The area was busy with tourists wandering around the area surrounding the Hoodoos. Several were even climbing up to the top of the hill...
We both found the Hoodoos interesting but somewhat anti-climatic, thinking we would be viewing a valley full of them, not just a few...
After we were finished, we continued further along highway 10...and the Red Deer River...
...to the historical
Atlas Coal Mine...
We started off by going into the visitors centre and paying our $10 each admission fee...
We caught up with a walking tour of the tippel...(
A tipple is a structure used at a mine to load the extracted product (e.g., coal, ores) for transport, typically into railroad hopper cars. In the United States, tipples have been frequently associated with coal mines, but they have also been used for hard rock mining.)
Our tour guide...
Lots of old mining equipment on display below...
Notice the windows...they are level. We are climbing the tipple...
Looking behind...
Spiral shute...
They would load the box cars from here...
Explaining the equipment operation, not a scolding...
Inside a coal box-car...
Lamp House left and Wash House right...
Wash House...
The guys must have been short because the pipes and shower heads were very low...
Lamp House...
Store House...
Mine Office...
Miners in training...
Wooden Coal Car...
That's a lot of batteries...
Our next stop was the Suspension Bridge...
The Star Mine Suspension Bridge is a 117 metre long pedestrian suspension bridge which crosses the Red Deer River in Rosedale, just outside of Drumheller, Alberta. Constructed in 1931, the bridge was built for the coal workers of Star Mine. Although once used by miners, the bridge is now a favourite among locals for fishing and to access great Badlands terrain. Enjoy hiking, hill climbing, a day use area and the great opportunity for sight-seeing.
I made it about a third of the way across and was fine...but as soon as a bunch of people started back across, the bridge it got a little too bouncy for me, so I retreated back to solid land. Steve went all of the way across and climbed to the top of the hillside on the left...
He got some great shots going across...
There are suppose to be no more than 20 people on the bridge at a time but with nobody monitoring this there were usually many more...
Steve's almost to the top of the hill...
There is a pond below the cliff...
Hard to see even with a close up...
Now on top it's quite a view...
Way more than 20 people down there...
Drumheller...
Steve was half way down the badly washed out trail. With the steepness he really had to watch his footing going down and couldn't believe how many people were climbing up in flip flops...
While I was waiting for Steve to return across the bridge, I happened upon this Bull Snake slithering along in the grass. It was huge...about 5 to 6 feet long...
Next on our agenda was a visit to The Last Chance Saloon in Wayne. This is the turnoff...
There are 11 bridges to cross...
Oh...Oh...what's going on here?!
And look at all the bikes...we're never going to get a seat! We had to turn around...luckily there was a narrow driveway to a small campground to back into on the other side of that tree. The last thing Steve wanted to do was hit a bike and knock them all over like dominoes...although it would be kind of cool to see :-) Steve even managed to parallel park the truck...
Outdoor patio...
Here you can literally saddle up to the bar...
There was a large group of bikers that were 3rd C.A.V. Canadian Army Veterans...
We managed to find a table...sweet!
Lots of money stapled to the ceiling...
...and cool stuff...
Crowbar Hotel...Free Rooms...
Even a car club showed up...this is a very popular place!
A couple enjoying a paddle down the river on a beautiful day...
When we got back to the campground, we decided to go right out for a walk and check out the rest of the campground...something we have been meaning to do since we arrived. This is the lower older section nearer the river...
One section seems to be only for permanent and seasonal folks...there are some pretty elaborate set ups...
There is a narrow nature trail that leads down to the river...
There is a huge park that some of the sites back onto...
As you can see, we had quite a full day! Back at the trailer, we relaxed inside cooling off with the air conditioner running....
The Drumheller hoodoos are internationally recognized icons of the Alberta badlands. Composed of sand and clay from the Horseshoe Canyon Formation, the solid, strong capstones protect the softer, underlying base creating their unique mushroom-like shape. They have been formed over thousands of years by erosion caused by water, wind, and freeze/thaw cycles.
We started off by going into the visitors centre and paying our $10 each admission fee...
We caught up with a walking tour of the tippel...(A tipple is a structure used at a mine to load the extracted product (e.g., coal, ores) for transport, typically into railroad hopper cars. In the United States, tipples have been frequently associated with coal mines, but they have also been used for hard rock mining.)
Our next stop was the Suspension Bridge...The Star Mine Suspension Bridge is a 117 metre long pedestrian suspension bridge which crosses the Red Deer River in Rosedale, just outside of Drumheller, Alberta. Constructed in 1931, the bridge was built for the coal workers of Star Mine. Although once used by miners, the bridge is now a favourite among locals for fishing and to access great Badlands terrain. Enjoy hiking, hill climbing, a day use area and the great opportunity for sight-seeing.
While I was waiting for Steve to return across the bridge, I happened upon this Bull Snake slithering along in the grass. It was huge...about 5 to 6 feet long...
My, you guys have been busy! Love the Hoodoos and the bridge. The mine you toured looks very similar Kennecott.
ReplyDeleteThe mushroom hoo doos are really interesting! I think that tour looked like a lot of fun! What cool cars!
ReplyDelete