They rise
Like a Wall
The Rockies
Like a Wall
The Rockies
Towering
Above the land
Which for a thousand miles
Has known only sky
And a horizon
Beyond infinity
We enter here
By the millions
Entranced
Chasms of rock
Created by violence
Of geological lore
Lakes of jade and emerald
Filled by rivers
Chiseling their way
Down mountainsides
To deliver tears
Of dying ice
Grateful, am I
For this road into magnificence
Unparalleled
Westbound
Highway 1A
Bow Valley Trail
West of Cochrane
Alberta, Canada
Highway 1A
Bow Valley Trail
West of Cochrane
Alberta, Canada
Taken during travels, 2017
Although I didn’t do it this time, I have crossed Canada east to west on the Trans Canada Highway. From just east of Winnipeg to just beyond Calgary — not quite a thousand miles — the land is largely prairie farms or open range, a vast land of big sky, stretching 180 degrees from horizon to horizon.
The Rockies are an incredible sight after a day or three crossing that expanse.