Between Rolling Hills and Hays, Alberta

This was part of a road trip that I took on the motorcycle on September 20/21, 2014. For some reason interesting bridges with character are one of my things. This was on Highway 875 between Rolling Hills and Hays, Alberta. The bridge crosses the Bow River and is a steel bridge with a wood deck. As soon as I roared across it I had to stop and check it out. I don’t know why the deck is wood and not steel. This is a part of Alberta where you can drive for miles and see one lone tree out on the prairie. If the deck needs to be replaced you are bringing in wood from a long ways away. The highway is a paved road in great shape and a nice ride on a bike which kind of adds to the mystery of why the deck is not permanent. I walked across the bridge and the Bow River was so still the surface was like glass.

I have been reading up on the area and there are a number of ghost towns and failed towns in the area and some interesting abandoned structures in the area. I will be revisiting this part of Alberta and checking out what I missed the first time. There were a number of pictures that I attempted on this trip where I tried to capture the emptiness of the wide open prairie. I ended up scrapping them all. I need something to break up the space. This shot was taken from the top of a ridge. The landscape is not exactly flat but it is hard to tell from the photo.