In southern Alberta, just two hours drive from Calgary, is a place unlike anything
else you are likely to encounter - the Drumheller badlands. Created by water and
wind erosion, this place is constantly changing, revealing million-years-old
dinosaur bones and the remains of the petrified forests on the long-gone aeons
in the process. It also stays the same, with every tiny part of the area looking
just like the whole - while, at the same time, remaining fiercely individual.
If you you ever had trouble understanding exactly what a fractal is - go to the
Drumheller badlands. Chances are, you'll get throughly lost on your first visit :-)
I wouldn't be surprised if you are having trouble trying to figure out exactly
how large this landscape is. In fact, it is more than hundred meters wide, with
the floor of the depression about twenty meters below the viewpoint - but it
would have looked much the same if it were one foot deep.
The goose bumps on the creek wall, which look so sensual in this sunlight, will
disappear completely in a few hours. If you counted on using them to guide you
on the way back, you will get lost today.
Despite its regular appearance, this pyramid is just a result of natural erosion -
plus the viewpoint which is just right.
Hoodoos. Although these particular specimens look like inclined pillars, hoodoos
come in many sizes and shaped - including rather bizzare ones.
Despite their name, badlands are full of plant life - just not the life you can feed
your cow on. In addition to the tumble weed, it has some rather nice specimens of
cacti - with long, sharp, and easily detachable thorns. Quite painful, too - but,
unlike rattle snakes, which are also abundant in the badlands, not poisonous.
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Text and photographs © 1999 Serguei Patchkovskii.
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