The Icefields Parkway

We stayed at Lake Louise again last night at Lake Louise. This morning we packed the car, took a last look at Lake Louise and took the turnoff for Hwy 93, the Icefields Parkway. We started early again to stay ahead of the tour buses, but maybe didn't need to because the weather wasn't exactly ideal. Fortunately it did improve as the day wore on.

Crowfoot Glacier

The customary first lookout point was Crowfoot Glacier. The weather was wintery like the previous day and unfortunately didn't make for nice photos. It was interesting to see these sights with snow clouds shrouding the peaks. (photo by Julie)

Bow Lake

Right next to Crowfoot Glacier is Bow Lake. This is one of my favourite lakes in the mountains, but the weather wasn't playing by the rules this morning. The lake still had the beautiful green colour to it despite the cloudy conditions. (Photo by Julie)

Peyto Lake

We snuck up to the 'tour buses only' car park at the Peyto Lake outlook. It was still quite early and the buses wouldn't be there for at least an hour or so. I stayed in the car just in case. Wasn't a bad option in the end. The lookout is quite high up as far as the Icefields Parkway goes and it was cold with some light snow was falling. The girls were none to impressed with the cold by the time they got back, but managed to get the first few decent photos of the day. Out in the distance toward Jasper, the cloud did seem to be breaking up.

Waterfowl Lake

Waterfowl Lake didn't disappoint on this occasion. Quite often we've come to this lake and been a bit underwhelmed because when the wind picks up it's just not that exciting. This time it was dead calm and the reflection combined with a bit of snow on the peak of Mt Cephren made for a great view.

Bridal Veil Falls

Bridal Veil Falls isn't one of the most spectacular waterfalls going around and it is quite difficult to get a nice photo of it. We stopped and had a look anyway with a different agenda. We had done some research and learned that just next to Bridal Veil Falls was another hardly visited and much more spectacular water fall. We descended from the Icefields Parkway and found a nicer view of Bridal Veil Falls from along the path to the other falls.

Panther Falls

After taking a wrong turn somewhere along the poorly marked track, we found the right track and were still wondering whether there was a waterfall at all. Then, all of a sudden, we turned the corner and there it was! Panther Falls turned out to be one of my favourite (if not the favourite) waterfalls in Canada. The early morning clouds had lifted and allowed us to see the beautiful sight in all its glory. We even saw the rainbow that I'd overheard a photographer talking about a month ago. Nobody I've spoken to amongst my friends in Canada even knew this existed. We had to go, but I could have sat and watched the waterfall for ages.

Parker Ridge

Parker Ridge is really popular with alpine skiers and hikers, depending on the season. Most of the tourist set drive straight past it. I quite like it because you're up above the tree line and the panoramic view is quite humbling.

Athabasca Glacier

If you were to walk over Parker ridge you would end up right at the foot of the Athabasca Glacier and probably the most horrible tourist trap along the Icefields Parkway. The Columbia Icefields Centre is incredibly overrun but tourists and the bus (above) tours onto the glacier are a complete rip off. It's easier to take a couple of photos and keep going. It's a shame because the view from the viewing deck is quite to scene with the right conditions. Unfortunately, not today.

Tangle Falls

Tangle Falls is always worth a stop. In bright conditions it can be quite photogenic if you can get the marauding tourists out of shot. Today wasn't quite there.

Chain Range

 The weather was really odd today. One minute we were submerged in thick snow laden clouds and then the next we were in beautiful blue skies. That's just how the mountains are I guess.
Although we'd been through this valley a number of times before, we'd rarely stopped to take photos. The range to the right of shot is called the Chain Range and seems to go on for ever when your driving beside it. It's a classic example of the pushed up sandstone layers that are typical of the Rocky Mountain formations.

Sunwapta Falls

No trip along the Icefields Parkway is complete without a visit to the two waterfalls up at the northern end, Sunwapta and Athabasca Falls. They are about 20kms apart but are strangely similar. I never get tired of seeing waterfalls.

Athabasca Falls

Horseshoe Lake

Here's another little hidden gem, Horseshoe Lake. It is one of those signs that we keep seeing and saying "Let's just get to Jasper and we'll stop next time." We finally stopped and it was so worth it. It's a beautiful lake and the colour of the water is as dark green/blue as I've seen anywhere. Unfortunately the setting is nothing flash. No snow capped mountain peaks or anything remotely interesting in the background. The places where you can view this lake are right up on small cliffs at the edge of the lake so you just can't get a decent photo to show how gorgeous this little lake really is. I did try.

Maligne Canyon

We arrived in Jasper fairly early in the afternoon so we had a bite to eat and set off along Maligne Canyon Road. The initial stop was an old crowd pleaser, Maligne Canyon. I always marvel at the depth of the chasms in this canyon, along with the multiple waterfalls along the way.

Medicine Lake

We went out as far as Medicine Lake hoping to see a bear or two. It's proven to be a happy hunting ground for us, but sadly, not today. Medicine Lake always makes it worth the drive.

