Kananaskis Country

I hired a car for the weekend again. I am onto the cheap weekend deals now. You can hire a car for about $26 per day plus insurance. It makes it pretty affordable but I still need to get myself a car.
So today we set off early (too early for Kerri) and headed out toward Banff. Instead of doing our usual trek to Banff & Lake Louise, we turned off just before the mountains & headed south into Kananaskis country. It is a provincial park, not a national Park. The difference is that you don't need to pay for a parks pass & the government seem to have a dam on every lake.
There are a bunch of camping spots along the road (Route 40).

The one that was most noteworthy was near the Nakiska ski resort, called "Beaver Ponds". It isn't too hard to work out where the name came from. There are a number of these beaver dams (I assume they are real beaver dams) in the area. We didn't see any of the local residents, but they only come out at night or dawn & dusk.

The Kananaskis Trail (Route 40) has nowhere near the spectacular scenery of the Icefield Parkway, but it is worth a sticky beak anyway. The road runs north-south along the first valley into the Rockies. It's flanked on both sides by sharp mountain ranges like the one pictured (Kananaskis Range). They all look grey & dirty like the one pictured and, as for the Icefield Parkway, are not particularly nice looking at this time of year. I'm very keen to have a drive through here when there is some snow on the peaks. Another month or so should do it.

We were about to turn off to the road that runs along beside the Kananaskis lakes when Kerri spotted some wildlife beside the road, right at the turn off. This mob of Big Horn Sheep were just going about their business beside the road. They aren't the prettiest animals, but they are native & protected in the parks. I didn't see any of the males with the rally big horns amongst this lot.

The Upper & Lower Kananaskis lakes are probably the highlight of the drive through Kananaskis Country. They have the turquoise tint to them that the lakes in Banff National Park epitomise. The lower lake (below) is the longer of the two and appears to be quite a popular fishing spot. The upper lake feeds into it via a Hydro-electric generation plant located just to the left of picture
It's not bad, but when you compare it to the Glacial Lakes in Banff National Park, it just isn't in the hunt.
Note the ranges left and right as far as the eye can see.

The Upper Lake is the prettier of the two with some rugged peaks behind it & a some more interesting vegetation & shoreline. The peaks in picture still have some traces of ice left as they don't get much sun even at this time of year. Again this lake is pretty popular with the fisher folk.

Kerri and I were walking along the dam wall of the Upper Kananaskis lake admiring the view. I had dropped behind a little when I saw some movement out of the corner of my eye.

I had seen one of these Golden-mantle Ground Squirrels at Moraine Lake a few weeks back. This one was ultra-cheeky. I stopped to have a look and grabbed the camera. While I was fumbling around with the camera, he came up really close to me. I snapped off a couple of picks & crouched down. He came right up and I held my hand out. He actually put his front feet up on my fingers. I suspect he had been fed by tourists before because he scuttled off all disappointed when there was nothing to offer. He came back a couple of times after that. I guess he either had a short memory, or was just hoping he'd get a different result.
I have always been an animal lover and a close encounter with any kind of wild creature, big or small, has always been a thrill. It made my day.

Today's trip started and ended in Calgary. We headed West on the Trans-Canada to the mountains, then South along Kananaskis Trail. We had to get back to Calgary through farmland to the SW of the city for about 75 kms. Along the way we saw the typical farms that you see anywhere on the prairies.
About 3/4 of the way back we saw a bunch of people parked & out of their cars looking at a little pond. I didn't know what it was all about, but eventually saw movement at the edge of the pond. By the ears & the head, I instantly knew what it was.

If you hadn't guessed already, you will know now. This young moose added another tick box to the Canadian animals we've seen so far. I'm guessing he/she is a bit over a year old. I'm not a moose expert, but I wouldn't be surprised if it was its first season away from its mother.
It was the last place I expected to see one of these animals & was under the impression that they only lived north of the North Saskatchewan River. How wrong I was. I'm guessing we were about 40kms south of Calgary.

