Sunset in Calgary

Ho hum.  Another day in cow town.

Old Family Photos

This is Thomas Thurman Milburn, my great-great-grandfather.  Those were real photographers back then...

Maskinonge Lake at Dawn

Most of the fall colors in Alberta are yellow and by all accounts we are having exceptional color this autumn. On this particular morning in Alberta the warm early light was highlighting some orange as well.

Spruce Grouse

These birds rely on their camouflage and don't flush easily.  This one walked down the path in front of us on our hike up Lineham Creek and eventually flew awkwardly into a shrub.

Bison

There used to be millions of buffalo in North America. At one time there were essentially none left in Canada. Now there are a few small "wild" herds including one in a paddock at the front of Waterton and some commercial ranches. This is a prime environment for bison. The rolling terrain is caused by ancient glacier morraine. There is water, the grass is tall, and the winters relatively mild.

Old Ford Truck

Seen on the drive home up Highway 6 this afternoon.

Maskinonge Lake

A marshy lake feeding the Waterton River near the entrance to the park.

Blakiston Creek

We went south for a long weekend to attend the Waterton Wildlife Festival.  Last year was a really good one - photographed my first Canadian bear there.  This year...  not so good.  The reason is that there is a fantastic berry crop everywhere so they weren't concentrated in any one place.  And then it was windy.  The elk were staying near the trees and I think the bears were just sitting in one place fattening up on berries.  So, most of my better photographs are sceinics.  This is Blakiston Creek near the Canyon Church Camp off of Red Rock Parkway.

Goose Island

It was rainy in Glacier National Park and part of Going to the Sun highway had been closed for maintenance so we didn't make it all the way to Logan Pass.

Chief Mountian

We were in Glacier National Park, just across the US-Canadian border for the afternoon.  This is Chief Mountain from the US side.

Waterfall on Cascade Mountain

It was cold and wet and overcast today, and I have caught a cold and feel overcast but at least am dry.  We don't get a lot of color in the mountains here in Alberta - some yellows and a few oranges.  They say the best are the larch trees and I need to get out to Morraine Lake to see them.

The waterfall above is Cascade.  Click here for last winter when it was ice.

Rundle and Sulfur Mountain

Vermillion Lake in the foreground...

The Rut Begins

This elk was bugling at Vermillion Lakes near Banff.  He had two cows in his harem and wanted any other bulls in the area to know who was the biggest, meanest, and just plain most bad $#@! around.  Excuse the language in a family blog but if you would have heard him, you would know this is true.

Mule Deer in Snow

There are a lot of mule deer in Waterton townsite, mostly does and their fawns although we saw a few nice bucks.  So it is easy to photograph deer, its just hard to photograph them in a somewhat natural setting because they are browsing in people's yards or in the baseball field.  This doe was nibbling leaves down by the campground.

Burmis Tree

This limber pine, named after a coal mining town located here a hundred years ago, has stood on the east side of Crowsnest Pass for about seven centuries.  It died in the 1970's, but locals reinforced it and put it back in place so that it could continue to welcome visitors to the area.

Snow in Waterton

A teepee near our hotel and the baseball field.



MV International and the Prince of Wales Hotel

Today was wet and cold in Waterton National Park although it did clear up enough to take a shot or two. We took the old motor vessel International over the border to Goat Haunt Ranger Station in Montana and back.

Cameron Falls

From the viewpoint in the townsite, Waterton National Park.



Elbow River Falls

The Elbow River is gradually cutting it's way down these layers of rock. The water scours and undercuts the harder layer above. At one time the river flowed over the bank on the left. But eventually it found an easier path to the right and left a pocket below the old stream bed as evidence of the past.

Mount Louis

Megan:  This one is for you - the pinnacle in the background is Mount Louis.  The view is from along the trail to Sundance Valley.

The signs are out in Banff right now for bears and there were supposed to be two in this area.  They are feeding on Buffaloberry which is a red or yellowish berry that grows on a shrub. We saw lots of berries, and I saw some that looked like they might have been picked over, but no bears.  To avoid bear problems you are supposed to:

1. make lots of noise so you don't surprise the bears and travel in groups
2. carry bear spray and know how to use it (I carry it and I know how to use it)
3. watch for signs of bears and be especially careful around Buffaloberry patches
4. if you see a bear, back away slowly and leave the area - never run

You are also supposed to "rat the bear out" as Dave says and call Parks Canada.  But as I said, I didn't see any.  Buffaloberries are edible but quite bitter as I found out by trying one berry.  They are also called Soapberry and were whipped into a foam with other berries added for sweetness by native Americans.

Lower Johnston Falls

Another view from Johnston Canyon last Saturday.  The problem with Johnston Canyon in the summer is that it is full of tourists - you literally line up for pictures.  It is too pretty and too easy to get to :-)

Larch Valley

Today was not the best when it comes to weather - you can't tell it from this picture but it was snowy, windy, and cold for early September.  Actually you can tell from this picture - look up in the upper left hand corner and the snow is visible. 

In total we trudged almost 20 km but most of the time we could only see the outline of the mountains due to the overcast and snow.  But it cleared up enough towards the end of the day to take this picture in Larch Valley.  The valley is located above Morraine Lake near Lake Louise in Banff National Park.  The trees in the midground of the photo are Larch and they turn a lovely gold in the fall.  We hope to get back later after they've started to turn....

Bow Lake

Sunday was a beautiful day and the walk to Bow Glacier Falls was nicer than expected.  It is an easy walk without much elevation gain to the waterfall where the Bow River is born.  Unfortunately the waterfall was a bit hard to photograph so you get to see the lake instead.

Johnston Canyon

One of several small waterfalls in Johnston Canyon.

Unnamed Mountain

According to the guide book, the mountain in the background has no name.  The picture was taken from the ink pots above Johnston Creek.

Chairs and Table in an Alley

A scene in front of a coffee shop near Pike Place Market.

Seattle Skyline

It was a beautiful day today...