Road trip N and NW of Calgary, 4 October 2017

Yesterday, when I stopped to look, and see for myself, the burnt remains of the old McDougall Church, this Common Raven flew in and perched on the roof of a small building next to the church. It stayed there till the moment I left, almost as if it was the protector of the church, even though it was now in blackened ruins. Or maybe it was just keeping me company during this sad time. On 22 May 2017, this beautiful, historic church was burned to the ground by an arsonist. Such a very sad loss! Yesterday, 4 October 2017, I finally made the drive to witness the charred remains for myself. Such a sad sight to see the burnt outer walls, knowing that that was all that was left of this special little church that was almost as old as Canada itself. I loved this little country church, especially the long, photogenic fence line leading up to it from the parking lot. The church was built in Carpenter's Gothic style of architecture. A sign at the opposite end of the pathway had the following words on it: "The historic church at the end of this pathway was constructed in 1875. At that time, native people were still hunting bison on the prairies. The young nation of Canada was only eight years old; the Canadian Pacific Railway still nine years in the future. And this church would become the heart of a thriving community, Morleyville, and for a time the largest settlement in what would be southern Alberta. The story of this church is really the story of Rev. George McDougall who moved to western Canada with his family in 1862 to minister to the fur traders and native people. In 1873, the McDougalls established the first mission in the region and built this church. In doing so, they wrote an important chapter of Alberta's settlement history". After George McDougall's tragic death in a snowstorm, his body was brought back to the church at Morleyville and laid to rest. www.historicplaces.ca/en/rep-reg/place-lieu.aspx?id=8788 en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morley,_Alberta This was my final stopping point towards the end of a day of driving NW of the city yesterday, 4 October 2017. My intention had been to drive some of the back roads a bit further north of where I have been two or three times before, almost as far as Olds, but after finding myself on a couple of muddy, slushy, potholed country roads caused by our recent snow storm, I decided not to risk driving on any others. I ended up stopping and photographing a couple of my absolute favourite barns that I had seen a couple of times before, and was happy to see again.

I wish I knew more about cloud formations, but I think these may be lenticular clouds. It was such a beautiful sky, looking westwards from the grounds of the burnt remains of the McDougall Church. On 22 May 2017, this beautiful, historic church was burned to the ground by an arsonist. Such a very sad loss! Yesterday, 4 October 2017, I finally made the drive to witness the charred remains for myself. Such a sad sight to see the burnt outer walls, knowing that that was all that was left of this special little church that was almost as old as Canada itself. I loved this little country church, especially the long, photogenic fence line leading up to it from the parking lot. The church was built in Carpenter's Gothic style of architecture. A sign at the opposite end of the pathway had the following words on it: "The historic church at the end of this pathway was constructed in 1875. At that time, native people were still hunting bison on the prairies. The young nation of Canada was only eight years old; the Canadian Pacific Railway still nine years in the future. And this church would become the heart of a thriving community, Morleyville, and for a time the largest settlement in what would be southern Alberta. The story of this church is really the story of Rev. George McDougall who moved to western Canada with his family in 1862 to minister to the fur traders and native people. In 1873, the McDougalls established the first mission in the region and built this church. In doing so, they wrote an important chapter of Alberta's settlement history". After George McDougall's tragic death in a snowstorm, his body was brought back to the church at Morleyville and laid to rest. www.historicplaces.ca/en/rep-reg/place-lieu.aspx?id=8788 en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morley,_Alberta This was my final stopping point towards the end of a day of driving NW of the city yesterday, 4 October 2017. My intention had been to drive some of the back roads a bit further north of where I have been two or three times before, almost as far as Olds, but after finding myself on a couple of muddy, slushy, potholed country roads caused by our recent snow storm, I decided not to risk driving on any others. I ended up stopping and photographing a couple of my absolute favourite barns that I had seen a couple of times before, and was happy to see again.

On 22 May 2017, this beautiful, historic church was burned to the ground by an arsonist. Such a very sad loss! Yesterday, 4 October 2017, I finally made the drive to witness the charred remains for myself. Such a sad sight to see the burnt outer walls, knowing that that was all that was left of this special little church that was almost as old as Canada itself. I loved this little country church, especially the long, photogenic fence line leading up to it from the parking lot. The church was built in Carpenter's Gothic style of architecture. A sign had the following words on it: "The historic church at the end of this pathway was constructed in 1875. At that time, native people were still hunting bison on the prairies. The young nation of Canada was only eight years old; the Canadian Pacific Railway still nine years in the future. And this church would become the heart of a thriving community, Morleyville, and for a time the largest settlement in what would be southern Alberta. The story of this church is really the story of Rev. George McDougall who moved to western Canada with his family in 1862 to minister to the fur traders and native people. In 1873, the McDougalls established the first mission in the region and built this church. In doing so, they wrote an important chapter of Alberta's settlement history". After George McDougall's tragic death in a snowstorm, his body was brought back to the church at Morleyville and laid to rest. www.historicplaces.ca/en/rep-reg/place-lieu.aspx?id=8788 en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morley,_Alberta This was my final stopping point towards the end of a day of driving NW of the city. My intention had been to drive some of the back roads a bit further north of where I have been two or three times before, almost as far as Olds, but after finding myself on a couple of muddy, slushy, potholed country roads caused by our recent snow storm, I decided not to risk driving on any others. I ended up stopping and photographing a couple of my absolute favourite barns that I had seen a couple of times before, and was happy to see again.

