Having decided to spend another summer in Banff, we thought it would be healthy to get away for a few days before the tourists flock in. We hadn't been outside the Rockies yet so we felt a trip out to the prairies would make for a refreshing change. We had heard great things about Drumheller and decided to satisfy our childhood curiosities by heading there for the weekend.

Drumheller is a strange little country town that lies within a region known as the Dinosaur Valley. This area is a goldmine for Geologists, paleontologists, Jurassic Park fans and pretty much everyone in between. We only began to appreciate the unique, mystical landscape when, on the way to Drumheller, we arrived at Dry Island Buffalo Jump provincial park.

We had heard of Head Smashed In Buffalo Jump, which is a pretty famous historical landmark. The first nation people there would herd buffalo until they ran over a cliff! The buffalo were then chopped up for dinner, stripped for leather, and turned into anything else useful. This was where we meant to go but, just reading Buffalo Jump on the map, we got the place mixed up with Dry Island and ended up at the opposite end of the Valley!

Not to worry though! Dry Island turned out to be more or less the same on a slightly smaller scale, with less tourists! The drive there blew us away. After hours of driving on straight, flat prairie roads, surrounded by bulls and wheat fields.. BAM! - the land just seemed to suddenly end. We had reached the badlands! The world didn't end, but the flat plains we were driving on were suddenly looking down upon an ancient dried river bed. This valley is full of crazy 'dry' islands, canyons and alien-looking rock formations all covered in lush greenery with the Red Deer River timidly meandering between. The exposed cliffs clearly display the millennia of colourful sedimentary rock layers that have created the world as we know it today. This unique formation happens to be perfect for preserving and gently exposing amazing fossils of Albertosaurus, Tricerotops and Ankylosaurus, to name a few!

We explored a little but couldn't find our own Tyrannosaurus skull, so settled for a visit to the Royal Tyrrell museum in Drumheller instead. This museum holds one of the worlds largest collections of prehistoric plant and dinosaur fossils, of which many were found locally. It also houses a full scale fossil research and conservation laboratory, where we got a fishbowl view of the scientists' work. We lost ourselves in this amazingly museum for hours and hours, until our brains (and stomachs) had to call it quits.

We did a little bit of exploring around the area too, and checked out a couple of old coal mining towns. It makes sense when you think about it, as coal and fossils are both just different forms of preserved prehistoric flora and fauna. It makes you wonder too, how many old decomposed dinosaurs were burnt over the years to run the old railways..?

A little town called Wayne was the standout. A sign at the town entrance read "Wayne, population then: 2490, now: 26". Clearly the decline on Canada's use of coal had an effect on the local economy. It was a good thing that a little pub called the Last Chance Saloon has managed to draw in plenty of tourists and keep the old town afloat. We only just beat a huge Harley Davidson gang there for lunch, and the food wasn't great, but we ate a couple of the friendliest burgers we've ever had. The decor in the place was hilarious, including several moose heads and a brick screwed to the wall, which someone had thrown through the window years before.

We couldn't leave this intriguing valley without detouring through the Dinosaur Provincial Park to do some more fossil hunting. This park is a child's heaven, with a family-friendly campground right next to a maze of paths for you to try and find your own dinosaur remains. It also had a couple of fossil pits that had been discovered and left on site, with a glass case built over the top to protect. It was awesome, but unfortunately the closest we ever came to finding our own fossil!

With the theme song to Jurassic Park now itched into our heads we said goodbye to this fantastically intriguing and beautiful area. It was a short but sweet getaway, as we planned to be back in time for Jess's birthday. A float down the river with some Banfites, BBQ and bullriding is on the agenda, so it should be a pretty good day!