12-Hour Road Trip

How much can you experience in 12 hours?  For the last couple of weeks I kept dreaming up a magic outing, a day to explore, to play, to not worry about a thing.  At first I thought I might go up to Nose Hill Coulee for some photos.  Then I thought maybe go to High River, maybe spend the night.  Then, why not just keep going further?  No hiking to tire me out (or take up time), so I could just drive and drive.  And drive I did.  Drive to survive at times it seemed.  Going around a bend at 120km/hr, I was surprised by a snowbank sitting in the middle of the road - taking up the entire width of the road and probably 100m in length.  The rest had been dry.  So through I went, and swerved, and swerved, and swerved from one side to another.  Back and forth.  All I cared about was not hitting the guard rail.  And I made it through.  A wind warning was in effect, but that was supposed to die down a few hours later.

There were a lot of little treasures down just southwest of the city.  I tried out a new road from High River to Longview - one that was supposed to lead me to the Beef Jerky Shop a little quicker.  It would have been quicker had it not been for the many distractions - circling eagles, snowy cows, tractors driving on the road, and a painted community hall.  At the south end of Hwy 22 I made an impromptu side exit to Lundbreck Falls.  What fierce wind there was.  Then stopped at the windmills, but more snow drifts prevented me from getting too close.

Pincher Creek I'd only ever driven through on the highway, so I headed for Main Street this time.  Atop a hill stood a red mansion, deserted it seemed, with three storeys plus basement.  Having just thought about getting more into urban exploration, I felt this place would be ideal.  It stood there like a ghost villa and I wanted to go in to explore and snap photos.  A sign statting "Visitors Welcome" was at the front, as well as a lone car.  The door was open, and one could go in.  "What is the nature of your visit today?" a woman asked.  Um, I just want to snoop through this house and take photos.  "Yes, you may".  The Lebel Mansion is was built in 1910 and served as a private residence until 1924.  Then it was turned over to the nuns and acted as a hospital for 30 years.  In 1976 it was designated a historic resource.
Waterton was the grand experience.  Park fees are waived; this should be a sign as to its popularity in winter.  The only two open hotels also offer a second night free; this is likely another sign of the park's popularity in winter.  Main Street was impassable.  I was bombarded with snow in the form of snow drifts and whiteouts.  Put the car in reverse and go another way I suppose.  The RCMP station was snowed in, and the fire station was snowed in.  The gas station was closed for the season, as was everything else.  Half of the town was inaccessible.  The most life I saw came in the form of deer, who either had no clue what a car and humans are to be so tame, or wanted food.  I just got my pictures of him.

The Akamina Parkway was good, and at the end stood an enclosed picnic hut stocked with firewood for the stove.  That would be a nice spot to spend more time and snowshoe up to Cameron Lake ... in slightly less frigid weather.  But the real highlight (lowlight) of my day was going to the marina to get a shot of the Prince of Wales Hotel.  It was amongst the fiercest weather I've experiences.  Blowing snow, windchill nearing -40ºC, and ice.  I feel and got back up.  Then I fell again, banging my head on the pavement, bouncing back up, hearing a loud echo and I think I screamed.  Was it a concussion?  I felt a little weird, but was able to get up.  Sat in the car, had some hot chocolate and kept going.  Then as I was going to take another photo I realized my camera had taken a beating.  At the front was lots of shattered glass.  I don't think I felt anything anymore at that time, but was relieved to find that it's likely just the UV filter that took the real beating.  There's little specs on the coating of the lens, nothing that I see impacting image quality yet (but only have a few landscape shots from after the fact).  I'll have to check it to make sure I don't get images blurry on a side, which would indicate internally shifted lens elements.  And I most certainly can't get the UV filter ring off as the front's all dented.  Please just let the $800 lens be ok.  It's gotten a lot stiffer, especially in the 50-200mm range.  Sigh, my baby's hurting.

Another of the day's rewards came on Hwy 5 from Waterton to Cardston.  Total blue sky was a first for the day, and the views over to Chief Mountain were spectacular.  Snow blowing across the road made for more pretty scenes, and the temple in Cardston was quite a sight as well.  Onwards an upwards, more wind gusts continued up to Fort Macleod, but I stayed on the road.  Then a mini blizzard from High River to Okotoks.

It's only been 12 hours, but I feel like I experienced so much more.  I loved getting away from it all, and primarily just seing a handful of cars all day.  It was quiet and peaceful, even with the unpredictable and ever-changing weather.  Waterton is a whole new place in winter, one that hold a lot of magical rewards if you're looking for an escape.  One day I'll stay longer and just curl up in front of a fire as winter blasts away.

Update:  I've been getting some feedback on my camera lens, and it's not looking too good.  The stiffness is a concern with the gears inside.  This is my most-used lens, so I don't want it to zonk out on me, nor do I want to send it in for lengthy repairs.  If this will be an expensive fix, I guess my macro lens will have to go back.  I'm really bummed about this now as I need my camera with me on a daily basis.  We're buddies now.