Anne Elliott's photos with the keyword: taken from gravel road

Three days ago, on 17 September 2017, after noticing snowflake icons in the weather forecast for Calgary this week, I decided I would do a drive east and north-east of Calgary. In 2016, I had done a similar drive with my daughter, but this time I did not go as far as Drumheller. Actually, I still drove quite a bit further than I had intended - 346 km, 215 miles. If I had had enough self-discipline, I would have left home much earlier, as it was 11:20 am when I finally got into my car. My intention was to drive a few back roads, searching for old barns. Most of my drive was on highways, simply for the purpose of saving time, so it wasn't till I was more or less at the furthest point that I actually saw a barn. In particular, I wanted to pay another visit to the old grain elevator at Sharples, along with the old barn that is close by. If I had known that I would end up driving this far, I would have looked at a map to see where to turn, as I couldn't see a sign pointing to this old grain elevator, so it took me a while to find the hilly, gravel road leading to it. By this time, unfortunately, there was a haze over the landscape and the light was far from good. Having driven so far, I was determined to take photos. As with any beautiful old elevator or barn, it will be a sad day when this elevator and barn finally collapse. "The Elevator is marked P&H. This company, Parrish & Heimbecker, was one of the smaller players in the Canadian grain industry with a fewer number of elevators seen when compared to the big boys like UGG (United Grain Growers), Pioneer and the Alberta Wheat Pool (“The Pool”). Interestingly, each elevator company used specific colours on their structures making identifying them a fairly easy task. P&H mostly used either silver like what’s seen here, or a light yellow-ish colour – most other companies stuck to one colour. The elevator here was built just after the rail line was opened (early 1920s) and the large annex attached was added some twenty years later. An annex like this was a quick and easy way to increase capacity and a large elevator allowed for more efficient loading of rail cars. While solid looking, the building is succumbing to the elements. The siding in particular is starting to peeling away. There used to be a second elevator here, an AWP, Alberta Wheat Pool built late 1920s, that was torn down in the 1980s." From the link below that leads to an excellent site by Chris and Connie "bigdoer". www.bigdoer.com/461/exploring-history/sharples-alberta-gh... While I was standing there, taking photos of the grain elevator and the old barn, a farmer came down to the gravel road on his tractor (?) and stopped to have a pleasant chat. I guess I could have asked for permission to walk closer to the barn, but it is not on his property. Anyway, I never go close to barns or go inside, as I never ask for permission. That doesn't stop a lot of photographers, but I can't do it, and their actions give all photographers a bad name. This barn is next to the road, fortunately. I told this pleasant man that I felt like I was in the middle of nowhere, and he said that we WERE in the middle of nowhere, ha. I was planning to go back the same way I had come, but he told me that there was an old house the other way, that people photograph. That changed my mind, though I knew I would continue to feel in the middle of nowhere - as is seen in this photo, taken from the gravel road, and looking out over the wide, flat valley. I'm not sure if I noticed the far away white truck when I took the photo, or maybe I only noticed it when the photo was on my computer. Definitely worth this extra drive, as I also came across a site of old, abandoned miners' cabins before reaching the old house. When coal was no longer mined, the area was left and the railway lines were torn up at a later date. One other abandoned house I passed was one that my daughter and I had found last year. It was built among the rolling hills, far, far away from any road, and is a very impressive sight. This year, they were doing road work repair by a bridge just a matter of feet away from the only possible place to pull over and stop. Thankfully, I was still able to stop and take photos. Altogether, a good few hours out. Though I didn't see a lot, the things I did see were most welcome and appreciated. I was glad to get in one more long drive before 'the white stuff' arrives and keeps me close to home.

