Friday, June 29, 2007 - Alberta

M. We had rain, dazzling lightning and thunder last night. But there was no wind – thanks. Today was cloudy, but mild.

Ho-hum, just another day on the verdant Alberta prairie. We headed northeast to the Dinosaur Provincial Park – north of Brooks, Alberta, which proved farther than we had anticipated. The Alberta Dinosaur Provincial Park is set in the Badlands of Alberta, somewhere where you’d never want to be lost on foot. It’s probably similar to the Badlands of South Dakota – lots of erosion and strange rock formations and hoodoos (look that up on your Funk and Wagnall’s).

W. Photos were easy to take, but hard to choose from. It might have been better with sunlight but that was not meant to be. The visitor center had a terrific display of dinosaur info – I’ll let Margaret elaborate.

Tomorrow (Saturday), we’re heading through Calgary towards Banff. Not sure where we’ll end up but we’ve decided to let nature take its course.

M. Well, after this trip I’ll be over the dino-mania. I never thought I was infected, just curious. I can truthfully say, it is so very interesting and beyond anything I’ve experienced. This provincial park is far from provincial, their displays and explanations exceed anything I expected. It is a hands-on-please-touch-me place, with the exception of several large, assembled skeletons, with interactive and imaginative sections that speak to the different ages. It is a trip back in time in more ways than one.

In addition to the indoor facility, there were hiking trails through the bizarre and spectacular landscape. We could not get a seat on the guided tour – trails – and had to be satisfied with the general areas. The park looks not at all how it appeared in the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods as a wet, humid, lushly green area teeming with creatures, large and small – but all hungry. There were mega dinos, diplodicus, for example, munching anything green and wielding its long tail like a whip, the speed of which broke the sound barrier. So with a resounding crack the smaller but ferocious meat eaters were sent flying with a lethal blow or counting their lucky stars -- which is why they hunted in packs. And the armor plated stegosaurus. What an assortment of fantastic creatures.

As they faded away the T-Rex made the scene, and just like the famous gorilla, eating anything he wanted. Nothing was safe. His jaws were strong enough to crush a car. He was two-stories tall. We could have stood beneath his tail/rump easily – probably not wisely. He had great eye-sight, and his huge thighs meant he could outrun an Olympic sprinter. We would have been lunch!

At this facility, it was reported that two discoveries found more than one T-Rex present (I don’t know if the discovery was here or in Wyoming). No eggs have ever been found, but one group included an adult female, an adolescent, a youngster, and a small specimen – a family unit, which also hunted as a unit. A second find also indicated family vs lone individual. Maybe it was the lonely bachelor who was so cranky and gave the rex’s their dreadful reputation. Then again, with their appetite, probably not.

We had a good time, returning tired, ready for an adult beverage, dinner, chocolate, and bed. The wind is cool and picking up. Maybe showers yet again tonight as I think I hear thunder. Yes, the drops are falling and the thunder rolling. Will pull in the front slide, as we did last night – just in case.

Am looking forward to seeing Banff again. M