Inn of the Wandering Dragon

Recently we have been doing a lot of driving across the province, visiting family, local attractions and the Star Party in Cypress Hills. Long hours have been spent in the car or truck watching the prairie landscape speed by us. Contrary to some peoples opinion it's not actually that flat all the way through, nor is it that boring. I have heard others go on about how some other part of the country is just so much more beautiful than this part, so much more interesting, so much better. Personally I think they haven't taken a close enough look. And if there is one thing I have found in all my travels it is that every place has it's own beauty.
Watch the landscape closely as you go by. What you thought was just one big block of colour is actually made up of many colours. Various shades of gold, yellow ochre, russet, red, green and even smaller splashes yet of purple and blue. The colours themselves range from pale tints to vibrant rich hues. They shimmer and wave alongside each other like paint strokes in a giant impressionist painting.
There is another reason I enjoy the open spaces of the prairies - the vastness of it all. It is easy to forget in the city, where we are so focused on our day to day things and buildings crowd around us. Even in the forests and mountains we can only see so far (unless we are standing on a high peak!). But out in the prairies we can see just how wide that horizon really is. I imagine I can feel the muscles in my eyes stretching to accommodate, they are not used to looking such long distances anymore and it takes some adjustment.
It feels good to enjoy this physical reminder that the world really is a bigger place than it seems.