Directly to your West is yet another glacial erratic. There are actually a few of various sizes on this road, but this one was the largest and most unique looking one, so we decided to place a cache here.
Glacial erratics are so called because they are not native to this area. The erratics of the Foothills Erratics Train (like this one) are actually pieces of quartzite, native to the mountain ranges near Jasper, Alberta. The massive ice sheets/glaciers thousands of years ago would have slowly transported these large boulders from their original locations, and, when the climate warmed and the ice melted, dropped them onto the prairies of Alberta in a distinctive "train" spanning hundreds of kilometres.
We like looking out for glacial erratics as we drive the roads of rural Alberta, and find their history interesting. Check out the links below to learn more about these unique Alberta geological wonders.
http://www3.telus.net/lejgeology/etrain/
http://basementgeographer.com/glacial-erratics/