November 8 – Mild and dusty
Nothing to complain about for the first week of November.
Southwesterly flow has kept temperatures well above normal, lots of 20+ numbers to the south, we have made it to 15C which is a good 10 above normal for this time of year. As of yesterday morning, yesterday was supposed to be 15C, then it was supposed to be snowing and 2 today. Both days were equally nice at about 8, no snow. Now starts the gradual slide into the freezer.
The threat of 15C was more than enough to get us out for a wander around the Red Deer River/Raven River confluence. A nice hike but a real disappointment as well. What was a hidden gem only two years ago, bustling with all sorts of critters large and small, has turned into just another 4×4 party spot, chewed to bits by large tired vehicles and littered with almost anything you can imagine. What a shame.
A few nice waves have passed by in this week, but the timing has been off, the best one started forming just as the sun set on the 4th, and was already coming apart by sunrise. There have been a few nice stacks south of Calgary but they formed up late and too far away.
It still early in the wave season, but a pattern shift next week will likely end it for a while. A big stiff knot of high pressure off the west coast is forecast to park there for what may be a long time, changing the flow to northwesterly. Then begins the train of lows sliding along the jet stream, parked over Alberta, wavering from the hills to the border, each low dragging colder and colder air in behind it. I hope this high dies off on the long range, soon.
What is it with the ATVers? They want to be out in the bush, but they don’t care that they’re destroying it and leaving it so much uglier for the next group. I can’t help but generalize because they leave the evidence absolutely everywhere, although I’m sure there must be a few out there that really respect the environment. It just plain p…s me off when a special spot is discovered to be forever ruined.
November 9th, 2010 at 8:23 am