Horseshoe Canyon Drumheller October 28, 2022

go east away from the wild wind and wet weather   

    to a land on this earth that looks like no other   

        accept Mother Earth's invitation to explore her creation

            open your eyes, free your mind, let it touch your soul 

Not that long after sunrise, I arrived at the trailhead for Horseshoe Canyon.  A mere matter of minutes once I stepped out of my vehicle, I was on my way down, deep, into the Canyon.  Shortly thereafter,  I could tell the ground was dry enough, I could feel the temperature was cool enough and I could witness just enough white fluffy puffy clouds in the sky.  

No sooner did I arrive down at the Canyon bottom, I then found a way up to a formation's top!

I know this hike would entail loads of ups and downs and ups, with my head my eyes and my feet! There was much to see everywhere I looked and with every steep I took.  It was the cloud rays radiating from the top of the ancient formation that grabbed my attention.  

Views like this drew me in....

....so I answered the call!  

From the wondrous views of the wide open to intricate delicate details up close!

cactus will weather the winter which is at our doorstep 

just me being me getting high when I feel happy

lichen growing on the rocks

The ground cover in this area of the Canyon was made up of black shale.  These shrubs with red leaves carpeted the ground and stood about a foot high.  You can see in the background how plentiful they are.

I love this look!

I wonder, what does it look like on another plant?  

I felt like I was there when I arrived here!

Each and every formation, no matter how big or how small, beckoned!

open your eyes, free your mind, let it touch your soul

Around every formation you will find another feast for your eyes!

When I began to work my way back out from the deep reaches of the Canyon, I then began to see others.  That tiny line on top of the formation at the left is someone else who accepted Mother Nature's invitation!  

looking back as I aim for the way up and out of Horseshoe Canyon

the views as I near the end were just as spectacular as the second I began

A climb up at the end is the only way out!  

I needed not the luck of a horseshoe for this day in Horseshoe Canyon.  

What Mother Nature and Mother Earth provided,  filled me with everything I came for! 

This is the track from my seven kilometre hike with the start and finish being on the left.  When I arrived at the location on the far top right, I could not see another way down off the formation that would take me to a trail I spotted far below.  This was an area I had not been to before. There is that long stretch across the top that I hope to cover another time.  

from this to this

The last time I was in the Bowness area was to paddle around in my packraft for a couple of hours on a hot August 30th summer morning.  This location and its surroundings can be showy during autumn.  It was time to visit the area again but this time to see the shades before I head there with my skates during wintry conditions which is not too far in the future.  I left it a little late to see the colourful performance at prime time.  

FROM THIS

After viewing the kayaking locations and seeing the low level of water covered with a high amount of leaves, I then worked my way over to The Ice Trail.  This is what it looked like on this day.  The majority of the leaves were already down and more fell while I walked in wildly windy weather.  

leaves along the shoreline of the river

I walked into a whole different world on the other side of the river!  Another reason for coming here on this day was to look for inspiration for an autumn watercolour project.  I think I found that inspiration!  The Siberian Larch Trees were still holding their needles and they were glowing!

Further along, the trees were sparse in colour but the ground cover made up for that!

It looks like the clouds are bursting from the colourful tall trees!

These two views that I captured were my inspiration to paint an autumn scene.  The only items that I drew first were the two trees on each side along with all their branches across the top forming the shape of a heart.  The sky was completed using the wet on wet method and then dabbed with paper towel to give a cloudy look.  The colourful trees in the centre were made using the Pointillism technique.  The grassy areas in the middle and at the forefront were done on semi-wet paper using a brush loaded with paint.  The two tall trees, the fallen leaves and shadows were all done with basic brush strokes.

from this                                  to this  

TO THIS

Then just like that, we awoke to a brand new coat of winter white!  It was in the forecast so it was not a surprise. I was quite excited to be "out & about" in it but with only all-season tires on my vehicle until next week, I did not want to venture far.  I knew I could see wildlife and pretty sights at Confluence Park and along the creek.  The deer seemed surprised and gave me quite the look!

a view along the trail

This pair of Mallard Ducks (female & male) were weathering the weather! 

Another reason I wanted to be amongst the new white gold was to find inspiration for a wintry watercolour painting project. I think I found my inspiration!  

I constructed my first snowman of the season!

American Tree Sparrow

Many times I wanted to draw a pine cone with coloured pencils then when I saw some done with water-colours, I decided that was the medium I preferred to use. Time passed, fast forward to today when I sketched and then painted a pine cone!  The background is a loose wash with blue and green.  Then came time to paint the actual pine cone. It was easy to draw but painting it was another story.  I made a new purchase and used it in this project, it is white acrylic gouache.  Instead of using a white gel pen, I tried the gouache and I like it.  

from this                   to this

So what do the next few days hold in store!  

