So today, I trekked off to Drumheller to see the Royal Tyrell museum, as well as horseshoe canyon, but before that, last night, I went out with James to see Rob's house and farm in Beiseker, meet his cat, meet the llamas, and get absoutely devoured in a way I have never been devoured before by mosquitoes. The cat was a little hostile, the Llamas were grazing and uninterested in any human contact, and the mosquitoes were, as aformentioned, hungry. The farm was nice, though, and although I'm not much of a country guy, I can see why a house like that would be appealing, with how quiet and secluded it was, but without seeming like you had disappeared off the face of the earth.

In any case, it was a fun quick visit, and I returned and grabbed a photo of Trish and James to nearly complete the collection of photos I've made about the folks I've met and stayed with on this trip.

This morning was rather leisurely, as intended. I had originally planned to go into Drumheller with Trish to do sightseeing, but she had work she needed to complete, and thus I had to go it alone. I got a small scare at the starbucks, where my card was rejected twice, but after I visited a Royal Bank branch, I learned it was the store, not my account, that was having problems.

I drove out to Drumheller, making two quick stops along the way, one in Rosebud, to see a town that was entirely built to staff a playhouse, and one in Horseshoe Canyon, to see the first sign of the badlands of my trip. Rosebud was a one-intersection town, and yet I STILL managed to be unable to find the playhouse in question, but Horseshoe Canyon was amazing, and the panorama I got there was really phenomenal. Too bad Off Exploring doesn't support panoramas for upload. I'll have to put together the ones I've made thus far and post them all in links at the end of the trip.

Drumheller was a larger area than I remember, and I obviously don't remember our trip here at ALL, since it's been only 13 years, and I didn't remember a single exhibit. It was suitably amazing, though, and possibly the most professional-looking museum I've visited so far on my trip. It had things for everyone, the skeletons were all AMAZINGLY preserved, and the fossils were equally stunning. Of particular note was the exhibit showing twenty-five amazing archaeological discoveries made in and around Alberta, all of a different type and circumstance in the last 10 years. We saw the world's SMALLEST preserved fossil of a T-rex, and some truly amazing non-sauroids from the tertiary and quaternary periods as well.

Not being one for much of the gift shop, I ended after two hours, and headed back to Airdrie, to do laundry, do a little shopping, and mentally prepare for the final large leg of my trip.

Tomorrow, I'll be seeing Calgary proper, staying in Okotoks, with the big rock, visiting my old friend Amber, and getting my last sleep before the five days of travel that lead me to my cottage.

Cheers!