The Rockies, the Badlands, and the Prairies: An Albertan Film Diary

Sights | Roxana Moise

In the summer of 2021, I took a week-long trip to Alberta to visit my friend’s family.

They gave me a grand tour of the province — I spent time on the family farm by Edmonton, explored the Rockies by taking a dip in Moraine Lake, and floated down the Bow River in Calgary. Come along for the journey, and let my amateur film photos transport you to this beautiful province!

Stop 1: The Farm

What’s a farm without a cat or two? We named this one Benedict, calling him Benny for short. While sweet, he had a rebellious streak, as shown as his decision to take a step halfway through my portrait of him.

This warm-hearted dog was content to sit and be pet for hours - and I mean hours. Many an evening on the farm was spent sitting outside with him on the grass.

I was surprised to find that Alberta is located far enough to the north for its summer days to be noticeably longer than Toronto’s. Sunsets lingered into the evening, and sometimes the sky showed a tinge of blue as late as 10 PM.

Stop 2: Calgary

My first impression of Calgary was formed by its renowned public library!

I don’t want to talk about how long I waited for this staircase to empty out so that I could take this picture and move on. Please just keep reading the film diary. I’m embarrassed.

The number of people studying and working here was a testament to its success as a library, but even the most fierce hater of books could find something to admire by looking around at the building’s design.

On our final day in Calgary, we breakfasted at a patio downtown. This shot of skyscrapers was taken only steps away from our table!

Stop 3: The Rockies

Moraine Lake! The vistas here stole my heart.

The water kept its turquoise hue even when the sky was overcast, but the depth of the colour on the left side of this picture hints at its brilliance whenever it caught a ray of sunlight.

Believe it or not, this is not the same shot as two pictures ago — I was on a marginally taller pile of rocks when I took it.

I admire these evergreens. It takes tenacity to survive in the mountains.

I’ve made the artistic choice to not include the picture of me shivering by the water, blue-lipped, but my friends and I did take a dip in the waters of this glacial lake! You’ll just have to take my word for it.

In the town of Banff, my good friend found a used copy of a poetry book she had been looking for. She was happy to read a poem aloud for me.

Another Albertan sunset, and a passing train.

Stop 4: The Badlands

Drumheller Valley, found deep in the badlands of Alberta, features rocky structures and canyons carved by the Red Deer River. When I first snapped this picture, I wasn’t happy about the other tourists in my shot, but now I appreciate the sense of scale they provide to the rock formations!

I’ll never forget wandering up and down the dips of the canyons. Fun fact: Dinosaurs once walked here too! Drumheller is known to paleontologists for its rich number of dinosaur fossils.

Bonus: Highway bloopers!

It took me a long time to figure out that no matter how beautiful my view is from inside the car, my camera will not be able to capture it. Enjoy the shots that taught me this lesson.