It was a rainy day from start to almost finish.  But it was tolerable.

  The original plan was to drive into the mountains for a hike, but it made no sense driving all that distance to get wet when we can get wet in our own backyard--so to speak. 

  However, one of us did manage to get wetter than the other four.

Dale Hodges Park is a 40.4686 hectares (100.000 acres) natural environment urban park in northwest Calgary, Alberta—an expansion of Bowmont Park—that features a massive public art installation combining aesthetics with functionality where stormwater from eight northwest upstream residential communities flows slowly through "water structures and landforms" inspired by "natural river morphology as well as hydrologic and sedimentation processes that serve as filters. The park, which is connected to the regional pathway, has a boardwalk, cycling and walking trails, the Nautilus Pond, a polishing marsh, a wet meadow, man-made streams, vantage points of the Bow River, and wildlife habitat. The $26.8 million project to "restore native riparian habitats" of the contaminated Klippert gravel pit, then known as the East Bowmont Natural Environment Park (NEP), began in 2010. It was completed in the fall of 2018 and officially opened to the public on June 26, 2019, following a ceremony in which Mayor Naheed Nenshi dedicated the park to Dale Hodges, in recognition of his many contributions to Calgary as the longest service member of council. Alderman Hodges was active for 30 years—from 1983 to 2013—"protecting and creating Calgary's green spaces".

  Enjoy,

randy