Red Deer

place. Sparklingly clean, relatively disease free city cleverly placed between Edmonton and Calgary in the hub of the buried oil and dinosaurs belt. Home to many of the prettiest nurses on the planet and home to more country themed bars than is really sensible. Red Deer was visited after the last ice-age by successive waves of paleolithic settlers who "kicked the tires" a bit but continued south to found empires in Mexico and Peru. Fur traders and cartographers such as Anthony Henday and David Thompson visited the area but also moved on. Finally a city was founded by Leonard Gaetz, a failed minister and successful land speculator who convinced the local natives to live in reduced circumstances to the west. Oil is present in abundance and the wealth from it, and from grain growing, cheese production, gravel sifting, and ashphalt storage enriches the populace and makes them feel special ... very special. Curling bonspiels, hockey tournaments, travelling to warmer climates and endlessly discussing ski wax keep the locals amused through the long cold winters. Summers are filled with street art festivals featuring clown juggling and, often, heavy drinking. The Red Deer river cuts through rocky strata that hold thousands of dinosaur fossils that begin to lose their magic after you have seen an eyefull.