Living in Alberta for the Summer

I really thought that people were going to be different here in Alberta. I didn't expect a Conservative redneck wearing a cowboy hat but I did expect something different. Right now, if there weren't a border telling me so, I would say Banff is in BC. I mean, it looks more like BC.

Maybe it's just because we're so close to the BC border here that there's a lot of overlap. And near the Saskatchewan border there might be an overlap there too. But I can't stop thinking about how nothing is different. Maybe my expectations were too high.

I mean, I know that I'm jealous of the province because of their oil and the lack of PST but I worry about what they're going to do when it's all gone. Now I don't know the whole economy/politics/financial "deal" with AB because I'm not an Albertan so maybe they have other industry to fall back on. Right now though, all I see is oil and cows.

I don't think I could ever live here permanently. I went to Heritage Park and as we descended out of the foothills I started to feel a little on edge. It must have been my lizard brain reacting to the mountains flattening out but I have to admit, I got a little freaked out. Now, I've been to Alberta, a lot but it's just too flat. I think it's just coming from BC. I like my mountains and my ocean. Green prairie grass blowing in the wind, watching the sun rise and bright blue sky with puffy white clouds is beautiful but all that open space is unnerving. Not so much that I need to wear a foil helmet on my head but I feel more safe when surrounded by mountains. I know, it doesn't make sense does it? I'll bet I've got some kind of phobia of open spaces.