This picture reminded me of the TV show set in the north of Alaska called "Northern Exposure". The start of the show had footage of a moose walking down the main street.
I'm sure we'll get to see more Canadian wildlife in a couple of weeks when we spend four days in and around Banff. (I have another four day weekend coming up.).

A Lesson in Layering

We've had such a good run with weather for the last 6-8 weeks. Most days have been in the High 20's or low 30's. Occasionally we have a thunderstorm in the evenings too cool things off. All rather pleasant really.
Over the last week we've had much cooler conditions, more like our first week or two after we got here. Colder temps & more rain are hinting that winter is not far off. The hints led us to the winter clothing store to buy some warm gear. Now is the time because everything in the winter lines were reduced by half in most cases.
Now for the lesson. The key to staying warm in minus stupid (as in other cold climates around the world) is LAYERS. It's particularly important in Calgary because of the huge temperature fluctuations (yes, even more than Melbourne). It can go from 25 above to 25 below within hours during winter. You have to have options with you to be prepared for the different conditions.
So you start with something synthetic against the skin. Apparently, this stops sweat from freezing close to your body.

Then you need something mid range to protect you from +5 to -10.

Finally there's the top layer which is the weather proof & warm. It also has a hood to keep the icy winds away from the head. They call this a shell and is crucial when it gets properly cold.

You can use all sorts of combinations of the three, but the use of all three with protect you from -20 & below (minus stupid). The same principal applies for the legs.

Banff Lakes

On Sunday we'd had enough driving after covering 1200kms over the previous two days. We decided to do a bit of exploring close to Banff. Cascade Ponds (pictured) is about 3 kms from Banff's main street. Nice enough I guess, but I wasn't jumping up and down to go for a swim.

Just beyond Cascade pods is Lake Miniwanka (pronounced Miniwonka). We decided to go for a bit of a hike (3 kms each way) along the edge of the lake and up a gorge. Having been lucky with the weather conditions the previous two days, it finally gave way to haze. The forest fires burning in BC had made it a less than spectacular viewing day. You can see the haze in the photos.
Lake Miniwanka is a popular camping area but is also the place where a female hiker was killed by a female grizzly the week before. There is nothing more aggressive and dangerous than a female grizzly with cubs. The hiker was walking through a blackberry grove where the bears were feeding, startled the mother bear and paid the ultimate price. Most hikers at this time of the year carry a bell on them so the bears can hear them coming from way off and don't get surprised. Walking in groups of six or more also reduces the risk to next to nothing. The more noise you make, the more likely the bears are to take off, or at the very least, don't get startled.

Another tick in the wildlife box.
Big Horn Sheep are another native animal on the parks list. The females look like overgrown goats and the males have the huge horns you see in the photo below. They're a bit ugly in summer and I don't understand the hype surrounding them. Having said that, I'd like to see a couple of males having a head butting session.
It's not a great photo, but it's definitely the animal's better side.

Stuart Canyon

This was the purpose of the 3km hike. Stuart Canyon. It's one of the many streams that flow into Lake Miniwanka. We ended up hiking along the right hand side of this canyon to the fork in the stream. It wasn't overly interesting beyond the bridge we stood on to take the photo below and the mosquitoes were horrendous! They are huge and nearly bite off a limb when they have a go. We had to keep moving otherwise they would carry us off. The bears were far from our minds when the mozzies were about. Mental note to "remember the Aerogaurd & 'av a good weekend" next time.

Unfortunately our little national park tour had to come to an end so we headed for home. Work tomorrow & all that reality bites stuff.

The Icefields Parkway

Saturday morning we set off for the Icefields Parkway early in the morning to try to keep ahead of the tourist buses & camper-vans. We stayed only just ahead of the crowd for most of the day. The Icefields Parkway runs from Lake Louise north to Jasper, some 237 km. The Parkway spans both Banff & Jasper National Parks. The drive itself is quite spectacular before you even stop to see the Rocky Mountain gems.

The first major point of interest along the Parkway is the Crowfoot Glacier. The name comes from the three branches of the glacier that make it look like a crow's foot. The left hand/lower branch has receded in recent years like glacier's the world over leaving only the two branches today.