I absolutely love this road with its beautiful scenery of foothills and mountains. When I drove along it on 3 October, the fall colours were still beautiful and the cloud formation was amazing (doesn't show too well in this photo). A bad road for the car, though, with its gravel and flying dust. The only time I had ever driven to Kananaskis (the mountain area closest to Calgary) was just over two months ago, on 10 September 2016, when my daughter came with me. I wasn't too impressed with the photos I took on the first drive, especially of the little Pikas (Rock Rabbits) that we went to see, so I wanted to go and spend a bit more time with them. A drive like this is also helped me get a bit more used to my newish car - before the roads are covered in snow and ice! Actually, there was a bit of snow on the ground in places close to the trees when I got to where I see these Pikas. These little Pikas/Rock Rabbits are only 6-9 inches long and are usually seen far away, running backwards and forwards over the scree (talus) slope that they call home. Very occasionally, one happens to come close, usually for just a quick moment. "The American Pika is a generalist herbivore. It eats a large variety of green plants, including different kinds of grasses, sedges, thistles and fireweed. Although pikas can meet their water demands from the vegetation they eat, they do drink water if it is available in their environment. Pikas have two different ways of foraging: they directly consume food (feeding) or they cache food in haypiles to use for a food source in the winter (haying). The pika feeds throughout the year while haying is limited to the summer months. Since they do not hibernate, pikas have greater energy demands than other montane mammals. In addition, they also make 13 trips per hour to collect vegetation when haying, up to a little over 100 trips per day." From Wikipedia. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_pika A couple of short YouTube videos in case anyone wants to hear and see these absolutely cute creatures: youtu.be/US_Hy_eGPtg youtu.be/OQ2IgcjVIfc I left home at 8:45 am, later than I had intended, and drove southwards via Millarville and the back way to Highway 40. When I Googled the distance via that route, it gave me 134 km, 1 hr 41 mins from home to the Highwood Pass. Needless to say, I kept stopping to take photos, so it took me quite a bit longer than that. By the time I got back home around 5:00 pm, I had driven 299 km. This day was a Monday, so not too much traffic anywhere, which makes a huge difference. The weather cooperated very nicely. A little chilly to start with and a sky full of beautiful cloud formation early morning. This time, I only drove as far as the Pikas, just north of the Highwood Pass, especially as I wanted to make sure that I wasn't driving home in the dark. The Highwood Pass, at an elevation of 2,206 m (7,238 ft) is the highest paved pass in Canada. In past years, I have hiked the Ptarmigan Cirque, Pocaterra and Arethusa Cirque trails, but can no longer do hikes like these. The scenery is breathtaking in this whole area (indeed, for the whole drive), some mountain slopes covered in forest and other mountain faces displaying bald, breathtaking folds above the treeline. There was only one 'scary' incident on this trip. I had stopped to take a few scenic shots when I was on the backroad to join Highway 40. I didn't close my car door completely and when I went to open it, I discovered it was locked! Pressing the fob to open all the doors did nothing. I just could not get into my vehicle. Thank goodness, I had read on the Internet that there is a key hidden away inside the fob - otherwise I would never have known and might still be standing there, lol! Feels so good to know that I am now comfortable enough to do this drive on my own, after so many years of wishing I had the courage to do it. Thank you, little Pikas, for being so adorably cute, that I was determined to drive back to see you : )

I absolutely love this road with its beautiful scenery of foothills and mountains. When I drove along it on 3 October, the fall colours were still colourful and the cloud formation was amazing. A bad road for the car, though, with its gravel and flying dust. Since that day, we have had snow and fog and I'm not sure I'll be doing this drive again before next spring. The only time I had ever driven to Kananaskis (the mountain area closest to Calgary) was on 10 September 2016, when my daughter came with me. I wasn't too impressed with the photos I took on this first drive, especially of the little Pikas (Rock Rabbits) that we went to see, so I wanted to go back and spend a bit more time with them. A drive like this is also helping me get a bit more used to my new car - before the roads are covered in snow and ice! Actually, there were a few small patches of snow on the ground in places close to the trees when I got to where I see these Pikas. I left home at 8:45 am, later than I had intended, and drove southwards via Millarville and the back way to Highway 40. When I Googled the distance via that route, it gave me 134 km, 1 hr 41 mins from home to the Highwood Pass. Needless to say, I kept stopping to take photos, so it took me longer than that. By the time I got back home around 5:00 pm, I had driven 299 km. This day was a Monday, so not much traffic anywhere, which makes a huge difference. This time, I only drove as far as the Pikas, just north of the Highwood Pass, especially as I wanted to make sure that I wasn't driving home in the dark. The Highwood Pass, at an elevation of 2,206 m (7,238 ft) is the highest paved pass in Canada. In past years, I have hiked the Ptarmigan Cirque, Pocaterra and Arethusa Cirque trails, but can no longer do hikes like these. The scenery is breathtaking in this whole area (indeed, for the whole drive), some mountain slopes covered in forest and other mountain faces displaying bald, breathtaking folds above the treeline. There was only one 'scary' incident on this trip. I had stopped to take a few scenic shots when I was on this backroad to join Highway 40. I didn't push my car door completely closed and when I went to open it, I discovered it was locked! Pressing the fob to open all the doors did nothing. I just could not get into my vehicle. Thank goodness, I had read on the Internet that there is a key hidden away inside the fob - otherwise I would never have known and might still be standing there, lol! Feels SO good to know that I am now comfortable enough to do this drive on my own, after so many years of wishing I had the courage to do it. Thank you, little Pikas, for being so adorably cute, that I was determined to drive back to see you : )

