THE HAIRY GIRAFFE… IN CANADA
After two weeks in Alberta, it’s time to reflect. How did we experience this journey? What were our joys, disappointments, questions, doubts, and discoveries? This is not merely an assessment of a country but rather of a trip—how we perceived it individually and subjectively.
 We are François and Benjamin, Canadian and French giraffe hairstylists and travel enthusiasts. On this blog, discover our travels, tips, moods, and everything you need to become a giraffe hairstylist and embark on travelling the world. An honest blog with photos guaranteed 100% unfiltered and untouched. |
François’ Travel Reflections
Benjamin, the child, dreamed of becoming a paleontologist. Benjamin, the adult, is a huge fan of the 1993 film Jurassic Park and dinosaurs. We were still living in Montreal when one of his colleagues mentioned regularly excavating dinosaurs in Western Canada. It didn’t take long for us to find ourselves, too, on our knees in the dust and sand of the badlands, tools in hand, searching for fossils.
The Dinosaur Provincial Park
Living the life of a paleontologist for a few days is quite a unique adventure. Sleeping in mobile homes, eating good old American food, and heading out with a Jurassic Park cap and T-shirt to explore the badlands in the company of a real paleontologist is truly exciting.
In fact, I believe two things make it so thrilling. The first is the lunar landscape that surrounds us. Mounds, crevices, cracked ground, ochre soil, and cacti all around give the impression of landing on a new planet. Though the landscape is stunning, I admit I find it hard to imagine that 75 million years ago, an immense coastal plain bordered a sea right where we are standing.
I have an even harder time picturing this place filled with dinosaurs confidently roaming around. The setting resembles more a hostile planet from Star Wars than Isla Nublar from Jurassic Park. I indeed expect a Jawa to emerge from behind a rock rather than a dinosaur. However, the real specialist accompanying us quickly brings paleontology back to the heart of the adventure.
And this is where the second thing that makes this adventure incredible comes into play. With the help of our guide, I eventually spot this fossilized footprint on the rock wall in front of us. An immense trace, much larger than any I’ve seen in my life. While the image of the print is making its way through my brain, searching for a known animal that could have left such a mark, the guide bends down and picks up a handful of soil.
I see him sorting through the contents of his hand and extracting, between his thumb and forefinger, a kind of short, hard twig. In the most ordinary tone, he tells us it’s a fossilized tendon. At that moment, something clicks in my head. The immense imprint on the rock, the fossilized tendon: dinosaurs really did exist. It’s not that I ever doubted it, but I admit that finally seeing with my own eyes (and even being able to touch) evidence of their presence on Earth was a shock.
That tendon was just the tip of the iceberg. As we leaned in and lightly scraped the soil with our fingertips, we realized we were surrounded by fossils. Tendons, bone fragments, vertebrae, shell plates—they were everywhere. In fact, we had been walking over them for several minutes without knowing. Some were quite visible, almost as if they were placed there for us to admire. Faced with this realization, excitement soared: I wanted to search for more buried fossils myself.
Kneeling in the earth with a brush and a small rock hammer to delicately clear away debris might seem relatively dull. On the contrary, armed with my tools, I felt like Indiana Jones (I know he’s not a paleontologist…) on a treasure hunt. Removing a large piece of rock and discovering a bone longer than my arm hidden beneath it was an incredible surprise.
Following this bone, painstakingly cleaning and freeing it with extreme care and delicacy, all the while knowing I was the first human to see this fossil, that it was mine, that I found it—was an indescribable experience. The best memory I hold from this foray into the world of paleontology is clearly the moment when, while sweeping away a pile of dust to uncover ‘my’ bone, I stumbled upon a carnivore tooth. The experience became even more memorable as our guide took interest in one of our discoveries for the first time.
Indeed, despite having found various types of bones, he hadn’t really reacted before. It must be said, there were already so many around us. He had me fill out a excavation form, indicating the nature of the specimen found and the discovery site, mentioning that my tooth would join the collections of the Royal Tyrrell Museum, Alberta’s paleontology museum. I was incredibly proud!
What Else Can I Say?
Alberta is also the Canadian Prairies: vast agricultural lands as far as the eye can see. Crossing Alberta by car means passing through fields dotted with wind turbines and oil drills. It can be long and repetitive. However, this repetitiveness (and these vast spaces) bring a certain serenity. You also have a good chance of spotting birds of prey perched everywhere, on the lookout for prey. It’s not every day that you can see so many raptors in their natural habitat.
Alberta is also the realm of cowboys. Although we didn’t visit Calgary during the Stampede, we took advantage of our time at the West Edmonton Mall (the largest shopping center in Canada) to explore a few cowboy clothing and accessory shops. We even went further by trying our hand at shooting at a firing range.
A first (and last) time with a gun in hand. This Anglophone American-Canadian culture of country music, cowboys, and firearms is very far from my Quebecois culture. I truly find nothing exciting about having a gun and shooting at a target. It doesn’t make me feel more masculine, more manly, more powerful, stronger, or more confident. On the contrary, it’s heavy, it’s loud, and it’s dangerous.
Purists might argue that Quebec also has its shooting clubs, country singers, and western festivals, which is true. However, none of that matches the fervor Albertans have for the western lifestyle. I felt like western culture and spurred boots ran through their veins a bit like poutine flows through ours (odd comparison, I know, but you get the idea)…
The forest fires, which often occur during the summer, disrupted our initial itinerary. Although we planned to start the journey in Calgary and the Dinosaur Provincial Park and then head towards the Rockies to see Lake Louise and Banff, we had to revise our plans to escape the smoke. We headed north towards the Northwest Territories.
Like any good Canadian, I had heard about the Northwest Territories in my geography classes, but as a Québécois, they seemed so distant to me. Naturally, from Alberta’s perspective, things are quite different. The idea of crossing the 60th parallel north appealed to me, finally going to places that seemed mythical to me, like Yellowknife and the Great Slave Lake.
The road is long but takes you through Edmonton and several small towns and typical places (Athabasca, Lesser Slave Lake, High Level, Hay River…). Entering the Northwest Territories also means entering Indigenous territory and immersing oneself in that culture. The inuksuit (human-shaped stone piles erected by the Inuit for navigation or marking a specific place), the traffic signs in First Nations languages that we come across, and the distinctly featured employees at Tim Hortons remind us that we are in Indigenous lands.
As someone who loves this culture, I am over the moon. The Northwest Territories also boast Wood Buffalo National Park and its impressive bison colony. Having to stop the car because over forty bisons decided to use the paved road for their travel? Check!
Is Alberta Worth Visiting?
If you’re seeking diverse experiences, Alberta is the perfect destination. You can visit Calgary, small and charming, before spending an entire day getting lost in the West Edmonton Mall, diving right into North American culture. If you’re not afraid of the road, dare to be different and head north instead of west.
Embark on a journey to discover the Northwest Territories and immerse yourself in Indigenous culture, vast landscapes, and wildlife. Honestly, this road trip through western Canada remains one of the most beautiful travel discoveries I’ve made so far.
Check out Benjamin’s Travel Reflections:
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