Bow Lake was by far the most spectacular view along the Icefield Parkway on the trip north. You can see that early in the morning when the sun isn't too bright & the wind is non-existent, the photos come up a treat. The lake was so still that the reflection masks the Turquoise colour of the lake. We took ten photos of this lake & not one of them is a bad shot.

All along the Parkway, there are roadside stopping areas so you can pull up & have a look & take some photos. Still at Bow Lake, I had to go one better for this one. I thought it would be clever to cross the road & climb part the way up the hill opposite the lake. I got the shot, but also got nailed by the mosquitoes! They are huge over here! I guess it comes from feeding on deer & bears......

Below is the best photo of the day (and maybe the weekend) and another of Bow Lake. I don't think much else needs to be said.
The ice flow in the centre of picture is Bow Glacier.

One more from Bow Lake. It's a little easier to pick up the turquoise colour of the lake.
The little red dot in the centre of picture is actually a Num-Ti-Jar Lodge. You can stay there for about $300 CAD per night in summer time. A bit on the expensive side, but what a view to wake up to in the morning! Bow Lake also freezes in winter as do most of the lakes in the Rockies.

We stopped here on the way back from Jasper later that day. There was no reflection and the sun had gone to the far side of the lake. To be honest, it was fairly uninteresting. I'd really like to see some of the other lakes further to the north in the early morning with no breeze.

Peyto Lake

This photo of Peyto Lake is taken from the lookout at Bow Pass.
Bow Pass is the highest point on the Icefield Parkway at 2067 m above sea level. Calgary sits quite high at about 1050 m, so Bow Pass is quite high up. The lookout is about 30m higher than the pass itself. The walk to the lookout isn't that far, but the altitude means you get out of breath quite quickly. I can see how people get into trouble in the mountains.

Waterfowl Lake & Mt Cephren

Yet another of Banff National Park's beautiful Turquoise Lakes and the most northern one we saw. Once you get west of the Continental Divide or north of the North Saskatchewan River, the blue in the rivers & lakes, miraculously disappears. The rivers change to a milky grey & the lakes seem to all be more of a green tinge.
The first 75 kms from Lake Louise are the most picturesque of the entire 237 kms journey with a bunch of lakes, rivers, mountains & glaciers to see. If you aren't to keen on the long drive to Jasper, I would advise concentrating on the points of interest at least up to this point.
The Mountain Peak behind is Mount Cephren. I just can't help but take pictures of blue lakes with mountain reflections & there are stacks to choose from in the mountains around here.

North Saskatchewan River

You can see what I mean about the rivers loosing the blue colour once you hit the North Saskatchewan River. This shot is taken from in front of the weeping wall. The wall is mildly interesting, but you end up too close to it to take a decent photo. Also it was in shadow.
This shot is semi-typical of the outlook from the road as it runs through the valley all the way to Jasper. It may be typical, but it's forever changing & never boring.

Bridal Veil Falls

As the road climbs the escarpment at the end of the valley above, there's a rest area with a view of Bridal Veil Falls (below), one of many waterfalls along the parkway.

Athabasca Glacier

This is the No. 1 tourist trap on the Icefields Parkway.

The Athabasca Glacier is the visual part of the Columbia Icefield that stretches 75kms north West into the Rocky Mountains. To be honest, the Athabasca Glacier isn't that spectacular although I am half keen to take a helicopter or light plane flight over the icefield. I am told the glaciers on the NZ south island are much more impressive. (I'll get back to you on that one someday).
Having said all that, the view from the visitor centre is pretty impressive with Parker Ridge to the left (first picture) and the Stutfield Glacier to the right (second photo).

We were lucky to have brilliant blue skies for most of the day. The next day the haze from the forest fires took over.

Tangle Falls is the most interesting of all the water falls along the Icefields Parkway (and there are many). Many drive past them unaware after heading off from the Icefields Centre. I've seen photos of these falls when they're iced up. I'm thinking a trip along the Parkway in winter is something we should do before we leave Canada.

