July 17 is Canada Parks Day and that got me thinking about Alberta’s many parks. Alberta has hundreds of parks and wilderness areas representing diverse landscapes and offering a variety of activities for people to enjoy.
The jaw-dropping scenery in Alberta’s wild spaces is a big attraction. Mountains, foothills, forests, grasslands, and strange rock formations – Alberta has it all. Even sand dunes! On the eastern side of the province is the Wainwright Dunes and in the northeast corner is the Athabasca Dunes Ecological Reserve which is part of the largest active sand dune system in Alberta.
Alberta’s lakes, reservoirs and rivers provide prime water sport opportunities. Wabumun Lake, Cold Lake and Waterton Reservoir are known for sailing and the province’s waterways provide a variety of boating, canoeing and kayaking routes. Many of Alberta’s lakes and rivers have outstanding fishing. Bow Valley Provincial Park has world-renowned trout fishing and the Oldman River and Kootenay Plains Provincial Recreation Areas contain over 30 species of fish. Alberta’s many lakes also mean many beaches. Two of the best are the beach at Sylvan Lake and Devonshire Beach on Lesser Slave Lake where they hold the annual Alberta Open Sandsculpture Championships.
Parks all over the province offer an endless variety of hiking trails. From meandering rivers and prairie that seems to go on forever, to forests that blanket much of the province, to mountain views and waterfalls, Alberta’s trails pass through all kinds of terrain and offer activity levels ranging from easy to more challenging.
Alberta’s parks are also home to an abundance of wildlife. Northern Alberta is known for amazing bird watching opportunities. Of the approximately 330 bird species in Alberta, 224 have been seen in Sir Winston Churchill Provincial Park, the threatened Trumpeter Swan can be found in Saskatoon Island Provincial Park and tiny songbirds migrate through the area around Lesser Slave Lake. Parks in the mountains, foothills, and prairies offer the chance to spy larger animals like bears, moose and cougars.
History can also be explored in Alberta’s parks. Writing-On-Stone Provincial Park contains hundreds of Aboriginal pictographs (paintings) and petroglyphs (carvings) and Dinosaur Provincial Park allows visitors to hike to world-famous dinosaur bonebeds and even participate in an authentic fossil dig.
When you want to escape to nature, where do you go? What are your favourite Alberta parks and wilderness areas? What is your favourite activity to do in Alberta’s parks? Let me know by making a comment at the bottom of the post.
Showing posts with label Rockies. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Rockies. Show all posts
Monday, July 12, 2010
Monday, June 28, 2010
Sights and Sounds of Scotland: Alberta's Highland Games
I’ve heard it said that there are two types of people in the world – those who are Scottish and those who wish they were. Alberta’s many Highland Games offer a chance for Scottish expats and those who wish they had Scottish blood to experience the sights and sounds of Scotland right here in Alberta. A visit to the Red Deer Highland Games this past weekend allowed me to be Scottish for a day.
Pipe and Drum Competitions
The sound of bag pipes stirs the Scottish part of my soul. So imagine my delight at being able to listen to pipe music for an entire day! Most Highland Games host pipe band and individual pipe and drum competitions. Even without understanding the intricacies of the judging, it’s a pleasure to listen to the musicians. One of my favourite things to do is to wander around the grounds and eavesdrop on the musicians warming up for the competition.
Highland Dance
A popular event for many spectators is the Highland Dance competitions where dancers perform the fling, sword dance, reel and other dances. You have to admire the skill and discipline it takes to make such hard work look effortless.
Heavy Events
The heavy events are real crowd pleasers. Events like the caber toss, hammer throw, putting the stone and throwing the weight showcase the competitors’ strength and accuracy.
Spectators watch in amazement as each competitor lifts a caber weighing over 100 pounds and throws it so that it flips end over end. The sheer power required to lift the caber is impressive, but the rules of the caber toss make the feat of strength even more impressive—the athletes are judged according to the accuracy of their throw (the ideal throw is one where the caber lands in a 12 o’clock position to the thrower).
I’m fascinated by the event called throwing the weight for height. Its mild-mannered name belies the danger. Athletes must throw 28, 42 or 56 pound weights (depending on the category) over a bar with one hand. The catch is that the bar is directly above their head and is usually over 10 feet high! Watch the video below.
One-of-a-Kind Events
In addition to traditional events such as dancing and piping, some Highland Games offer events you might not expect.
The Grand Prairie Highland Games opens with a ceremonial Haggis Hurl. Female competitors stand on an upturned metal barrel and throw a haggis to their male partners. An annual tradition at the Calgary Highland Games is a soccer match between “Scotland” and “England. The Red Deer Highland Games is the only Alberta event to have a shortbread competition. After judging, the shortbread is sold to eagerly waiting fans (including me).
Massed Bands
There is no debate about what most people say is the highlight of the Highland Games—the massed bands performance. The sight of all the pipe bands marching down the field in unison combined with the extraordinary sound of that many pipes and drums takes your breath away.
Pipe and Drum Competitions
The sound of bag pipes stirs the Scottish part of my soul. So imagine my delight at being able to listen to pipe music for an entire day! Most Highland Games host pipe band and individual pipe and drum competitions. Even without understanding the intricacies of the judging, it’s a pleasure to listen to the musicians. One of my favourite things to do is to wander around the grounds and eavesdrop on the musicians warming up for the competition.
Highland Dance
A popular event for many spectators is the Highland Dance competitions where dancers perform the fling, sword dance, reel and other dances. You have to admire the skill and discipline it takes to make such hard work look effortless.
Heavy Events
The heavy events are real crowd pleasers. Events like the caber toss, hammer throw, putting the stone and throwing the weight showcase the competitors’ strength and accuracy.
Spectators watch in amazement as each competitor lifts a caber weighing over 100 pounds and throws it so that it flips end over end. The sheer power required to lift the caber is impressive, but the rules of the caber toss make the feat of strength even more impressive—the athletes are judged according to the accuracy of their throw (the ideal throw is one where the caber lands in a 12 o’clock position to the thrower).
I’m fascinated by the event called throwing the weight for height. Its mild-mannered name belies the danger. Athletes must throw 28, 42 or 56 pound weights (depending on the category) over a bar with one hand. The catch is that the bar is directly above their head and is usually over 10 feet high! Watch the video below.
One-of-a-Kind Events
In addition to traditional events such as dancing and piping, some Highland Games offer events you might not expect.
The Grand Prairie Highland Games opens with a ceremonial Haggis Hurl. Female competitors stand on an upturned metal barrel and throw a haggis to their male partners. An annual tradition at the Calgary Highland Games is a soccer match between “Scotland” and “England. The Red Deer Highland Games is the only Alberta event to have a shortbread competition. After judging, the shortbread is sold to eagerly waiting fans (including me).
Massed Bands
There is no debate about what most people say is the highlight of the Highland Games—the massed bands performance. The sight of all the pipe bands marching down the field in unison combined with the extraordinary sound of that many pipes and drums takes your breath away.
Whether you’re Scottish or just wish you were, enjoy the sights and sounds of Scotland at these Alberta Highland Games:
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