I've caught glimpses of these little creatures at various times while on various hikes. They're called Pikas and are about the same size as a large mouse. They're fairly closely related to the ground squirrels and, oddly, have no tails. It makes them look like a cross between a guinea pig and a mouse. They like to live amongst rocks and have a ferocious appetite for all things leafy. There was a family of these skittish little things right at the Medicine Lake viewpoint. Tick... another animal to add to my photo collection.
More from Jasper tomorrow.

Yoho National Park and Golden

Day 2 of our whirlwind mountain visit took us across the border into beautiful British Columbia. The weather wasn't exactly brilliant, but with such a short time, we had no choice but to continue. It was beautiful and fine through all of August last summer but not today.

Kicking Horse Alpine Resort

We drove into Golden and out to the Kicking Horse Alpine Resort (ski village) to check out the Grizzly Bear Refuge. Grizzlies had proven so hard to find in the wild during our 18 month stay in Canada so we figured we'd try a sure thing. Of course there was the obligatory tourist shot at the resort.

The bear habitat was part the way up the mountain and the best way to get there was on the chair lift. There was a dismount off the chair about 2/3 of the way up and without snow, skis or snowboards, it was more than a bit tricky. Of course the further up we got the colder it got. We were glad we bought our cold weather gear with us that's for sure. The girls made sure they had hot drinks with them for extra warmth. Of course having a hot drink in your hand while trying to get off a ski lift that was going straight on while on foot just added to the degree of difficulty.

Meet Boo. He's the resident male grizzly at the Kicking Horse bear refuge. The refuge is the biggest bear habitat going around and he has no contact with people at all (other than those of us gawking at him from over the fence). I was really concerned that he'd be hiding under a bush and we wouldn't get to see him. Fortunately he was out and about and very close to our vantage point.

I'm kicking myself for not being quick enough with the camera to take a photo, but they feed Boo by dropping food from the ski gondola that runs right above the middle of his enclosure. There's a little pond under the gondola and a couple of apples ended up in it. Boo knew what was going on and went right after them. I never thought I'd see a full grown grizzly bear bobbing for apples. He seemed to enjoy the challenge.

The keepers throw all manner of food into Boo's enclosure and make sure they scatter it to make him work for it. The problem for Boo is that birds don't have to worry about the multi-strand electric fence, so they think the food's being provided for their benefit. Boo took great offense to this murder of crows and chased them off. It suddenly became apparent that grizzly bears aren't as slow as they look. We gained a new respect for them and will be making sure that we keep our distance when we see them in the wild.

It wasn't just the ravens stealing boo's food. There were lots of smaller birds picking off the peanuts and other little snacks. This one is a Steller's Jay. They have incredible vibrant blue feathers. They're cheeky little sots and very difficult to photograph because they simply won't sit still.

This is the view from Boo's enclosure. It looks back toward Golden and the Kicking Horse Valley. As you can see, the weather had turned down right dodgy. Early August is not meant to bring snow clouds. I guess that's Canada for you.

After the bear habitat, we scrambled onto the chair lift again and headed down to the resort, only to board the gondola to the top of the ski area. As we stepped out of the gondola we were greeted by light snow! (The locals call light snow 'Flurries".) There's a restaurant at the top and more importantly a toilet.

After the toilet stop we had a bit of a look around, but there's not much of interest. It really is just a step off point for some great ski runs. The most interesting thing was the crazy downhill mountain bikers. They used the gondolas for the up hill and then go nuts on the way down following the ski runs.

I'm kicking myself that I couldn't get organized enough to snowboard this resort last season because there is some awesome terrain on that mountain.

Wolf Discovery Centre

After visiting Boo, we headed back to Golden an then on to the Wolf Discovery Centre. Kerri and I had been there before, but it was more about showing our visitor the Rocky Mountains. We were more fortunate than last time because then we only saw two of the wolves. This time we were lucky enough to see four of the six. We even saw Tuck and Aspen go for a walk (above), Tuck is the grey male. Well sort of..... they were on a lead for a short time before being bundled into a 4x4 and taken elsewhere for a walk.

Meet Aspen. She's actually what they call a wolf dog; half dog, half wolf. She was introduced to the centre early on to help settle the full blood wolves. She is much more placid being half domestic dog. She's a bit more like a husky or malamute than a wolf.

This is Maya. She's Tuk's sister and was in the front enclosure with Wylie who's we saw last time. Maya and Aspen are permanently separated because the two are competing for the alpha female role in the pack and the risk of serious injury are too much in the confined spaces. This photo was taken while the pack were howling (obviously).

Some of you will remember Wylie from previous blog entries. He's a magnificent animal and very photogenic.

Here's Wylie hard at work. It's a tough job...

