Old abandoned rail bridge, East Coulee, Alberta

This bridge crosses the Red Deer River. On the other side of the river from East Coulee is the Atlas Coal Mine that closed in the 1950’s. There are long abandoned coal mines all over Alberta. I hesitated to walk out onto the middle of the bridge to get a photo of the river since I was not sure how solid it was with all of that growth on it. 

September 21, 2014

September 21, 2014

Bergen, Alberta

When I have the time when I am out on the road I tend to take side roads to places I have not been to before. Sometimes it pays off with something interesting. A lot of times there is a bit of disappointment. Every place was someone’s home once which is my reason for checking out places. This is pretty much of what remains of Bergen, Alberta.

Taken July 5, 2014

Nordegg, Alberta

July 1, 2014

Ram Falls, Alberta

Ram Falls is another one of those out of the way places. The fall are easy to get to, it is just bit of a drive to get there. I drove west from Sundre on Highway 591 through Bearberry and turned north on Highway 734, also marked as Highway 40. Highway 591 is paved all the way to the bridge crossing the James River. On the other side it becomes a well-maintained gravel road. The road is largely two lanes wide. There are a few spots were it gets a little narrower. My standard Alberta road map did the job. I really do need to get a map that shows the roads in better detail when I am going off the main roads. I did not find much information online before going other than to beware of logging trucks and that the road was in great shape. I never did run across any oilfield trucks or logging trucks. There were lots of hunters. Beware of the lack of cell phone coverage.

South Ram River November 1, 2014

From the junction turning north the distance is not really far, about fifty-five miles, but it takes about two hours to get there. What would normally take less than an hour on a paved highway takes longer due to lots of twisting gravel road, low speed limits, and the occasional hairpin curve. The gravel road is pretty much a gravel highway that could easily be driven in a car. The road goes through valleys and hangs off the side of mountains. The scenery is well worth the trip, and there are some great views. I saw few deer and goats likely due to hunting season. The bit of information online had mentioned lots of wildlife, particularly bears. There are gravel roads that branch off from the left and right of the road in various places however you won't get lost, the main road is well marked.

Ram Falls is fed by the South Ram River. The highway crosses the river and the falls are just off to the right when you are traveling north however you can not see the falls from this point. Just north of the bridge on the right is a campground where you can park and walk to the falls. There was no one there when I went, then again I was there on November first. A short walk from the parking lot through the woods and you get to a long set of stairs that you can walk down to a viewing platform to get a look at the falls. I would like to see it in June when there is more water from the runoff. From the falls it is about another forty miles north to where the road meets Highway 11 and pavement near Nordegg. I was on pavement for about an hour then I got snow-stormed all the way home.

Ram Falls November 1, 2014

Don’t tell mom

December 7, 2014 at about two in the afternoon I am on Highway 39 headed west towards Drayton Valley, Alberta. There was freezing rain the night before. The weather was fine, not a cloud in the sky, and the highway was close to bare in most places. I was on my way to see my mother and deliver her birthday present. Her birthday was in a few days.

I was following a vacuum truck and getting tired of eating the road spray and came up on a passing lane on my side of the highway. I pulled out to pass, the surface looked fine, I got about a car length and a half in front and then things went wrong.

My trusty all-wheel drive Hyundai decided to lose control and I spun in a circle, bounced off the side of the vacuum truck and headed straight for the ditch at about fifty to fifty-five miles an hour. I stopped about fifteen yards from the road in a farmer’s field. I looked around, and thought I might be able to drive out of this. A quick three point turn and I tried to drive out onto the highway. No go. This was a ditching that you could be proud of. Shut it off, walked out to the road, informed a guy that stopped that I was fine. Talked to the vacuum truck guy who stopped and not a mark on his vehicle. Someone phoned a tow truck and then everyone left. I gave mom a quick call and told her I would be late as I had hit the ditch.

Just after I left the highway and attempted to drive back on

While waiting for a tow truck to arrive I grabbed my back bumper that was torn off and shoved it into the back seat. After multiple people drove by without stopping a guy in his fifties in a four wheel drive Ford stopped and asked what happened. I filled him in and he said I should be able to drive out of this. Told him I could not drive onto the road. He meant to drive across the field and catch a side road. Said he would check it out and drove off. Minutes later he drove from the far end of the field, marked a path, and I powered through and followed him out.

The Hyundai impressed me. It got a little beat up and managed to drive across a field through close to eighteen inches of snow, onto a side road, then onto the highway. It seemed to drive fine. I continued to Drayton Valley, dropped off my stuff, had a short visit with my mother, then four hours via highway back home. I was amazed I had no injuries, just some stiffness.

I do need a vehicle now. All mom knows is that I hit the ditch. I omitted telling her the other details.