My intention two days ago, on 4 October 2017, had been to drive some of the back roads a bit further north of where I have been two or three times before, almost as far as Olds. However, after finding myself on a couple of muddy, slushy, potholed country roads caused by our recent snow storm, I decided not to risk driving on any others. I ended up stopping and photographing a couple of my absolute favourite barns that I had seen a couple of times before, and was happy to see again. I first discovered the old barn in this photo - or is it a homestead? - on 28 October 2014. My final stopping point towards the end of a day of driving N and NW of the city, was at the site where the McDougall Memorial United Church had stood. On 22 May 2017, this beautiful, historic church was burned to the ground by an arsonist. Such a very sad loss! Such a sad sight to see the burnt outer walls, knowing that that was all that was left of this special little church that was almost as old as Canada itself. I loved this little country church, especially the long, photogenic fence line leading up to it from the parking lot. The church was built in Carpenter's Gothic style of architecture. A sign had the following words on it: "The historic church at the end of this pathway was constructed in 1875. At that time, native people were still hunting bison on the prairies. The young nation of Canada was only eight years old; the Canadian Pacific Railway still nine years in the future. And this church would become the heart of a thriving community, Morleyville, and for a time the largest settlement in what would be southern Alberta. The story of this church is really the story of Rev. George McDougall who moved to western Canada with his family in 1862 to minister to the fur traders and native people. In 1873, the McDougalls established the first mission in the region and built this church. In doing so, they wrote an important chapter of Alberta's settlement history". After George McDougall's tragic death in a snowstorm, his body was brought back to the church at Morleyville and laid to rest. www.historicplaces.ca/en/rep-reg/place-lieu.aspx?id=8788 en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morley,_Alberta An enjoyable day out - a barn day, not a birding/wildlife day. I think the only birds I noticed were the usual Ravens. Seeing that snow is once again in our forecast in a few more days, I wanted to get this drive done while the weather was still decent. Today, the temperature is 16C with a heavily overcast sky. A day for hopefully getting a few errands run, and not taking photos.

On 22 May 2017, this beautiful, historic church was burned to the ground by an arsonist. Such a very sad loss! Three days ago, on 4 October 2017, I finally made the drive to witness the charred remains for myself. Such a sad sight to see the burnt outer walls, knowing that that was all that was left of this special little church that was almost as old as Canada itself. I loved this little country church, especially the long, photogenic fence line leading up to it from the parking lot. The church was built in Carpenter's Gothic style of architecture. A sign had the following words on it: I have added a previously posted photo in a comment box below. "The historic church at the end of this pathway was constructed in 1875. At that time, native people were still hunting bison on the prairies. The young nation of Canada was only eight years old; the Canadian Pacific Railway still nine years in the future. And this church would become the heart of a thriving community, Morleyville, and for a time the largest settlement in what would be southern Alberta. The story of this church is really the story of Rev. George McDougall who moved to western Canada with his family in 1862 to minister to the fur traders and native people. In 1873, the McDougalls established the first mission in the region and built this church. In doing so, they wrote an important chapter of Alberta's settlement history". After George McDougall's tragic death in a snowstorm, his body was brought back to the church at Morleyville and laid to rest. www.historicplaces.ca/en/rep-reg/place-lieu.aspx?id=8788 en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morley,_Alberta This was my final stopping point towards the end of a day of driving N and NW of the city. My intention had been to drive some of the back roads a bit further north of where I have been two or three times before, almost as far as Olds. However, after finding myself on a couple of muddy, slushy, potholed country roads caused by our recent snow storm, I decided not to risk driving on any others. I ended up stopping and photographing two of my absolute favourite barns that I had seen a couple of times before, and was happy to see again. Total drive distance was 369 km. A beautiful, sunny, fall day for such a trip.

