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Driving Alberta’s Cowboy Highway
A few weeks ago we had a choice. We could drive a section of Alberta’s Cowboy Highway (Highway 22) from the Calgary area to Pincher Creek en route to Waterton Lakes National Park or drive the main north-south Highway 2.
Hands down the Cowboy Highway is a more interesting drive.
Early morning light over the fields
The folks at Travel Alberta seem to be the ones that came up with the name – very apropos considering the highway follows the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains and passes through a whole lot of ranch and cowboy country.
The section I’ve driven so far is the one between Millarville and the Crowsnest Highway (Highway 3). Because of its proximity to the mountains you get wonderful cloud formations. The topography is more interesting too. Rolling hills with a Rocky Mountain backdrop are hard to beat. Throw in loads of raptors – we saw at least fifty hawks on our drive -plus cows, horses, deer and fox and I think you’ll find the drive to be both stimulating and beautiful. The miles pass very quickly.
Early morning fog along the highway
Gorgeous morning light on the fields
Big skies with wild cloud formations
More wild clouds and big winds
Its haying season
Heading south on the Cowboy Highway
Windmills on the horizon as you approach Pincher Creek
Do you have a favourite quiet highway you like to drive?
This is my submission to Travel Photo Thursday at Budget Travelers Sandbox, a website where Nancie offers a chance every Thursday for fellow travelers to post their favourite photos.
Leigh McAdam
HikeBikeTravel
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About Hike Bike TravelAvid world traveler. Craves adventure - & the odd wildly epic day. Gardener. Reader. Wine lover. Next big project - a book on 100 Canadian outdoor adventures.
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27 Responses to Driving Alberta’s Cowboy Highway
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About
I’ve been all over the world – to all continents but Antarctica and to a grand total of 53 countries. I’ve always got some sort of an adventure planned – even if it’s only a weekend. I thrive on change and travel provides that.
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leighmcadamtravels at gmail dot com
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Love Waterton Lakes; it’s a great camping site! Kananaskis Highway is a favorite. US highway 128 outside Moab, Utah should be on everyone’s bucket list.
@Jani I fully agree about the backroad to Moab. I have driven it several times and just love it!!
What a beautiful and peaceful drive, Leigh. This is quite a contrast to pictures I’ve seen, albeit mostly of National Parks, of Alberta. I love those shots with the hay. My favorite quiet highway is the backroad to the wine country area here in San Diego especially this time of the year with all the grapes out.
Mary @ The World Is A Book recently posted..Jewel in the Rough: Mission San Juan Capistrano
@Mary It’s not all spires and rocks and peaks in Alberta. I have fallen in love with the BIG skies and I appreciate the beauty of the ranching country.
Your photos show a stunning drive Leigh. I love the first photo of the early morning light and the fog photos….quite surreal.
jenny@atasteoftravel recently posted..Wildflowers of the West
Jenny – It was a wonderful early morning for a drive. I just wish we’d had more time to stop and get better photos. Most of them were shot from a moving car.
Looks like you made the right choice! Wonderful pictures, Leigh. The yellows and orange colors are amazing.
Debbie Beardsley @ European Travelista recently posted..Erfurt’s Krämerbrücke
@Debbie The lighting was pretty nice first thing in the morning.
Look at those colors! So rich, the contrasts so striking! I love the second photo, and the first and the third, and the – ooh, I love them all. Would love to drive Cowboy Highway.
InsideJourneys recently posted..St. Andrew Parish Courthouse Jamaica
That’s my kind of highway. I like the back roads through Amish country in the rolling hills of northeastern Ohio, and a road we took across the western edge of Oregon ranch country–not unlike this road for scenery.
Vera Marie Badertscher recently posted..Capturing the Travel Seasons
@Vera I love the sound of Amish country. Unfortunately I’ve only seen the interstate in Oregon- a situation I’ll have to rectify at some point.
wow awesome landscapes! I didn’t think parts of Canada looked like that. Maybe that’s just the dumb American in me though.
Jeremy recently posted..Exploring Colonial Manila!
@Jeremy I could just agree with you but that wouldn’t be polite. Alberta alone has a remarkable diversity of scenery.
That is a gorgeous! I would love to do this road trip.
Margaret recently posted..Weekly photo challenge: near and far (Death Valley, 2002)
Margaret – I guess it’s time to plan an Alberta trip.
What a gorgeous drive! Love the light in that first photo.
Nancie recently posted..Travel Photo Thursday — September 13, 2012 — Another View from Prague’s Old Town Square
@Nancie It was a treat.
Cowboy highway? What a cool name. And your pics are gorgeous! Some kind of remind me of Texas/New Mexico – except we don’t have those pretty mountains here
Sabrina recently posted..Brittany Holidays: Delicious Food in Lesconil
Sabrina – it’s a great name isn’t it! I love driving the back roads of Texas and New Mexico too.
A Western Canadian road trip is very high on the list. Love the horses at sunrise, all the early morning scenes actually. Beautiful!
Sophie recently posted..A Window on Bodmin Moor
@Sophie And how about being on a horse at sunrise. That would be a beautiful time to be out.
Oh these colors and images!! By now you should know that I love all your posts, but this one is magical. . .the way you captured both the color and the landscapes is fabulous.
Jackie Smith recently posted..TPThursday Capturing The Four Seasons
@Hjackie – Thanks for that wonderful comment. You made me day.
I love how expansive the sky is and the shots where you show the light rays streaming down. Unfortunately, I fall asleep on long road trips. So, my husband won’t let me drive (LOL), and I never see the scenery.
Michele @ Malaysian Meanders recently posted..Pangkor Laut: An Island Spa Paradise
Michele – This was first thing in the morning so I bet you would have been wide awake to enjoy the scenery.
Interesting cloud formations! I bet the drive passed by quickly with all the beautiful scenery distracting you from the time. Good luck with future travels! Thanks for the tips on Alberta’s Cowboy Highway.
Lauren@GreenGlobalTrvl recently posted..The Cherokee County Indian Festival: Our Favorite Georgia Pow Wow
@Lauren The drive is only a few hours long; it’s particularly lovely if you can drive it in summer when the storm clouds are building.