Grounded in the Wind is set in Prairie Winds Park.
Prairie Winds Park opened in 1990, and when the author was raising her son, it was still being built out. When he was little, there was not much there beyond the huge sledding hill. It was a difficult hike to the top and an exhilarating ride back down. The park was also a great place for plane spotting, as aircraft are constantly taking off from the nearby airport and flying overhead.
It would be a great place for kite-flying in the summer, if it were not for the airspace restrictions that forbid even the flying of a kite or helium balloons.
The park underwent a major redevelopment from 2014 to 2017, adding an expanded spray park, lazy river, upgraded wading pool, and playscape. The playground is especially distinctive, with a slide built into the hill, a zip line, climbing equipment, and swings that are great for grown-ups, as well as smaller play equipment for littles.
It also offers tennis courts, a basketball court, a cricket pitch, soccer fields, skating, and a toboggan hill. There are a number of small gardens, including one featuring a Canada flag made of blooms, along with walking paths, fitness stations, picnic tables, and the gazebo built for the original opening in 1990.
See how this distinctive Calgary park becomes part of the investigation in Grounded in the Wind, Parks Pat Mystery #13.
