Thriller Dance-off

Calgary participated today in a world-wide record breaking attempt for the number of people dancing to Michael Jackson's Thriller.  The record is 22,000 dancing simultaneously.  The photo above shows the Calgary contingent. 

Yamnuska

This is Yamnuska as seen from the south.  The eastern shoulder is on the right hand side of the photograph.  The face of Yamnuska is famous for technical climbing, the name means "wall of stone" in the Stoney language.  It is 360 meters in height.  While often called Yamnuska, the official name is Mount Laurie - named so at the request of the Stoney in honor John Laurie who was an advocate for the native people of Alberta.

Yamnuska

Yamnuska as seen from far out along the eastern shoulder, with the sheer face very visible.  It was about freezing temperatures when we started out but warmed up nicely.  It was icy enough on the trail near the top that Yak Trax would have been welcome as well as a walking stick on the way down.

Glacial Valley

Highway 95 heads up northern Idaho along this old glacial valley towards Canada.

Spokane

A view of Spokane with the lower Spokane Falls in the center.  What is the common theme between this picture and the two below?  They all feature power plants that don't use fossil fuel.  The Spokane Falls and Snoqualmie Falls both have hydroelectric plants and of course the wind power at Wild Horse.

Wild Horse Wind Facility

Along Interstate 90 in western Washington State

Snoqualmie Falls

On the way across Washington State, stopped to see this fall on the Snoqualmie River.

The Drive to Whistler

A view on the way to Whistler from Kelowna.

Black Bear at Whistler

This black bear was just below Blackcomb Peak.  I'm pretty sure he saw me before I saw him but when I first noticed him his head was down and he was eating.  I saw a black shape that seemed out of place about 100 meters away and stopped.  Then he looked up.  He wasn't that interested in us, he just kind of looked up from time to time to keep track and then wandered off. 

This was at 1860 meters altitude according to my GPS and he was eating grass.  His coat was in good shape and he looked fat.  In Waterton they go into hibernation in early November.  I'm not sure about here.  Anyway, it was snowing lightly and around 3 degrees C.  There are supposed to be about 60 bears in this area.

Whistler Mountain Peak 2 Peak

The view from the Gondola during the ride from Whistler Mountain to Blackcomb Mountain. It is the highest and longest lift of it's type and carries skiers from one peak to the other.

Kelowna

We are on a trip of the Pacific Northwest.  This is the Japanese Garden in Kelowna, British Columbia.  One of these days, I might write a tour guide to Japanese Gardens in North America.

Lake O'Hara

A view from the climb to Lake Oesa with Lake O'Hara in the far background.  The little stream pours through a series pools into the lake.  This is one of the more scenic spots in the Canadian Rockies and access is limited to protect the fragile environment.

Along the way, I got the best opportunity to photograph a mountain goat up close I've had but blew it while changing lenses.  It was a beautiful day and perfect weather for hiking.  It can be cold and snowy up here this time of year however and the bus that takes you into the area stops running today for the season.  If you can get in, this is a very worthwhile place to visit...