Canola on the Cowboy Trail

Alberta’s Highway 22 is officially named Cowboy Trail and stretches 584 kilometers (363 miles) from Mayerthorpe in the north to near Lundbreck Falls in the south, but the section that I’m most familiar with is the southern end of the Trail from Longview to Highway 3. I’m fortunate enough to drive this part of the Cowboy Trail about once a mont,h and it’s always a scenic delight for the eyes, no matter what time of year.

The Cowboy Trail runs along the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains and passes through foothills, aspen parkland, and open rangeland. Lots of rangeland. There are around 3 million people who call Alberta home, but they are outnumbered by approximately 5.5 million beef cattle.

Near the very southern end of the Cowboy Trail, in what is predominantly high ranching country, are some open vistas that provide rare opportunities for agriculture along this part of the trail. I had driven by this location about a week before this photo was taken, but I knew I needed to return, while the canola was still in full bloom, with the equipment needed to create an ultra-high-resolution photo

With my ultra-high-resolution gear in hand and hoping for little wind upon arrival, I set out early one morning on the 1 ½ hour drive to this location. There was a good chance the drive would be in vain if there were even a moderate breeze when I arrived. Creating this type of high-resolution photo requires many techniques, including focus stacking and photo stitching. Should the canola and other vegetation be moving in the wind between photos, assembling a finished image would be impossible. As luck would have it, the winds were calm, and I was able to capture over 1,300 close-up photos of the scene that would eventually be assembled into this final photo.

I believe this photo really captures Alberta in so many ways. There is a wonderful foreground of bright yellow canola which is such a common sight across the Alberta prairies in July. Combined in the same photo are Alberta’s wonderful green foothills, complete with cattle grazing. Then there is the view of the Rocky Mountains in the distance and it is finished off with some wonderful clouds on a glorious summer’s day in Alberta.

Photo Information: A very high-resolution photograph taken along Alberta's Cowboy Trail, a 700-735 km (approx. 435-456 miles) scenic driving route, primarily following Highway 22 along the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains, running from Mayerthorpe in the north to Cardston in the south.

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