Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada

We finally began our trek to Alaska with a baby step from Great Falls to Lethbridge.  The weather was overcast most of the way but not enough to obscure long views in every direction.  The trip is primarily through prairie with enormous pastures and grain fields with only a handful of small towns scattered along the way.  The border crossing was uneventful and we arrived at Bridgeview RV Resort in Lethbridge and were settled in by mid-afternoon.

The bridge which lends its name to the RV resort is known as the High Level Bridge and is the longest and highest bridge if its type in the world.   

It carries train traffic across the Oldman River (not Old Man River) and was first constructed of wood and completed in 1909.  Fires and rot eventually rendered it too dangerous and it was rebuilt from concrete and steel.  The terrain is very dramatic.  As you enter Lethbridge you’re lulled into thinking its just a flat prairie town but as you near the river you are treated to beautifully sculpted coulees which fall away down to the river where there are several parks with hiking and walking trails.  In spite of cool and cloudy weather, we saw plenty of folks taking advantage of the opportunity to stretch their legs.

After a quick stop at the Visitors’ Center, we drove out to Coaldale to visit the Alberta Birds of Prey Centre, a rehab facility for the raptors indigenous to the area. 

We were greeted at the door by this charming little fellow, only a few months old and still adorned with “baby fuzz”.  Although this is not a breeding facility per se, this owlet was a “happy mistake” and will eventually be used for demonstrations.  There aren’t many such facilities where the visitors are allowed anywhere near the exhibits but we were fortunate enough to be allowed to act as a living perch for two species of owls. 

Mr. Bogle has been an “employee” of the centre for many years.  His handler described him as being a bit grumpy that particular day but I really couldn’t say for sure.  When the raptors are feeling grumpy, they tend to clutch a little harder with their talons.  Never having held an owl before, I couldn’t judge whether or not his grip was “too tight”.

 

Although not native to Alberta, the Centre has a half dozen Harris hawks some of whom participate in flying demonstrations.  They are desert-dwellers, fairly common in the Southwest, and we enjoyed a display of their hunting prowess.  However, a pair of redwing blackbirds managed to run off the hawk when she ventured a little too near the blackbirds’ nesting area.  The hawk showed no inclination to retaliate, probably because she’d already had two or three helpings of “lunch”.

After poking our noses into the gift shop/ticket area we opted not to take a tour of Fort Whoop-Up.  The admission fee and scaled back activities dampened  our enthusiasm for a tour.  Fort Whoop-Up was one of the most notorious centers for the distribution of whiskey by a pair of American entrepreneurs to the native peoples.  The whiskey was “manufactured” on site from pure alcohol and water with some chewing tobacco, lye and hot pepper sauce for flavor and color.  We weren’t inclined to wait around until next month to hear a cannon being fired and so went off to scope out downtown Lethbridge instead.

On Sunday, under continuing cloudy skies, we trekked northward to Fort Macleod to tour the The Fort, a museum devoted to the history of the Northwest Mounted Police, now known as the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.  The force was originated to put a stop to the nefarious activities at Fort Whoop-Up (and other such hell holes) and stop the flow of rotgut to the native peoples.  It was interesting to see the evolution of The Mounties uniform starting with a rather silly pillbox hat to the current handsome Stetson.  The founder insisted on good-quality solid colored horses in order to impress “the bad guys”.  The bright red jackets probably didn’t hurt!

Every town or city is entitled to its quirks and Lethbridge is no exception.  They like to consider themselves “the windy city” of Canada and for their 100th birthday the town’s movers and shakers presented the city with this Wind Gauge.  It sits prominently at the Visitors Centre and is an early indicator of what one can expect, weather-wise, while in the area.  No wonder tie-on hats are so popular around here.

Our next stop is Cochrane just north of Calgary.