The Wolf Discovery Centre has three Karelian Bear Dogs. These are a domestic dog breed from Russia that were once used to hunt bears. In these days of wildlife conservation, they now use them on the fringes of cities and towns to intimidate bears back into the wild. It means that the bears go back to living their lives normally instead of trying to pick up easy snacks in towns because of human stupidity. It's a great concept and beats the hell out of shooting 100s of 'Problem Bears' each year.

Golden

I may have mentioned once or twice about the North American obsession with RV's. It probably started from people being afraid to camp in tents because of the bears and cougars. They instead opted for a campavan. Unfortunately the obsession with having something bigger and better than the Jones's has resulted in this. It's ridiculous! I dread to think what they have in the trailer. The money these clowns pour into these things would buy some serious airline tickets, hire cars and really flash accommodation for quite some time. It kind if defeats the purpose a bit. This wasn't even the craziest one we saw!

Yoho National Park

Natural Bridge

The afternoon was directed more at scenery than animals. We headed back toward Field and Lake Louise. Our first point on interest was Natural Bridge. Having been there a few times trying to get a decent photo (with no luck due to weather issues) we managed to hit it at the right time. The dodgy weather of the morning gave way to some sunshine for a short while.

Emerald Lake

By the time we arrived at Emerald Lake, the weather had closed in. (This photo was taken by Julie).

Takakkaw Falls

Of course, no trip into Yoho National Park is complete without a trip to Takakkaw Falls. It still impresses me even though I've seen it a few times now.

The Spiral Tunnels

Being an engineer, we thought Julie would be interested in the Spiral Tunnel. We were lucky to get there right when a train was descending the pass.
We had a pretty good day despite the weather doing its best to make a mess of it. We're looking forward to heading north to Jasper tomorrow.

Banff and Johnston Canyon

After the epic lap around the Southern half of Utah we had a rest day in Calgary yesterday. This morning we set off for the mountains early. Our plan is to make the most of four days to show Julie our favourite spots in the mountain parks. Today we concentrated our efforts around Banff. It was a serious contrast to the red rocks and bone dry dessert of Utah. Utah was a fantastic experience but it was kind of comforting to be back in the green forest & snow capped mountains.

The Three Sisters

As always, the road to Banff includes passing through Canmore, the gateway to the Mountains. With clear skies, we made a small detour so we could get a nice view of The Three Sisters. Notice that there's absolutely no snow on the peaks in this shot. More on that later.

Johnston Canyon

Initially we bypassed Banff and continued along the Bow Valley Parkway as far as Castle Junction. In the shadow of Castle Mountain is one of our favourite short waterfall walks, Johnston Canyon.

We arrived at Johnston Canyon early which is always a good idea because it gets overrun most days. I had been back there with the DSLR camera a couple of times with mixed results, but usually the ice and snow combined with poor weather made it impossible to get the postcard shots I was after. Today, the conditions were perfect. We were even able to capture rainbows in a few of them, including Lower Falls (above).

This is one of my favourite waterfalls in Johnston Canyon. I like the hole in the rock that the left rapid runs through.

The photos I took this time around with the DSLR were so much clearer and the colours much more vibrant than previous efforts. The conditions helped but I think the better camera and a better understanding of photography definitely had as much impact.

Got it! The Upper Falls, on a clear day with a rainbow! 4th time lucky...

And the last of the falls. This one is just above the Upper Falls.

Vermilion Lakes

From Johnston Canyon we went back to Banff for lunch but not before a divert to nearby Vermilion Lakes (with Rundle mountain in the background). It was still quite a clear enough day and the breeze stayed away as well.

Banff

Of course we had to do the main street of Banff and the merchandising shops. Not my favourite past time, but I do these things to humour women when I have to.Below is Julie doing the inevitable tourist thing and having her photo taken with a stuffed moose.

Castle Mountain

We've booked a couple of nights at Lake Louise, so we set off from the Banff area and headed out along the Trans-Canada. We managed to catch a clear view of Castle Mountain in the process.

Osprey at Castle Junction

At Castle Junction, we crossed over to the Bow Valley Parkway. The short road crosses the Bow River with the bridge pictured. I've become pretty accustomed to spotting animals and this was no exception. If you look at the top of the bridge close enough, you'll see a big bird's nest.

In the nest was a pair of Osprey. Osprey are a bit scarce the world over, so this was a real treat.

Osprey are almost exclusive fish eaters. This pair had a trout up in the nest and you may see one of them with the tail in its mouth (above).

Bow Valley Wildlife Spotting

After our Osprey sighting we headed along the Bow Valley Parkway to look for more animals. We weren't disappointed. This black bear was grazing on a clearing just off the side of the road. It may not look like it, but this one is definitely a black bear. Its coat looks a lot like a grizzly, but the black bears have a significant range of colour variants. It was good that our visitor was able to see a bear regardless of what type.
It was getting late so it was off to the hotel to check in and have dinner. It was a decent start to our trip.

We're staying at one of the hotels up near Lake Louise itself so we took some time to check out the lake before to light finally disappeared. The evening has become overcast and cold. I hope these aren't ominous signs.