Abandoned Homestead-Ghost Town Hunting

I love taking photos of abandoned homesteads and other old sites. One of my favourite past-times was taking road trips all over Alberta. I’d hit the rural back roads to see what abandoned sites I could fine.

Recently my husband and I had to take a road trip South to make a delivery. On the way back, we passed am abandoned homestead that I’ve seen from the highway many times over the years. Every time I went past it, I swore next time I’d turn off the highway and onto that back road to check it out.

Visible from the highway, it has a two-story house and several outbuildings.

It’s not very often abandoned homesteads have so many structures still standing, especially with the winds of Southern Alberta.

I stared at it as we drove along the highway. It was obvious to Cam that I wanted to check it out, so he turned down the back road. I had a feeling that the light was going to be perfect, even though there was a rainstorm blowing in from the north.

The wind was so intense that it nearly took my phone right out of my hands a few times but it was so sunny that I couldn’t even preview the pictures as I took them. I just had to try my best, an ‘aim and hope’ approach. I was hoping that the light was going to be just as perfect as I thought and the pictures would turn out like I was picturing in my mind’s eye.

The sky was amazing. It was about ten years ago when I took my first ever road trip to find an old ghost town called Alderson. I finally found it, just me and my two dogs, and it was the first time I’d ever noticed how magickal the sky is.

Rays of sunshine highlighted the whitest clouds against an endless, deep blue sky. It was mind-boggling that I’d never actually noticed the sky before. It was just always up there and until that day, I’d never paid it any particular attention but skies over rural Alberta are incredible. It’ll make you feel small, in a good way.

The day I took these pictures, the sky to the South was beautiful. Sunny rays and bright sun and the most incredible clouds in one direction, and a storm blowing in from the North. Our timing was perfect. I took the photos I wanted from outside the fence and scampered (shuffled and lurched) back to the truck.

Just a few minutes later, it was dark and rain was falling sideways since the wind didn’t diminish at all.

I got my pictures though, and they turned out even better than I’d hoped!