safe to utilise these crossings, but motion-detecting cameras prove they do work.  One issue is that the animal has to walk up the crossing area, and he cannot see what is on the other side and so, of course, is naturally very wary.  Modifications may be made in future years to try and address this.

There will also be 39 underpasses, many of which are already put to extensive use.  Over 200,000 crossings have been recorded involving bears, wolves, elk and cougars.

A motion-detector camera took footage of a gorgeous lynx using an overpass.  A rare sighting indeed.


Years ago, when we were at the Park Gate paying our annual park pass fee, we were given a CD to play in the car.  It was aimed at the kids, telling the story from the animals' point of view - simply, for drivers to just slow down - and using different silly voices for the different species.  My girls were about 8 and 10 at the time and enjoyed listening to the stories.

We must have played that flipping CD about 10 times and even now, I could recite back to you the bear's comments!

But the gift of the CD has made us all so much aware of the vast efforts (and expense) that Parks Canada, highway agencies and environmentalists have made to mitigate the deaths of wildlife along this increasingly busy corridor through one of the most beautiful drives in the world.

Road Trip from Calgary to Vancouver

Mr. Frostbite and I took a road trip to Vancouver a couple of weeks ago.  We were taking Daughter Number One out there to go to School, so we hired a van and filled it with her random but essential belongings - like her bed, mattress, bookcase, a small sofa and numerous boxes of books! Due to an unusually early and unwelcome dump of snow in Calgary on October 2nd, we had been fretting about winter road conditions and lack of winter tyres on a rental vehicle, and how long it would take to drive just over 1000km across about four mountain ranges.

There was no need to worry in the end.  We somehow managed to pick THE most beautiful week of weather and had an amazing drive through spectacular country which was smack bang in the middle of an autumn colour frenzy.  I literally gasped about five times.

We were taking her car out there too, and while the three of us were supposed to swap around driving duties, she promptly fell asleep for many hours (nervous energy finally catching up I think) and my husband ended up doing the whole van journey on his own, while I drove her car and tried to listen to my music over her snoring!

The Alberta-British Columbia routes are simply stunning.

The central Shushwap Lake areas of BC were clear and gorgeous, and although it was October, you could almost be tempted to go for a swim.  Almost.

Vancouver was also showing off.  We had anticipated some of those grey west coast skies, but nope, we were served up more beautiful blue skies and lots of warm late Fall sunshine. 

And we popped down to a small coastal town called White Rock, which I suppose is really a suburb of the greater Vancouver area.

And all in all it was a gorgeous few days, which was good because it distracted me from bursting into tears as it finally became apparent that my baby has all grown up.

These photos are - all in all - very blue!

I have not died ...

I am still alive and kicking - and though the blog seems mostly dead, I wonder if I can resurrect it with a new post.  
One, two, three and breathe.  One, two three and breathe.

Is there a pulse?  Any sign of life?

The Frostbite and Sunburn family celebrated 11 years in Alberta this past May.  Daughter Number One is now 20 and Daughter Number Two is now 18.

The "About Me" narrative on the right hand side is a lie.  I am no longer a 40-something Brit, but have embraced my fifth decade with dual-citizenship, love, appreciation and another 20 lbs.  My husband was also 50 this past week, and life continues to be busy at work for both of us - and the rewards and challenges of children continue to morph as we all grow up.

We lost my fellow-author, Smudge, last year and all our hearts broke quite a bit.  This was him at Christmas - still bright-eyed but almost immobile.

The Honey Bear is still around, and is a calm loving dog who is way better behaved now as the solitary canine in the home.  I mean, all those cuddles for one dog is awesome.

So - whether to continue on this blog format, or to have a re-think and reincarnate myself?  Hmmmm.

Wave if you can feel my pulse! 

SkyWatch Friday - Alberta morn

An early morning Sunday drive highlights the summer beauty of the southern Alberta foothills.

As the Rockies give way to the Prairies, farms and farmland rule the landscape.

I post these photos for your interest, to show you my world - but selfishly too, as a reminder how gorgeous this place can be.  Mid-winter it can quickly lose it's charm and spectre in brutal temperatures, and grasses in ten shades of brown that convince you death has won, and nothing will ever be resurrected again.

But of course, the seasons bring about the thrill each May when the colour and new growth re-appear.

I admit to believing this land was pretty boring and barren when I first arrived.  No large trees, no hedges, no thatched cottages.  All I was used to from growing up in England.


Time has healed my first impressions.

Now, I relish the open landscapes and skies, and greedily breath in great lungfuls of space.

Happy SkyWatch Friday folks.

My World Tuesday - Cochrane Ranch, Alberta

Come with me as we take the dogs for a walk again.

This is the Cochrane Ranch, a 60 hectare park area owned and preserved by the Town of Cochrane - about 25km north west of Calgary, Alberta.

Say "howdy" to the Man of Vision, a huge bronze statue watching over the town of Cochrane. He is a little bit famous (if only in this wee town!) and has been subject to much scrutiny and comment in recent months as the Town tries to utilise this very traditional "western" image and re-invent itself with a new modern logo.

Our foothills prairie grassland extends over hills and pathways,with the Rockies a permanent point of snow-capped reference in the distance.

The last slivers of icy platforms are being carved away on a daily basis as Spring marches on. Not strong enough to hold a small nosey dog, as the soggy paw prints in the boot of my car will show.

It is an area perfect for walking, jogging and biking, or just strolling and is used year round, whether sun-drenched or snow-covered (or both). Summer kid's camps, family parties and BBQ's and the Saturday Farmer's Market will all arrive soon.

Wooden beams mark out the old foundations of the first cattle rancher's homes - they arrived in 1881 and set up camp.

Pictoral displays are made to tell the story of those early settlers ...

... though I suspect we are given a rather limited view of the effects on the native people in this area.

And while it is all still a bit brown and bland in this first week of April, the prairie crocus will be out soon, and the landscape will turn lush and green for the summer months.

A little glimpse of an area just 2km from my front door.

Have a great week folks.

For more MyWorld Tuesday pictures from around the world, click here.

Close to my home ...

And why I like where I live. Mostly.

These were taken at different times of the year, so the level of greenery or brown is tied to the season. Needless to say, by about March, I'm sick of brown grass (that's if you can see it, and it's not actually covered in the white, cold, slippy stuff!)

This one was taken in June - the Rockies still covered in lots of snow ...

This is in July - the heat haze blocks out the view of the Rockies - they are out there somewhere, honest ...

Taken early one morning last September - parts of the town and the foothills are obscured by the low lying mist ....

And this is during sunset in January. Note that the boring browns are flatteringly golden in the sunlight!

This was taken from the pathway where I often walk the dogs - around a golf course around a ravine that dips down to the Bow River below. The small dark straight line at the bottom left of the picture is the rail line that runs precariously close to the rivers edge in some places.

Taken last week from the big hill near our home (that I had mentioned previously from where the paragliders jump - I was trying to video my husband leaping off the hill but I buggered up the zoom for his little flight - sorry G - we'll try again next week!). My home is in the road to centre-left. It's amazing how much of the landscape can be obliterated by a bit of heat, but that field in the background is currently bright yellow.

And finally - this is a cloud. It is at the same level as the highway upon which we were driving. No, it's not fog, or mist - it is a proper cloud. The land beside the highway drops down considerably and this highway is rising at it travels northwest anyway - so we were literally driving alongside clouds. I had never seen anything like it - just wanted to reach out and grab a handful, then put it in a little jar to cleanse my face with later on - wonderful.