I absolutely love this road with its beautiful scenery of foothills and mountains. When I drove along it on 3 October, the fall colours were still beautiful and the cloud formation was amazing. A bad road for the car, though, with its gravel and flying dust. Looking at this photo makes me long to go for another drive, especially as I didn't go out of the house at all for five or six days this last week. Gloomy weather with snow and some fog were enough to keep me home in the warm and off the icy roads. Not sure I'll be doing this drive again before next spring. The only time I had ever driven to Kananaskis (the mountain area closest to Calgary) was fairly recently, on 10 September 2016, when my daughter came with me. I wasn't too impressed with the photos I took on this first drive, especially of the little Pikas (Rock Rabbits) that we went to see, so I wanted to go back and spend a bit more time with them. A drive like this is also helping me get a bit more used to my new car - before the roads are covered in snow and ice! Actually, there were a few small patches of snow on the ground in places close to the trees when I got to where I see these Pikas. I left home at 8:45 am, later than I had intended, and drove southwards via Millarville and the back way to Highway 40. When I Googled the distance via that route, it gave me 134 km, 1 hr 41 mins from home to the Highwood Pass. Needless to say, I kept stopping to take photos, so it took me longer than that. By the time I got back home around 5:00 pm, I had driven 299 km. This day was a Monday, so not much traffic anywhere, which makes a huge difference. This time, I only drove as far as the Pikas, just north of the Highwood Pass, especially as I wanted to make sure that I wasn't driving home in the dark. The Highwood Pass, at an elevation of 2,206 m (7,238 ft) is the highest paved pass in Canada. In past years, I have hiked the Ptarmigan Cirque, Pocaterra and Arethusa Cirque trails, but can no longer do hikes like these. The scenery is breathtaking in this whole area (indeed, for the whole drive), some mountain slopes covered in forest and other mountain faces displaying bald, breathtaking folds above the treeline. There was only one 'scary' incident on this trip. I had stopped to take a few scenic shots when I was on this backroad to join Highway 40. I didn't push my car door completely closed and when I went to open it, I discovered it was locked! Pressing the fob to open all the doors did nothing. I just could not get into my vehicle. Thank goodness, I had read on the Internet that there is a key hidden away inside the fob - otherwise I would never have known and might still be standing there, lol! It kind of reminded me of an incident on our recent trip to Plateau Mt, when we stopped at an outhouse en route - and I could not unlock the door to get out. Thank goodness I was not on my own that day, so I was able to pound on the door and friend, Sandy, came over and unlocked the door from the outside!! Brought back memories of when my kids were little and one of them got locked inside an outhouse and, ever since then, I remember it every single time I have to use one. Feels SO good to know that I am now comfortable enough to do this drive on my own, after so many years of wishing I had the courage to do it. Thank you, little Pikas, for being so adorably cute, that I was determined to drive back to see you : )

I absolutely love this road with its beautiful scenery of foothills and mountains. When I drove along it on 3 October, the fall colours were still beautiful and the cloud formation was amazing (barely shows in this photo). A bad road for the car, though, with its gravel and flying dust. Makes me long to go for another drive, especially as I haven't been out of the house at all the last five or six days. Gloomy weather with snow and some fog were enough to keep me home in the warm and off the icy roads. Not sure I'll be doing this drive again before next spring, though. The only time I had ever driven to Kananaskis (the mountain area closest to Calgary) was fairly recently, on 10 September 2016, when my daughter came with me. I wasn't too impressed with the photos I took on the first drive, especially of the little Pikas (Rock Rabbits) that we went to see, so I wanted to go back and spend a bit more time with them. A drive like this is also helping me get a bit more used to my new car - before the roads are covered in snow and ice! Actually, there was a bit of snow on the ground in places close to the trees when I got to where I see these Pikas. I left home at 8:45 am, later than I had intended, and drove southwards via Millarville and the back way to Highway 40. When I Googled the distance via that route, it gave me 134 km, 1 hr 41 mins from home to the Highwood Pass. Needless to say, I kept stopping to take photos, so it took me longer than that. By the time I got back home around 5:00 pm, I had driven 299 km. This day was a Monday, so not much traffic anywhere, which makes a huge difference. This time, I only drove as far as the Pikas, just north of the Highwood Pass, especially as I wanted to make sure that I wasn't driving home in the dark. The Highwood Pass, at an elevation of 2,206 m (7,238 ft) is the highest paved pass in Canada. In past years, I have hiked the Ptarmigan Cirque, Pocaterra and Arethusa Cirque trails, but can no longer do hikes like these. The scenery is breathtaking in this whole area (indeed, for the whole drive), some mountain slopes covered in forest and other mountain faces displaying bald, breathtaking folds above the treeline. There was only one 'scary' incident on this trip. I had stopped to take a few scenic shots when I was on this backroad to join Highway 40. I didn't push my car door completely and when I went to open it, I discovered it was locked! Pressing the fob to open all the doors did nothing. I just could not get into my vehicle. Thank goodness, I had read on the Internet that there is a key hidden away inside the fob - otherwise I would never have known and might still be standing there, lol! It kind of reminded me of an incident on our recent trip to Plateau Mt, when we stopped at an outhouse en route - and I could not unlock the door to get out. Thank goodness I was not on my own that day, so I was able to pound on the door and friend, Sandy, came over and unlocked the door from the outside!! Brought back memories of when my kids were little and one of them got locked inside an outhouse and, ever since then, I remember it every single time I have to use one. Feels SO good to know that I am now comfortable enough to do this drive on my own, after so many years of wishing I had the courage to do it. Thank you, little Pikas, for being so adorably cute, that I was determined to drive back to see you : )