There's a lengthy stretch without much of significance until you reach Sunwapta falls (below) about 55kms short of Jasper.  To be honest, we were a little disappointed in them after Takakkaw falls the previous day but they're still well worth a look.

A sort way further north the Athabasca Falls have the largest volume of water of any of the falls in the Rockies. This one is very popular with the tourist buses.

After leaving Athabasca Falls, we headed down the 93A which is a road that runs parallel to the main parkway road. It services a couple of little lakes & a few camping grounds.
So we came around a bend & this is what we saw. Black bears are a lot smaller than their grizzly cousins, but are no less dangerous. This guy was just wandering along the road, looking for things to eat.

Cautiously we drove up alongside the bear as he walked along. He didn't seem too concerned about our presence and went about his business. It was fantastic to even sight a bear, let alone get this close to one.

Our new friend kept digging around on the side of the road looking for food. I don't know what he was after, but he found plenty of whatever it was.
A very cool close encounter. Can't wait to see more animals & there is no shortage of them in Canada & they are out in the daytime!

Footnote: Two things you do not do with bears of any type. Approach them or back them into a corner. They don't like getting threatened & have mauled people who do exactly that. Not long after our bear sighting, we came up to a campground & saw a commotion of some sort. It turned out to be another bear that was feeding on something. Sure enough there were 6 idiot tourists with cameras converging on the animal doing exactly what you shouldn't do with bears...... Some people are just not very bright.

The animal spotting continued. You may remember the Bull Elk we spotted next to the Bow Valley Parkway about a month ago. Well, just outside Jasper, we spotted this Elk doe beside the road, just kicking back chewing its cud. Another tick in the box.

Medicine Lake is similar to many of the lakes around Alberta. It has more of a green tinge to it than the ones in Banff National Park as do most of the lakes outside Banff National Park.
Medicine Lake has a difference. It has no exit stream like most lakes, it has sink holes where the water flows into an underground system nearly all the way down to Jasper and empties into the River in the valley below. In the drier months, the lake actually empties leaving a plateau with some small pools.

You may have seen a photo of a Ground Squirrel in a previous entry. They are everywhere in Calgary. When you go into the National Parks, you see them everywhere as well, but they are a different type. Apparently these little guys are the true native gopher called the Columbia Ground Squirrel. Instead of being a drab brown colour like their prairie cousins, they are blue & orange. They're quite a bit bigger as well.

We refueled the car in Jasper and headed back to Banff. The cloud had started to close in and the winds was up so the spectacular photographic conditions from the morning were a distant memory. We didn't stop more than for a couple of comfort stops on the way. We were pretty glad to be out of the car by the end of it but made a plan to return to Jasper soon.

Yoho National Park

Friday and it's one of my Earned Days Off (EDO) that I have every two weeks. Kerri & I planned (very late in the piece) to spend the three days in Jasper. It turned out that we couldn't get accommodation up there for under $200 per night & decided it wasn't such a great plan. The backup plan was to stay in Banff. There are far more hotels & we managed to find a place to stay. It wasn't a bad plan in the end because we saw some really great stuff in places we hadn't expected.
Finally I have a half decent photo of Castle Mountain (below) about half way between Banff & Lake Louise.

Moraine Lake

Words can't even come close to describing this lake. It's Moraine Lake which is near Lake Louise. Lake Louise gets hammered by tourists, as does this one, but not nearly as much. Lake Louise is world renowned because of the tourist photos taken with the Fairmont Hotel. Having been to both now, I would have to say that Moraine is far better. It's a much deeper blue & the mountains surrounding the lake are far more interesting.

This is unlikely to be the only time we visit this magical place.

Golden Mantle Ground Squirrel

Our first wildlife for the trip. We received a booklet at the entry to Banff National Park and it has a couple of pages of animals seen in the park. I'm are trying to take a photo of each one. We already have the elk and white tailed deer.
This little guy was hanging around where the tourist traffic was very busy. He was very bold, but also very fast. Notice the orange black & white stripes on his back. Almost chipmunk colouration.

Yoho National Park

After we had visited Moraine Lake, we headed into Yoho National Park that borders Banff National Park. The boundary of the two National parks is also the boundary for Alberta & British Columbia (B.C.).

