Old farmyard windmill

A couple of days ago, on 30 March 2015, I went SE of Calgary, driving the backroads through the farmlands. I had been meaning to drive further than I'd driven in that area, and yesterday I went as far as Vulcan. Just like I have done a few times before, I went on Google and Google Earth beforehand, searching for any barns that were in the new part of my drive. Nothing truly spectacular, but I did manage to find a few that made the drive worthwhile. 234 km total, 5 1/4 hour trip.

As you can see in this photo, the weather was beautiful, with a sky full of clouds for at least part of my drive. What you can't see is that it was very windy, as it so often is in this whole area. You also can't see all the bees that were buzzing round my car a couple of times when I got out to take a few photos.

Yesterday evening, my daughter e-mailed me an Alberta Emergency Alert notice, about a large grassfire SE of Calgary. Part of my drive SE took me just a matter of minutes south of where the fire was, the following day. A good job I went when I did.

"Fire crews have brought a large grassfire near Blackie under control.

The Municipal District of Foothills had declared a local state of emergency due to concerns about the fire, which is burning northeast of the hamlet of Blackie.

An alert issued by Alberta Emergency Alert indicated the fire is burning near 482nd Avenue and 304th Street East and is moving quickly due to the high winds.

“Winds in the area are gusting at high speed and shifting direction,” the alert reads. “People are asked to avoid the area and prepare for possible evacuation. Smoke may severely reduce visibility and create hazardous road conditions.”

calgaryherald.com/news/local-news/wind-fuels-large-grassf...

"No homes, buildings or animals have been affected but one firefighter is injured and receiving treatment at the High River hospital."