My intention on 4 October 2017 had been to drive some of the back roads a bit further north of where I have been two or three times before, almost as far as Olds. However, after finding myself on a couple of muddy, slushy, potholed country roads caused by our recent snow storm, I decided not to risk driving on any others. I ended up stopping and photographing a couple of my absolute favourite barns that I had seen a couple of times before, and was happy to see again. I first discovered the old barn in this photo - or is it a homestead? - on 28 October 2014. Good to see that it is being taken care of, with its new roof. My final stopping point towards the end of a day of driving N and NW of the city, was at the site where the McDougall Memorial United Church had stood. On 22 May 2017, this beautiful, historic church was burned to the ground by an arsonist. Such a very sad loss! Such a sad sight to see the burnt outer walls, knowing that that was all that was left of this special little church that was almost as old as Canada itself. I loved this little country church, especially the long, photogenic fence line leading up to it from the parking lot. The church was built in Carpenter's Gothic style of architecture. A sign had the following words on it: "The historic church at the end of this pathway was constructed in 1875. At that time, native people were still hunting bison on the prairies. The young nation of Canada was only eight years old; the Canadian Pacific Railway still nine years in the future. And this church would become the heart of a thriving community, Morleyville, and for a time the largest settlement in what would be southern Alberta. The story of this church is really the story of Rev. George McDougall who moved to western Canada with his family in 1862 to minister to the fur traders and native people. In 1873, the McDougalls established the first mission in the region and built this church. In doing so, they wrote an important chapter of Alberta's settlement history". After George McDougall's tragic death in a snowstorm, his body was brought back to the church at Morleyville and laid to rest. www.historicplaces.ca/en/rep-reg/place-lieu.aspx?id=8788 en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morley,_Alberta An enjoyable day out - a barn day, not a birding/wildlife day. I think the only birds I noticed were the usual Ravens. Seeing that snow was once again in our forecast in a few more days, I wanted to get this drive done while the weather was still decent. Today, 13 October 2017, the temperature around noon is 0C (windchill -3C) with a heavily overcast sky. Snow flurries are in the forecast for this afternoon, but I don't know if that is going to happen.

My intention on 4 October 2017 had been to drive some of the back roads a bit further north of where I have been two or three times before, almost as far as Olds. However, after finding myself on a couple of muddy, slushy, potholed country roads caused by our recent snow storm, I decided not to risk driving on any others. I ended up stopping and photographing a couple of my absolute favourite barns that I had seen a couple of times before, and was happy to see again. I don't remember photographing the barn in this photo before. My final stopping point towards the end of a day of driving N and NW of the city, was at the site where the McDougall Memorial United Church had stood. On 22 May 2017, this beautiful, historic church was burned to the ground by an arsonist. Such a very sad loss! Such a sad sight to see the burnt outer walls, knowing that that was all that was left of this special little church that was almost as old as Canada itself. I loved this little country church, especially the long, photogenic fence line leading up to it from the parking lot. The church was built in Carpenter's Gothic style of architecture. A sign had the following words on it: "The historic church at the end of this pathway was constructed in 1875. At that time, native people were still hunting bison on the prairies. The young nation of Canada was only eight years old; the Canadian Pacific Railway still nine years in the future. And this church would become the heart of a thriving community, Morleyville, and for a time the largest settlement in what would be southern Alberta. The story of this church is really the story of Rev. George McDougall who moved to western Canada with his family in 1862 to minister to the fur traders and native people. In 1873, the McDougalls established the first mission in the region and built this church. In doing so, they wrote an important chapter of Alberta's settlement history". After George McDougall's tragic death in a snowstorm, his body was brought back to the church at Morleyville and laid to rest. www.historicplaces.ca/en/rep-reg/place-lieu.aspx?id=8788 en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morley,_Alberta An enjoyable day out - a barn day, not a birding/wildlife day. I think the only birds I noticed were the usual Ravens. Seeing that snow was once again in our forecast in a few more days, I wanted to get this drive done while the weather was still decent.