Takakkaw Falls is near the little railway town of Field. 

The water fall is fed by the Daly Glacier & has a vertical drop of 254m making it Canada's second highest falls. Notice the kicker at the top of the falls. The water drops onto a ledge just below top of the falls & shoots outward.

It is impossible for a photo to show how impressive & imposing these falls really are. You will notice me pictured at the bottom of the falls (above). It gives an idea of how tall these falls are. The volume of water coming from the glacial melt about is awe inspiring & the roar of the water crashing on the rocks below is just as impressive.

 I wasn't even me taking the train shot this time. Kerri snapped this one in Field when we were having a sticky beak. We were looking for accommodation options for when we go hiking in Yoho National Park.

Kerri liked the look of this building for some reason. I managed to point out why it wouldn't be the best place to stay overnight. This could be a problem when staying in Field. The Canadian Pacific Railroad runs 24-7 and the noise from the trains in Banff at all hours was annoying enough and the trains run quite a far from the hotels. I don't know what the alternative is in Yoho, but I'm sure we'll work it out.

Field's a funny little place that is there because of the railway. Aside from that, it's ideally placed if you want to explore the pick of Yoho National Park. It's less than 20kms from four gems including the two waterfalls (I've already mentioned), Natural Bridge and Emerald Lake. Just behind Mount Stephen in picture is Cathedral Mountain.

Natural Bridge

I'm sure this isn't the only Natural Bridge in the world. I know of 2 in Western Australia and one in South East Queensland for a start.
This one straddles the mighty Kicking Horse River. The impressive part of this feature is the amount of water flowing through this point. The water from Tekakkaw falls flows through this point and joins the Kicking Horse River just upstream of here.

Emerald Lake

This lake is beautiful like the couple in Banff National Park, but instead of the turquoise in Alberta, this one is an emerald green colour (hence the name).
Unfortunately, like it's Albertan counterparts, you need to get there early before the tourist buses get there. The breeze is also a factor. You get some fantastic photos with the mountains reflected in the water. As soon as even a mild breeze kicks in, the reflection goes. Too much sun tends to wash out the photos as well. I'm kind of looking forward to the winter months when the international tourists aren't swarming over these places.

Columbia Valley.

Continuing our exploration, we headed West along the Trans-Canada Highway roughly following the Kicking Horse River. It was no where nearly as exciting as the journey on the Rocky Mountaineer. The road takes a much higher route & you only see fleeting glimpses of the river. When we reached Golden (about 60kms from Field) we turned to the south through the Columbia Valley to Radium Hot Springs 100kms south. It's mainly cattle and timber country & although there's a mountain range on both sides, it just didn't cut it compared to the mountain ranges on the border. The only decent point of interest was this shot with the sun highlighting the trees on the edge of the river in the Columbia Valley.

The Rocky Mountains have a whole bunch of hot springs around the place, including Banff & Jasper. Apparently the Radium Hot springs are the hottest of the lot. It just looked like a couple of 25m swimming pools to me. (Hanmer Springs in NZ were much nicer.) I can see the attraction in the middle of winter, but on a 30+ degree day the middle of summer?
The photo below is a strange wood carver's shop in the middle of the township. Not much else to mention otherwise. It's a convenient gateway to Kootenay NP.

Olive Lake is only about 10kms inside the Kootenay National Park. It isn't hard to work out where the name comes from.

The colour of the lake is definitely an olive green & it comes from a mixture of the glacial turquoise & the brown of the rotting timber in the water (I think). Very pretty spot and there were only two other people when we were there.

Hector's Gorge

Heading back toward Banff (north east) from Radium Springs & Olive lake, you drive over quite an interesting mountain pass & come to the Kootenay Valley Viewpoint. The rest of the trip isn't that interesting, but I imagine the fishermen think it's paradise with a bunch of perfect trout streams.
Closer to Banff is Hector's Gorge (below). There are a few other points of interest that we'll probably check out in the future, but it was about 7pm by this point & we just wanted to stop driving. We covered about 550kms for the day.