Mike Drew: Writing-On-Stone rodeo set in a little piece of Heaven yyc
I’ve mentioned less often about the sense of community it embodies and how nobody is a stranger here no matter where you come from.Sophie Metheral’s horse blows out a nosefull of water as they have fun in the warm waters of the Milk River before the Writing-On-Stone Rodeo.The rodeo runs for three days through the August long weekend with a mix of afternoon and evening performances. I usually opt for the 5 p.m.
Which messed things up on two levels. First, I had to drive 40 km to the town of Milk River to get a strong enough signal. And second, the clouds rolled in. Down along the river I found little cottontails, this year’s babies, bouncing around the buffaloberry thickets and dozens of young mourning doves. A bald eagle sat on the river bank taking in all those easy pickings. At a dugout — surprisingly full of water in this dusty land — there was a pair of pelicans. First time I’ve ever seen any there. Not exactly pelican country.For a moment — and I mean just for a moment — I thought about sticking around, maybe hitting the day’s rodeo performance.
But they did make a nice backdrop as I followed the roads back west again, past pastures with big buffalo-like Angus bulls and stands of sunflowers. I found owls in a granary and, past them, I stayed on the same road until I hit the U.S. border and the road that runs right along the 49th parallel. It’s perfectly legal to drive on it as long as you don’t make any turns to the south but I didn’t want to run into some crabby American border patrol officer, so I cut a little ways north again.
It stopped, momentarily, by Del Bonita but came roaring in again over by Whiskey Gap. It was dry to the east but wet to the west.Which was kind of appropriate, seeing as I’d crossed the Continental Divide. Two rivers, two different landscapes. Here along the St. Mary, pothole ponds abound, lush country compared to the sagebrush plains back east, with springs popping up all over the place. The river valley is very different, too, the grey, twisted sediments here folded and bent like somebody tried to squash a stack of napkins, not the orderly layers of compressed sand like at Writing-On-Stone.
Canada Latest News, Canada Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
DIY Comedy Tour Coming to Little Montreal in SudburyComedians Scott Porteus, Frank Russo, and Mike Payne will be bringing their DIY Comedy tour to Little Montreal in downtown Sudbury on Sept. 22. The trio guarantees a night of laughter and invites audiences to join them at various venues, including local Legions, bars, community centers, and even laundromats. Tickets for the show are $35 for a single or $50 for a pair. Scott Porteous, Frank Russo, and Mike Payne have all had successful careers in the comedy scene, performing at various festivals and events across Canada and North America.
Read more »
Doug Ford's Attempt to Gaslight Voters on Greenbelt IssueDoug Ford, the Ontario Premier, is trying to deceive voters by denying his involvement in the Greenbelt issue. He claims that although what happened was wrong, he had nothing to do with it. However, the Auditor-General's report contradicts his statement, stating that the removal of Greenbelt lands was unnecessary for the government's housing goals. Meanwhile, Canadian writers are struggling to afford writing non-fiction due to financial constraints, which is a concern for the entire society.
Read more »
Rare Six-Alarm Fire Breaks Out in TorontoOn August 11, 2023, a six-alarm fire occurred in Toronto, which is considered rare for the city. Although there have been a few notable instances in recent years, such as the Sunrise propane explosion in 2008 and the Empress Hotel fire in 2011, six-alarm blazes are not common. The most recent incident took place in 2019 at York Memorial Collegiate Institute. The fire drew a significant response from firefighters and resulted in the displacement of residents.
Read more »