Red Deer Reality Rant #63 - Hidden Gem Near Red Deer

Hello there fellow Red Deerians. I hope everyone had a great Canada Day weekend. It is back to the grind for some of us, not me however, as I have the day off from my day job. But this blog never sleeps so here I am with another post! I have covered a variety of topics here on Red Deer Reality Rant and many have focused on the city itself. Today I would like to discuss surrounding areas of Red Deer which are some choice spots to visit in summer time.

I have said before that I am not a fan of hot weather. However when temperatures are high I look for ways to cool off and some of the best kinds can be done outdoors, despite the murderous sun. If you can’t beat the heat, join it and find some cool water and shade. A lot of Red Deerians like to go to Sylvan lake but I prefer Gull Lake on highway 12 not far from Lacombe.

At Gull Lake I have never seen it crowded, at least not anywhere close to the point that Sylvan is. As a rather beach-shy kind of person who isn’t very comfortable in a bathing suit, Gull Lake is perfect. No one there is intent on strutting their stuff and the general population seems quite normal. Also the beach has nicely groomed sand and the water is shallow for an entire kilometre out.

I was there on Sunday at Aspen Beach and although it was super windy it was a very nice quiet time and the water was warmer than the air was which was about 15 degrees above. There’s a concession but we had brought our own snacks and drinks. All you need is some towels and a beach blanket maybe a couple of tent chairs. It’s a peaceful place away from crowds and metropolis.

A great place for a picnic lunch but there are no fire pits. The view is serene seeing kilometres off in the distance making the sky big and perfect for cloud watching. Someday I might bring my paints and easel and do a plein air painting it may end up being quite minimalist though. There is much beauty when there’s simplicity in nature however so just maybe I will try it sometime soon.

So if you want to get out of the city and get some fresh air, Gull Lake is the place to do it. A hidden gem in Central Alberta, you heard it here from me on Brutal Reality Digest. Of course there’s gulls, and seaweed, fishes and other critters. No leeches though, and the lake water seems fairly clear. The public area we visited was Aspen Beach and is day use and open to everyone without any fees.

That’s all for today, a Rave review of a cool place only a half hour away from Red Deer. Enjoy your week fellow Red Deerians, and you’ll hear from me next Monday. Until then stay cool and stay brutal!

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