Fairmont Banff

Rundle

There is a great view of Rundle from Tunnel Mountain.  The Bow River and the golf course are bottom left.  Rundle stretches 12 km from this face all the way down to Canmore.

Tunnel Mountain

The mountain in the upper right is Tunnel Mountain, located in Banff townsite.  It is the most climbed mountain in Banff National Park and we ran into plenty of people on the way up (and down).  The path was ice free and a steady moderate climb on a good trail with switchbacks all the way to the top.

This picture was taken from the Vermillion Lakes on the north end of town.  Tunnel Mountain used to be known as Sleeping Buffalo and you might be able to visualize that from this photo.  The head is on the left with the hump and body just behind it.  There is no tunnel in Tunnel Mountain.  When they first surveyed the area for the railroad they had planned a tunnel but ended up going around the mountain instead.

Teresa likes this picture because you can't see the larger mountains around it in the haze so it is hard to tell how high it is.  Actually it is only a bit more than a 300 m climb so not too bad but there is a good view.

Spray River Valley

This is the west side of Mount Rundle as seen from the Spray River Valley.  It was taken on a nice hike out of Banff, a plus or minus 12 km round trip that follows the Spray River.  You can walk or bike all the way to Canmore if you keep going south.  Elevation changes are moderate, only 100+ meters or so but you climb up and back down on each side of the river.

We didn't see much wildlife on this walk although the first grizzly was spotted last week in Banff National Park.  There was still ice and snow on the trail and YakTrax were in order.

Burgermobile

I haven't been to Eddies yet but I like his wheels

Moon over Rundle

The sun was setting and the moon was rising when I took this picture of Rundle in Banff from the bridge that crosses the Bow River on the west side of town.

Canmore hoodoos

The Canmore hoodoos are on the east side of town and are kind of neat.  We had never noticed them before today but climbed up to see them after spotting them.

Texas Gate

In Alberta, a cattle guard is called a Texas Gate in some places.  Just down the road 90 meters from me here is another sign with a picture of a cow.  The Texas Gate is just this side of that cow sign.

Sheep River Valley

The Sheep River is on the south end of Kananaskis Country, whereas yesterday's location is further north and west, maybe 25 km away as the crow flies.  There is a highway here above the river on the right - and it is closed.  In fact the highway at yesterdays location was closed  too.  Why?  They are closed in the winter to take pressure off the wildlife and give them access to water and food in the valleys.  They will open again in May.

Today we walked a kilometer and a half along the closed highway to get to the trailhead and took the Foran Grade Trail.  From there we looped back along the Windy Point Trail to the Sheep Trail which follows the river.  The loop itself is 6.4 km so the total including the closed road was between 9 and 10 km.  The elevation gain is around 225 m.

The ridge in the picture on the upper right is Windy Point.  This area has a lot of sheep and there was sign, but unfortunately we didn't get to see any.  The temperature was up around 12 deg C today - over 50 deg F and a very nice day.

The view of Windy Point Ridge from the Foran Grade Trail.  The Sheep River valley is off the frame to the left.

Prairie Mountain

The cairn marks the top of Prairie Mountain.

There is an uninterrupted view from the top of Prairie Mountain to the prairie and the mountains all around.  It is warming up and the trail to Prairie Mountain is one of the first to clear of snow and ice.  It is a slog 3.5 kilometers up the mountain to an altitude of 2210 meters, a 700 meter climb from where we started.  There is still some ice on the trail, YakTrax are appropriate.

More Hockey

More hockey on Lake Louise taken a while back....

Man with a Cigarette

You can't smoke inside the coffee shops in Calgary.  I was inside.  He was outside.  The weather outside wasn't bad though.

Transformer and Pole

I went out to take pictures of bats the other evening in Lake Jackson.  There were quite a few flying and catching insects but the pictures weren't too good.  I liked this shot that I took while setting up the camera though.

Chinese Pavillion

This is the ceiling of the Chinese Pavillion in Hermann Park.

Great Egret

A great white egret in flight in Hermann Park.

Duck Fight

There is nothing sillier looking than a duck fight.  Except maybe a pademeolon fight.  These are black-bellied whistling ducks in Hermann Park, Houston.  The group didn't seem to like the individual on the left in the air and he was attacked as soon as he flew in by the one on the right that is in the air with him.  Actually, I don't know if it is a male or not.  The male and female are about the same in size and coloration.

Red-eared Slider

Red-eared sliders are native to and common along the coast in Texas.  Frequently they are the turtles you might see sold as pets in the United States or Europe.  The teen-aged mutant ninja turtles were red-eared sliders according to Wikipedia.  I have not verified this however.

Vase

This looks like a vase or urn but I think it may be a candelabra since the throat is closed off and is about candle size.  It sits in my mother's living room on the floor.

I have a recollection of Aunt Becky saying in a matter of fact manner that it was a wedding gift to Mama and Papa by the dwarf that lived in the barn.  Mama and Papa are my paternal grandmother Honey's parents.  This would mean the vase dates from the turn of the last century.

I don't know any more than that about it.  But sometimes the story is better when you don't know all the facts and your mind has to wrestle with the gaps.

Field, B.C. Take Two

For fun, I went back and processed this church in Photoshop to get a different look.