Snow Shoes

This photo was taken in Kananaskis on the Sawmill loop.  This was our first time on snow shoes and we had a good time.  The weather was perfect, just a few degrees below freezing, with blue skies and very little wind.  It was only a 6 km hike but it was easier than I thought it would be on a good trail.  If you wandered off into deeper snow the factor of difficulty went up a lot....

That is Aspen our guide in front, Teresa is behind and to the right.

Mule Deer Buck

A large buck grazing in the camping area at Waterton from a few weeks back....

Dancing in the Snow

This small weed looks like someone taking large steps through the snow with arms outstretched, or maybe a dancer in the snow, to me.



Glenbow Museum Buddha

The Glenbow Museum in Calgary is better known for it's collection of Western Canada and native peoples artifacts but there are other items from around the world including this statue of Buddha.

Mallard Drake

This little patch of water in the lagoon at Princes Island in Calgary stays ice free.  Last year I saw Canada geese in this area, this year I haven't seen them.  Of interest, I saw tracks going into the beaver lodge that is located there.

Rundle

A view of Rundle across one of the Vermillion Lakes.

Rocky Mountain Bighorn Ram

We saw lots of sheep today, including this big ram.  There were groups near Exshaw and also off the road to Mount Norquay.  The rams were near the ewes and the rut is still on.  The temperature was around 18 deg. F where this guy was.

It's Cold Out There

A ram along Highway 40 at the Smith Dorien turn-off.  At the pass into Canmore it was 0 degrees F, - 18 degrees C.  This guy has icicles but seems to be taking it OK.

Rundle

As you can see, it is cold and snowy again.  Today it was around 3 degrees F, -18 degrees C.  To me, it is starting to get cold when you get below -15 degrees C.  You can stay warm, but you really have to be in the right gear or it isn't pleasant.  The Bow River isn't frozen over yet but the ice is forming.

This shot was taken from the bridge in Banff towards Mount Rundle.  I thought I'd try a black and white today just to be different.

Elk

The elk above was lying in the snow and chewing his cud between the Vermillion Lakes and Highway 1 near Banff this afternoon.  Elk are a lot easier to photograph here than they are in Waterton.  Why?  Because they live in the park and haven't been hunted for many generations.  The elk in Waterton wander out of the park from time to time onto an indian reservation where they are hunted.

We learned this from a couple of Italian grad students we met while staying in Waterton a while back.  The grad students were studying the wariness of elk and having done so in Europe they were now in Canada.  Among their methods were to observe the elk from afar and see how often they looked up and around.  Their location and cover, the degree of human hunting, and predators all contributed to wariness.  In Waterton they are moderately wary of humans, in Banff they practically ignore you at times.  The grad students had actually correlated the number of generations it took for wariness to wane.

This bull wasn't too bothered by me as I stayed in the car, about 15 meters away.

Nakiska

Nakiska ski slopes as seen from the Mount Baldy Pass trail.  There isn't enough snow to ski there yet but Lake Louise is now open.  They have generated a bit of artificial snow at COP in Calgary, and we are supposed to have a snow here tomorrow.

Mount Baldy

Scree on Mount Baldy lit by a burst of light through clouds.  There was some snow, especially near the pass, but not bad.  In fact, mountain bikers were out on the trail.

Galatea Creek

There is starting to be a bit more snow and ice in the higher altitudes in the Canadian Rockies.  In this pictue ice is starting to form in Galatea Creek.  Lilian Lake at the top of this creek is already frozen over.

Here is a view from the Galatea Creek trail towards the east.

Portrait of a Mule Deer

Trying to take a good photograph of a wild animal is like taking a portrait of someone who won't follow directions.  I heard from a friend that there are some really nice bucks in the Waterton townsite in November for rut.   I found a really nice 12 pointer, but he wouldn't cooperate and get in a location that I liked.  I probably took a 100 shots of him.  This 8 pointer was smaller, but I like the photograph more.

Here is what I learned about photographing mule deer:

• I don't think mule deer look good in profile, they aren't as elegant as white tails - photograph them head on
• Like all good portraits, you need a background that isn't distracting and the subject needs to pop off - photographing with a simple dark background looks good
• Get a good angle - I squatting down to look up at him and make him more majestic
• Look for good light - It was raining lightly when I took this so the light is very diffused
• Make the eyes sharp - not much of a catchlight here though - I am at f/8 to get some depth of field since I am quite close and at 135 mm focal length.  The camera was set to vary ISO to maintain a shutter speed of 1/320 of a second so I could hand hold.

A Stairway to Heaven

I noticed these stairs today as I was walking through the woods in the area of the old abandoned mining town of Bankhead near Banff.  It was the location of the church, named Holy Trinity.  The church was built in 1908, the town was abandoned in 1922, and most of the buildings removed.  There are a number of foundations remaining, of which I find this the most interesting.  The church itself was cut in half and moved by flatbed rail car to Calgary where it remained in service until 1962.

Calgary from Edworthy Park

I've been wanting to take this picture for a while.  We see this view all the time when coming back from the mountains.  In the evening the light is great but it never seems like I can get an interesting sky.  This afternoon it wasn't too bad so I went ahead and took the snap.  The area where I am standing is the dog park where people take their dogs to run...

Prairie Farmland

I think the farms on the Alberta prairie are prettiest in the autumn.

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...