The final leg of my journey today took me east through Crowsnest Pass to Lundbreck Falls via Elk Lakes Provincial Park and the site of Frank Slide (a huge multiple fatality rock slide in southern Alberta) The threatened snow and rain failed to put in an appearance again so it was another beautiful day exploring the area. The spring growth on the trees around the pass really did stand out from the background, I'll have to remember this spot for autumn as (if timed correctly) it would make another stunning shot.
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An easy title today courtesy of this lovely black bear who had the decency to loiter around the roadside in Kootenay National Park as I called in on my way south. The threatened showers never really arrived as I made the journey south to Fernie and finally got to see some of the wildlife that I know is here in abundance. I caught a Golden Eagle just after take off, a couple of wild turkeys and some rocky mountain sheep. I caught another black bear when I made a short hike in Kootenay National Park, it was laid down high above me in the forest, it sat up and took a good long look but then went back to it's slumber. It is a good reminder to always carry the bear spray even on those short 'tourist trails', I may not have needed it but it was comforting to know I had it with me when I spotted that little blackie lurking above me.
The difference between Calgary and Golden BC is readily apparent in the hotel car park where beautiful cherry blossoms surround the concrete jungle. I spent the day exploring around Golden and west to Glacier National Park where I discovered most things are still closed for the winter. I did manage to find one trail I could tackle with a short hike along Bear Creek (if there was a closed sign I didn't see it) I had a little more practice with the new filters which went well until I got into the spray at Bear Creek Falls. After the falls I headed down highway 95 a little way to a wetland wildlife area where I saw the last remnants of a good sized forest fire being extinguished. Tomorrow I'll be heading south to Fernie where snow showers are predicted, hopefully they will be light and infrequent.
I set out on a short road trip today, heading west to the town of Golden in British Columbia where I intend to stay for a couple of nights before rolling on to...who knows where. It's only going to be for a few days so I won't be straying far but a change of scenery is always good to blow away the cobwebs. The main image below is the Kicking Horse River as it pours through a natural stone bridge just west of Field BC, the galley below that is a few more shots from the journey today.
We had our first storm of the year this evening, it was a quick and squally affair with strong blustery winds rattling around the balcony as I held down the tripod. Most of the lightning was either hidden by the squall or lighting up above the cloud. I did manage a few decent shots before it blew over the horizon heading north. The best by far was this lone streak as it burst to ground on the very edge of the cloud.
I made the trek on potholed roads to the north ghost today to enjoy a bit of mountain biking in the empty wilderness of the waiparous creek area. Any given weekend the ghost wilderness comes alive with ATV's enjoying the huge space dedicated to the pursuit, but during the week you rarely see anyone down there. The peddling was gruelling in places but frequent river crossings cooled me off as the temperatures rose to the 20's again, ultimately I made a nice circuit of just over 20km but don't think I'll go back to that particular spot with the bike again as the trails are not really worth the trip, but it was nice check out a potential new biking area even if it turned out to be a non starter.
We have so many beautiful sunsets it's difficult not to swamp the site with them at times, but the site is for memories as much as anything and this is yet another that we want to remember. We have had the shortest winter and the warmest spring this year and recently some of the most beautiful sunsets. The six shots below show some of the progression over a period of about 25 minutes.
Sarah was keen to be out on the bike again this weekend and with wonderful blue skies overhead what reason is there not to? So we set out direct from home on the 20km circuit we discovered recently, only this time we added a little more just to keep things interesting so now it's a 25km circuit. There were plenty of deer and eagle sightings (including a huge bald eagle). I don't have shots of the eagles as my little cycling/hiking camera has it's limitations but I did managed to capture a muskrat that we watched working away in a roadside pond. Smaller images below are captioned when opened in the gallery.
Out on the bike this afternoon I saw this young eagle on a tree overlooking the prairies, I got a couple of shots before trying to get a little closer but he flew off (not particularly gracefully I might add) he only went a short distance to another tree, so I caught up with him and tried again but this time he flew off into the prairie beyond the lens. Lovely to see and really frustrating that I couldn't get a better shot rather than cropping in so hard as I did on these.
With Sarah still 'saddle sore' following yesterdays ride I was a little surprised that she was keen to be out again today for another go, admittedly this was after a visit to the store for some riding gear with butt padding included. We made a 20km 'out and back' ride along gravel roads direct from home so it was a nice easy day helped by the bright sunshine. We ventured out into the ranchlands of Rocky View County stopping a couple of times for photos. We saw several herds of deer and a few eagles along the way as well as a Muskrat paddling across a small pond, what a beautiful Sunday afternoon.
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AuthorWe arrived in Calgary, Canada on 29th December 2011 to continue our journey. This blog is intended to keep our family and friends informed whilst we explore Canada.You can use the RSS feed below to stay updated. Categories
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January 2024
The Shaman, West Texas
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