Will we once again go "from this to this" or go "from this to that"!

Or maybe we will go "from that to this"!

"Aussie Coastal Bushwalk" Conquer 2022 Virtual Challenge Progress October 18, 2022

Accountability!  I am finally beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel!  Sigh!  There is worthiness in declaring that feeling!  There have been numerous days lately where keeping on top of this challenge is the only thing that got me out the door.  I know I could fib and insert false digits but I am holding myself accountable to honestly complete the Conquer 2022 Challenge!  These are the stats as of end of day October 18.

    

IN REALITY!

The Goats!  After an 8km romp around Nose Hill, I stopped by to see the goats.  This is their story!  They were busy doing what they do with no cares about us mingling in with them.  The living quarters for the Shepard, his dog and the goats is off limits but where the goats roam is a free open area for all. In the final photo the dog is herding them off in another direction until the Shepard called out a command, then just like that the dog has them heading back to the corral.  The Shepard informed us the goats were ready for a water break.  They are up on Nose Hill for a month so I will be back to visit them another day.

The Colours!  The leaves are falling and the colours are fading yet the weather remains so unusually warm.  I got out the door on this morning to cover a few kilometres meandering around Carburn Park and its surroundings.  I hoped for some bird sightings but quickly got distracted by the autumn shades.  With the forcast calling for a drastic change in a couple of days, my thoughts turned to etching designs on ice with the blades of my skates!

VIRTUALLY!

Southern Australia!  This is where I am virtually in the world!  I crossed over from New South Wales into Victoria.  For now the route takes me along the Princes Highway and eventually I will detour off that with intentions of following closer to the shoreline if possible.  

The orange tack at the  bottom shows my current location which is approaching Nowa Nowa.

What's Left!  I have 297 kms left to cover on this challenge.  It's time to put in an extra effort to remain focused by keeping my eye on the prize. With a change in weather approaching, eventually the method to cover these kilometres will change.  This is the route I am aiming for showing roughly where I should finish on December 31st.  As many times this year, the route could change and the finish spot could change. 

The plan is to have one more Progress report and that will be when I cover the 2022 kms that I have set as my goal for this year!  When that happens and I input the numbers on the program, I will receive a finishers certificate and then  my medal will be placed in the mail!  

It's all About the Colours : Mine & Mother Nature's

How sweet it has been, almost as sweet as a Candy Apple with a coating of sugar and corn syrup.  Being "out & about" locally these past few days has been a delight.  There is a feast of fall shades to be savoured paired with unusual mild temperatures.  Plenty of leaves remain on the trees and enough have fallen to create a swishable experience along the paths.  The dry weather affords gorgeous colourful sunrises with a sky full of pinks, golds and oranges.  How sweet it is!  

Drawing and painting this Candy Apple was timely!  The colourful tasty treat is popular during the autumn season and especially around Halloween.  As the watercolors were laid and time went on, it looked like a hot mess.  Once again I had to trust the process that it would appear real by the time I declared it a completed project.  I am not sure at what point it took on a shiny look.  It was only when I finally added the finishing touches with a white gel pen then stood back and looked at it, that I felt like seeking my teeth into it!   

The chilly sunrise times warranted a few layers and gloves to stay warm but soon there after one long sleeve or even at times just a short sleeve shirt were suffice.  These are a few photographs where Mother Nature showed off her autumn palette in various urban areas.  The roughly 35 kms of ground covered during these recent days was most enjoyable.  Looking ahead, it appears to be favourably to witness more of her seasonal offerings for another little while.

These two recent purchases are assisting in making the hours of painting more user friendly.  The Watercolour Palette holds paint from the tubes. It came with an attached pink airtight cover to protect the paint to save for future projects.  I made a chart listing the colours in each pod.  It also came with a mixing tray which is plastic that I have not used and probably will not.  What a treat it is to mix the watercolours on my new Porcelain Painting Palette.  I had been using a plastic tray from days gone by.  I am still on the fence on whether to move even another step up on quality of paints.  I am using mid range quality and they come at a reasonable price for me. 

 

After organizing the Watercolour Palette and testing the Porcelain Painting Palette, I then went to work on a new project.  I like store fronts, sometimes even more so than the inside of the store itself.  It was when I was in Spain during April/May of this year that this interest really came to the forefront.  I followed a tutorial to paint this scene. I like all the details and I enjoyed learning new techniques for making items come to life.  I am happy with the outcome! I have numerous photos I took of store fronts in the little seaside villages along the Costa Brava.  I think it's time to take a little time, look at my photos, reminisce, pick a picture of a store front and then paint a memory!