We received an email from Vic Scheuerman of a photo essay of his recent drive through Water Valley. I contacted him asking for his permission to re-post his email on the website. I hope everyone enjoys this as much as we did.

Road Trip:

The Water Valley Caper

 
 
 
It was just another one of those “get-outa-the-city” days, when you want to leave the gerbil run and just go out exploring.  Things were beginning to look too grey and brown, so I thought a bit of green would be in order.  What better place than Out Where the Tall Pines Grow?
 
I headed for the Burnt Timber Road west of Didsbury, which took me out to the Alberta Forestry Reserve, where I spent some time enjoying the Tall Green.  I spotted a “Bridge Out” sign, hoping to get some dramatic shots of a washed-out bridge, I turned down it, only to find out that it was nothing more than road construction.  Rats!  However, it presented me with another road I had never travelled, which led me to a well-used, dripping-with-character, abandoned log house…

 
 
It spoke to me about harsh winters, droughts, coyotes, and the occasional bear wandering through, but these things were taken in stride as part of Alberta farming in the early 1900s…
 

 
I was pleased to find myself in an area where modest prosperity and bygone years are allowed to coexist, perhaps as a reminder that some pretty tough pioneers laid the groundwork for the conveniences of today…
 
 
I came upon the village of Water Valley, a settlement where recreational properties and the Old West live side-by-side in apparent harmony…
 
 
…and the memories of the early settlers are allowed to live on with an apparent sense of pride.
 
 
The townsfolk seem to be in no particular rush to cast off their remnants of the past, and have incorporated them as part of the civic theme.
 
 
I felt tempted to put down a deposit and become a part of this preservation effort…
 
 
…but I resisted the urge, opting instead to stop and wet my whistle at another charming flashback to the Old West – the Water Valley Saloon!
 
 
Being in no particular rush to return to the rat race, I opted for a roundabout route for my return trip, and was rewarded with this old log house…
 
 
…oozing character and experience from every gap in the ancient timbers, and valiantly fighting the forces of nature to its last gasp.
 
 
Just before I reached Highway 24 and the final leg of the trip home, I found a cache of horse-drawn farm equipment…
 
 
…rusting away in the corner of a field.
 
So, with recharged batteries and a renewed faith in those who choose to preserve our heritage, I returned to the present (reluctantly), ending a very interesting and satisfying day.  Once again, life is good!