lands, is the area where dinosaurs roamed
millions of years ago. Just a leisurely 2
hour drive east of Calgary, the ‘badlands’
offer a breathtaking sight when you first
come upon them. From flat farmland, the
terrain immediately drops into a deep
valley filled with a landscape of rounded
hills, the result of erosion over countless
centuries. It can be comp ared to a small
the Dinosaurs
Drumheller, Alberta, Canada to fly over
the Canadian Badlands. Home to dino-
saur fossils, the Red Deer Valley pro-
vides picturesque scenery for a truly fun
time flying.
an evenin g party.
and a unique landscape.
The Red Deer river, with it’s head-
waters in the mountains west of Calgary,
winds itsway along thispicturesque val-
ley through the very interesting town of
Drumheller. This town was well known
for its large coalmining operations in the
past. Althoughthe mininghas long since
ceased, thousands of tourists still make
this a destination in their travels to view
the unique landscape and experience the
nostalgia of a bygone era.
Justoutside the townis the siteof the
world famous Tyrell Museum containing
one of the finest displays and historical
records of the age of the dinosaurs.
The town itself is built around the
history of the dinosaurs with numerous
lifelike replicas of the mammals located
throughoutthe town. A recentadditionto
thecollectionisanincrediblyhugemodel,
largeenoughthatvisitorscanclimb
through the body into the head where a
viewing area overlooks the valley.
Asyou can gather from this,not only
does the Drumheller Valley offer an in-
credible sight when driving through the
area, it becomes an even more spectacu-
lar scene when viewed from above.
At an altitude of 2000 to 3000 feet
above ground, you’llsee a fabulous view
of the river valley extending both north
and south as far as the eye can see with
numerous smaller ravines leading away
from the main canyon.
It’s this type of terrain that provides
a superb locale for outstanding flying in
the area.
A launch from the valley floor will
generallyprovideaslowflight upor
down along the Red Deer river (and at
times in it for those who enjoy a splash
and dash). Off to either side of the river
but still in the valley are masses of hilly
formations 200 to 300 feet high, some
comingto a pointwhile othershave small
plateaus at the top.
Whatmakes the flight so interesting
is being able to maneuver around these
hills,sometimesdisappearingentirely
from sight, at other times perching on top
continuing on. When flying with a group
of balloons, they all seem to be taking
part in a game of hide and seek.
Manygood landingsites canbe
foundinthevalley,however, ifone wishes
to leavethe canyon,usually all that is
necessary is to climb a few hundred feet
to change direction for a landing in the
flat fields above.
Another launchsite used ona regular
basis is a campground 30 minutes north
of Drumheller near the small village of
Morrin.Italsoliesinthevalleyand
presents a totally different view of the
badlands.
Flyingfrom thislocationtothe north,
the canyon walls become very steep and
the valleyquitenarrow,notarecom-
mended place for a final landing. There
are few river crossings (one of them be-
ing a small ferry) which provide access
from one side of the river to the other, so
the big challenge lies not with the pilots
butwiththe crew to make the rightmoves
for the retrieval.
TheCalgaryBalloonClub began
making semi-annual outings to the area
in1981 and has continued togettogether
each spring and fall in orderto enjoy
spectacularflyingandgreat camaraderie.
The main emphasis has always been
tomake ita fun event withfamilypartici-
pation.It’s nevercertain until theday
arriveshowmanypilots orcrewwill
attend but generally 10 to 15 balloons
show upwith4 or 5 crew for each. This is
about the optimumnumberfor ease of
management and for space available at
launch sites. Because few arrangements
needbe made ahead of time, anyone who
wishes to join us, even if they decide at
the last minute, are most welcome.
The only requirement for this event
is that everyone must have a ‘fun’ time.
There is no competitionor pressure to fly,
although from time to time an ‘interest-
ing assignment’ may be given the pilots
and/or crew.
Forour evening socialevents, we’ve
been known to do all sorts of weird and
crazythings intheway ofdressups,
ways fall into the same category as the
assignments.
For thosewholookfor‘between
ballooning’ activitiesthere are numerous
things to do such as golfing,canoeing,
hiking, visiting museumsor just plain
‘vegetating.’
Anotherattraction is theRosebud
Theater, located just a short drive from
Drumheller.Rosebud,asmallprairie
town, is famous for it’s amateur dinner
theater productions. Many of our group
have made the Saturday matinee a regu-
lar part of their weekend enjoyment. Oc-
casionally we launch from a large field
next to the town site for a flight in the
picturesque hilly countryside.
There are fewobviousincentives for
coming to Drumheller; only a small re-
duction in hotel expenses,no free pro-
pane, no free lunch and yet wefind a
group of enthused people who come out
year after year. So why do they come?
Just for the sheer enjoyment of a relaxed
weekend with friends and some superb
flying.
Inour manyyears ofgettingtogether,
I’d venture to say not one complaint or
unkind remark has been directed at one
another or at the organizers. How many
events can claim this sort of record?
Also, we have a wonderful rapport
with the landowners. Only two PZ’s in
theentire area, one beingthe penitentiary
with obvious consequences shouldwe
land there.Ifaproblemariseswith a
landowner, which is extremely rare, an
effort is made to resolve it immediately
and to follow up on the results.
All the landowners have beenex-
ceedingly friendlyand welcome us back.
This is also an enviable record!
So if you are inclined to enjoy an
eventwhere youpayfor everything,where
there’snopossibilityof winningany prize
moneyandwhereyou’reexpectedto
make afool ofyourselfat the windup
dinner,comejoin us forsomesuperb
flyingatDrumheller, in the ‘Valleyof the
Dinosaurs.’