My intention on 4 October 2017 had been to drive some of the back roads a bit further north of where I have been two or three times before, almost as far as Olds. However, after finding myself on a couple of muddy, slushy, potholed country roads caused by our recent snow storm, I decided not to risk driving on any others. I ended up stopping and photographing a couple of my absolute favourite barns that I had seen twice before, and was happy to see again. The fine old barn in this photo is one of my absolute favourites. I first saw it on 28 October 2014. In fact, it was after seeing a photo of it somewhere on the Internet, that I was determined to drive unfamiliar roads to find it. Photo was taken from the road. An interesting link, with the information below, that answers the question: "WHY ARE BARNS USUALLY PAINTED RED?" home.howstuffworks.com/question635.htm "If you've ever driven through a rural area, it's likely that you've seen the red barns that speckle the farming landscape. There are several theories as to why barns are painted red. Centuries ago, European farmers would seal the wood on their barns with an oil, often linseed oil -- a tawny-colored oil derived from the seed of the flax plant. They would paint their barns with a linseed-oil mixture, often consisting of additions such as milk and lime. The combination produced a long-lasting paint that dried and hardened quickly. (Today, linseed oil is sold in most home-improvement stores as a wood sealant). Now, where does the red come from? In historically accurate terms, "barn red" is not the bright, fire-engine red that we often see today, but more of a burnt-orange red. As to how the oil mixture became traditionally red, there are two predominant theories. One is that wealthy farmers added blood from a recent slaughter to the oil mixture. As the paint dried, it turned from a bright red to a darker, burnt red. The other is that farmers added ferrous oxide, otherwise known as rust, to the oil mixture. Rust was plentiful on farms and is a poison to many fungi, including mold and moss, which were known to grown on barns. These fungi would trap moisture in the wood, increasing decay. Regardless of how the farmer tinted his paint, having a red barn became a fashionable thing. They were a sharp contrast to the traditional white farmhouse. As European settlers crossed over to America, they brought with them the tradition of red barns. In the mid to late 1800s, as paints began to be produced with chemical pigments, red paint was the most inexpensive to buy. Red was the color of favor until whitewash became cheaper, at which point white barns began to spring up. Today, the color of barns can vary, often depending on how the barns are used." My final stopping point towards the end of a day of driving N and NW of the city, was at the site where the McDougall Memorial United Church had stood. On 22 May 2017, this beautiful, historic church was burned to the ground by an arsonist. Such a very sad loss! Such a sad sight to see the burnt outer walls, knowing that that was all that was left of this special little church that was almost as old as Canada itself. I loved this little country church, especially the long, photogenic fence line leading up to it from the parking lot. The church was built in Carpenter's Gothic style of architecture. A sign had the following words on it: "The historic church at the end of this pathway was constructed in 1875. At that time, native people were still hunting bison on the prairies. The young nation of Canada was only eight years old; the Canadian Pacific Railway still nine years in the future. And this church would become the heart of a thriving community, Morleyville, and for a time the largest settlement in what would be southern Alberta. The story of this church is really the story of Rev. George McDougall who moved to western Canada with his family in 1862 to minister to the fur traders and native people. In 1873, the McDougalls established the first mission in the region and built this church. In doing so, they wrote an important chapter of Alberta's settlement history". After George McDougall's tragic death in a snowstorm, his body was brought back to the church at Morleyville and laid to rest. www.historicplaces.ca/en/rep-reg/place-lieu.aspx?id=8788 en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morley,_Alberta An enjoyable day out - a barn day, not a birding/wildlife day. I think the only birds I noticed were the usual Ravens. Seeing that snow was once again in our forecast in a few more days, I wanted to get this drive done while the weather was still decent.

My intention on 4 October 2017 had been to drive some of the back roads a bit further north of where I have been two or three times before, almost as far as Olds. However, after finding myself on a couple of muddy, slushy, potholed country roads caused by our recent snow storm, I decided not to risk driving on any others. I ended up stopping and photographing two of my absolute favourite barns that I had seen a couple of times before, and was happy to see again. I first discovered the old barn in this photo - or is it a homestead? - on 28 October 2014. Good to see that it is being taken care of, with its new roof. My final stopping point towards the end of a day of driving N and NW of the city, was at the site where the McDougall Memorial United Church had once stood. On 22 May 2017, this beautiful, historic church was burned to the ground by an arsonist. Such a very sad loss! It was a sad sight to see the burnt outer walls, knowing that that was all that was left of this special little church that was almost as old as Canada itself. I loved this little country church, especially the long, photogenic fence line leading up to it from the parking lot. The church was built in Carpenter's Gothic style of architecture. A sign had the following words on it: "The historic church at the end of this pathway was constructed in 1875. At that time, native people were still hunting bison on the prairies. The young nation of Canada was only eight years old; the Canadian Pacific Railway still nine years in the future. And this church would become the heart of a thriving community, Morleyville, and for a time the largest settlement in what would be southern Alberta. The story of this church is really the story of Rev. George McDougall who moved to western Canada with his family in 1862 to minister to the fur traders and native people. In 1873, the McDougalls established the first mission in the region and built this church. In doing so, they wrote an important chapter of Alberta's settlement history". After George McDougall's tragic death in a snowstorm, his body was brought back to the church at Morleyville and laid to rest. www.historicplaces.ca/en/rep-reg/place-lieu.aspx?id=8788 en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morley,_Alberta An enjoyable day out - a barn day, not a birding/wildlife day. I think the only birds I noticed were the usual Ravens. Seeing that snow was once again in our forecast in a few more days, I wanted to get this drive done while the weather was still decent. Today, 2 March 2018, the temperature this morning is -10C (windchill -15C) and we are having another snowstorm. Snow is in the forecast for the rest of the day. Definitely a day to stay off the roads, but unfortunately I have a doctor's appointment.