Backroads Beauty
One thing Terry and I like to do when we’re out for a drive is check out random roads on the way .
I grew up in a family that went for ‘Sunday drives’. I think I got the love of driving from those weekly trips we took out into the county.
My parents loved to go ‘antiquing’ so we would also stop along the way for a quick stop into an antique store out in the country and we children would learn to love shopping for treasures as well.
I remember our singing in 5 part harmony (6 if Mum joined in) in the back seat as we looked out the windows and enjoyed the scenery. I daydreamed about dancing through the fields or being able to run as fast as a car. I looked up at the clouds and like most children, had fun turning the shapes into objects or creatures found below. “Look at the rabbit!” “I see an elephant!”
Now I have to respect our safety when I’m driving and either pull over when I see an amazing scene before me or ask Terry to take a photo of the clouds and countryside.
Our ‘Barrhead day’ was a glorious example of the beauty of our Alberta skies.
We saw many bee farming homesteads, old barns, and the puffiest, whitest clouds ever.
If the day is ours and we have the time, it is fun to just pick a road (we generally don’t choose gravel roads)and see what we can see. When we have travelled abroad we’ve seen some incredible things this way. I’ll never forget the time we chose an unplanned for road and that ended in a huge cliff that overlooked a massive pod of whales swimming below. Magical!
We discovered the tiny “Peanut Lake” on our drive, a typical Alberta lake we would say. Shallow, a bit mucky at the shore, but pretty and pristine as far you can see.
We found a homestead with its own grain elevator and came upon the most wonderful scene of cows crossing a stream. I think I will paint one of those images.
When we returned to town we remembered that our restaurants were opened again. YAY! So we treated ourselves to a “Friday night date” meal at Joey’s . Our humus ‘appie’ and chicken lettuce wraps were delish!
I’m glad we’re trying to find time to go on a weekly adventure. Try it! It’s a great way to relax and see a part of your local area that you might never have noticed before.
