TRAVEL | CANADA | PRAIRIE | FALL

The Many Colors of a Canadian Prairie Fall

A muted yet beautiful palette.

Each time I looked out the window today I saw the fog. At times it would be thin and it seemed like I could see quite a ways, other times it had moved in and was thicker and more ominous.

Finally, just before the sun set for the day, I decided to go out and capture it. At this moment, the fog was particularly thick, and I noticed the neighbor's horses near the fence. I couldn’t resist the temptation.

After coming back and reviewing my photos, I realized how much color is in the photo above. Little smatterings of the red leaves in the foreground, finishing their seasonal cycle as they prepare to drop.

Bright yellows of grasses as they continue their die-off — bracing themselves for the harsh winter to come.

We are currently staying at Chris’ Aunt’s farm near Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. We may be here for a little while as we are helping her with a construction project that she and her business partner are working on. It’s a chance for us to make some money, and since she lives alone, it is an opportunity for her to have some company. A win-win for all parties involved.

While posting some of my photos to Instagram this evening, I realized that I have quite a few fall photos on our feed, and they are all so different. I felt that together they would portray quite the story about this stunning Canadian Prairie season. While the West doesn’t experience the incredible reds that make the eastern part of our country famous for its falls, we do still have some stunning color contrasts that make me stop in my tracks.

Since I decided to post today's photos first, I have opted to take you on a small journey back in time to when we started to witness Canada’s transition into fall.

The above 2 photos were taken today, November 5, 2023, but the photo below was captured last week in a different part of our country — about a 6-hour drive away. This area is tucked into the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. And while it does have some hills, it is also surrounded by vast rolling farmlands.

One morning, I woke up to a verifiable winter wonderland. All of this snow fell in one day — 15cm to be exact.

I love the first snow when the white contrasts with the reds and yellows of the changing leaves. Just a few days later the deer had eaten many of these leaves off of the bushes.

A couple of days before, we were on a walk with Chris’ youngest sister in Rocky Mountain House, just 40 km down the road. I’m convinced that the Tamarack Trees were at their peak stage of performance for us. And of course, the yellow grasses and the fallen leaves lined the forest floors.

The following photos were captured near Dawson Creek where we spent a week visiting my oldest childhood friend. The reds from the barks of the bushes sit in stark contrast to the bright yellow grasses that are dying in the ditches in this area of the country. Truly a tapestry that only Mother Nature could concoct.

Dawson Creek is technically in British Columbia, but it is just a few kilometers from Alberta. (For those that follow our movements closely, I thought we were heading to Grande Prairie and had mentioned that in previous articles. However, we found out first hand that she lives closer to Dawson Creek.) It felt like we were driving far into Canada’s north when we went there, but in looking at a map I realized that we weren’t that far at all.

But of course, more than 95% of the population in Canada lives south of this latitude.

She also lives on a farm that spans over 200 acres. This was in the forest at the bottom of her property on a particularly warm day.

Prior to going to Dawson Creek, we spent a week in Edmonton, Alberta’s provincial capital, while visiting friends and family. Leaves were changing while we took a walk through the downtown residential area. The heritage houses were stunning in this area.

It was Chris’ birthday and we decided to explore this area of the city as neither of us had ever really done so. A nice walking trail hugged the edge of the North Saskatchewan River and we saw some beautiful sights along the way.

For the month of September we found ourselves staying at a farm of one of Chris’ high school sweethearts. It’s a long story about how we came to be there (which you can read about here), but it was here that we started to witness fall arrive.

We were close to the Alberta/Saskatchewan border, southeast of Edmonton when we watched this transformation begin. Already, I was happy to be here for this beautiful time of year.

We have now witnessed three of Canada’s 4 seasons since arriving back in March. It amazes me how the mood changes across the land with the changing of the seasons.

Spring is full of optimism and hope, summer is abundant in fun and revelry, and fall is a bountiful yet somber season. At first, when fall arrives, we don’t feel ready. We know what is coming and it doesn’t feel fair as the summer is so short.

But as the sun gets lower on the horizon, we start to feel the comfort of this season. The sun casts long shadows across the ground as we scurry about like squirrels, getting our nests ready for the long cold winter.

After spending most of the past 6 years in tropical regions of the planet, I will admit that we have enjoyed witnessing nature shift and change itself to fit the mood of the seasons. Neither of us likes the cold very much these days, so we will see how long we last here. As usual, we have no plan and will just take things one day at a time. When it is time to move on, we will know.

One thing is for sure, though. If we do decide to brave the winter in Canada this year, we have now arrived at a very good spot to do so.

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