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July 17 Sunday Bicycle touring from Dinosaur Park Alberta - Lake Newell Alberta We arise at 5:30 AM, about fifteen minutes before the official sunrise. We pack up. I take a picture of the light hitting the hoodoos as Susan and Sharon ride out of the campground. We climb the gravel road out of the park. It turns out to be even steeper than I had imagined. I stop to take a picture of a clump of yellow brown eyed Susans growing out of the sandstone. The view is stunning. The early morning light obliquely lights up the limestone formations and streams through numerous coulees. After struggling, nay, panting, to the top, the lookout at the top is a fine stop for one last peaceful survey of the surrounding landscape. The most bizarre aspect: this majestic setting is smack dab in the middle of the pancake-flat prairie. We stop at Dinosaur Corner for chocolate milks and peanut butter sandwiches. With all the vehicles in the parking lot, I surmise they could make a lot of money if they served breakfast. All the area farmers stop for their morning coffee and mail. We backtrack until the corner that leads to Brooks comes into view. We turn our bikes onto the road and head due south. arriving in Brooks at 9:45 AM. We buy groceries and then pedal off to Kinbrook Provincial Park. We come across a huge body of water named Lake Newell. Created in 1911 for irrigation purposes, it covers a huge area and looks exactly like an oasis plopped down in the expanse of bald prairie. Several cabins run alongside the campground. People from nearby Calgary come here for summer fun. The provincial campground has been privatized. There is no more free firewood. Our expensive camp spot comes complete with an old picnic table and a shock of burnt and tired grass. The pit toilets are the most vile and reeking mess we have come upon so far. After setting up our tents in the burning sun we look at the trees and try to guess where the shade is going to be later this afternoon. Out on the lake, sunburned jet ski racers are going around bobbing pylons like horses in a gymkhana. We walk the lakeshore in front of the many cabins. Some cabins are impressive -- built out of cedar, they have a natural appeal to them. We buy ice cream and slurpies at the beach concession, then settle down in the sand to watch sunbathers and kiddies. One toddler is having a marvelous time eating sand and washing it down with lake water from his little yellow pail. |
