The Canada Day Long Weekend

This year Canada Day... July 1st... fell on a Tuesday.  It seemed like many businesses were observing the holiday on Monday, with some were more rigid and closing on the Tuesday.  I decided to close the shop for both days, and we had a four day long weekend.  I was optimistic that we could get out, a little further from home, and have a great weekend.  It didn't quite work out that way.
Margarit's cousin's daughter Julia has been staying with us since early June.  She will be here in Canada for a few more weeks.  She has been along with us on all of our outings so far this summer, and this long weekend trip was no exception.

On Friday evening we headed down to the badlands around Drumheller.  This was just a brief stop for the night and the next morning we were on the road.  It was a little overcast and unsettled but we were optimistic that the weather would improve, and headed east.  We decided to head for the Empress and would spend a day here, with the plan being to move on to some badlands around Medicine Hat later in the weekend.

I have been to Empress many times in the past.  It is right on the Alberta border, very near the point where the Red Deer and the South Saskatchewan River meet.  It is a very desolate part of the province with sparse population and minimal precipitation.  It was somewhat of a local center for many years, and included a store, a gas station, a motel, a restaurant, a hospital and a couple schools.  It was always a rather unusual place, with a mix of optimism and regret.  Some people seemed to be settling in and there was a community of artists in the area, and even a few new homes being built.  But scattered in between this was a lot of lost dreams and abandonement.  

The store closed a few years ago, but was replaced by an art studio that took it upon itself to support the local community and offered a few goods for sale, and sold fuel.  The schools closed some time ago and I understand that the few students are now bused to Acadia Valley.  Acadia Valley is some distance north and not much bigger and not much healthier.  This time around I found that the main motel in town is now closed, and along with it, the small restaruant... though I understand that a new restaurant has opened up in the arena.  The hospital is now also closed.  I wonder how much longer this place will hold on.......

This road is pretty much on the Alberta-Saskatchewan border

Its hard to read in this photo but this old signpost beside the abandoned railbed marks the 110th meridian... the Alberta Saskatchewan border

This is the hospital, now abandoned, with my competitors skylight perched on the roof.

The hospital parking lot, slowly becoming overgrown

A shot through the window, into the interior of the abandoned hospital.  The hospital plaque lays discarded in the foreground.  And, a puddle of water accumulates on the floor beneath my competitors skylight.

The pincushion cactus were blooming all over the place... vacant lots, in fields, anywhere where there was a patch of grass.

A couple of the older abandoned buildings in town

An old shed at the edge of town

An old brick commercial building on main street now hosts some small murals over the windows

There foundations were poured about 15 years ago but no buildings were ever built

Didn't dare go into this yard.

Another old building on the edge of town that must have once been a warehouse or shop

One of the artist studios is now closed.  The railway tracks are long gone but the old train station is slowly being renovated into a museum.  The campsite is overgrown and some renovations are being attempted... but a small new trailer park is now open in town with full hookups.  No tourists about... just some workers staying in trailers in the RV park.  Mostly just elderly retired people left in town now.

It rained overnight, at times heavily.  When we awoke in the morning it was heavily overcast, cool and very wet.  We decided it would be a waste of time to try and hike the badlands down by Medicine Hat. Instead of heading in that direction we decided to go back to the Drumheller area.  If the rain continued, at least there were some other things there that we could do.