The news of an earthquake in northern Alberta brought back some memories.  I was at a campground west of Nordegg on August 9, 2014.  It was the final day of a three day camping trip.  I woke early to get everything packed.  The morning was calm and quiet.  Everything was in the back of my vehicle except the items on the picnic table.

I approached the table and noticed the water rippling in my water jug.  I looked around listening for a low flying helicopter on the approach or some other reason for this to be happening.  All was silent.  This happened at about 7am.

On the way home I stopped at Rocky Mountain House for fuel.  I was there at approximately 9am.  At 9:28am a 4.1 earthquake happened.  It was located 31km WSW of Rocky.  If I would have still been at the campground, there would have been more than the water in my jug shaking.  It turned out that the small ripples were a precursor to the bigger event.

That weekend was definitely one to be remembered not just because of the earthquake but also an incredible hail storm.  I just got the tent set up and everything in place.  The coffee pot just went onto the camp stove when I heard some thunder.  The storm came up so quickly that I just had enough time to shut the stove off and run for cover into the tent.  I didn't even have enough time to get inside my vehicle.  

The hailstones pelted the tent so hard that I thought they would rip through the top.  The fly sheet held tight.  One hail stone hit my finger so hard that the nail turned black.  Some of the stones were as large as loonies.  That was the third hailstorm to hit that area in the previous week. 

Fresh air, sunshine, loons calling, hail storms, earthquakes; just another day in paradise.

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