Cecil and I set out yesterday a little earlier than normal in anticipation of the predicted temperature, 30 degrees. We decided to get out and get done before the 4 pm peak.
We opted for the Smith Dorrian Trail, a 50 km dusty logging road that connects the town of Canmore to the Kananaskis Lakes trail. Being a little earlier meant some of the lakes we visited were perfectly calm making for great reflections. We found some interesting images in an area burnt by forest fire, spotted an osprey above Goat Pond and saw a little black bear filling up on berries in preparation for winter. We felt the full force of the afternoon sun as we walked Burstall Pass Trail to the lakes for the final shots of the day. With incredible scenery, wonderful wildlife and near perfect weather we couldn't ask for much more. The main shot below shows Goatview Peak reflected in Goat Pond, the gallery below has captions to identify locations along the way.
2 Comments
Hot sun yesterday meant I didn't fancy a long slog up a mountainside so I decided to make the short 9 km hike to Kananaskis Fire Lookout. It's one I've thought about numerous times but never really got around to it.
As you can see from the image below perhaps I should have, it's an easy hike to stunning views from a spectacular location. I've made a full write up in the usual style for those seeking a detailed description of the route. There will also be a permanent link to this hike from the hiking Canada page. For others less interested in hiking, there's a small gallery below showing a selection of images taken at or around the lookout position. A break in the weather yesterday prompted a call from Cecil, and an hour later we were heading out to kananaskis. There wasn't much of a plan in terms of direction so we just hit the usual haunts and photographed the wildflowers.
There are a couple of really great things to be said for the wet summer season we've had so far this year. One is the abundance of wildflowers throughout the mountains, and the other is the lack of forest fires and the associated chronic smoke we've seen for the past 5 summers. We found wildflowers everywhere we stopped to look and had a great afternoon in perfect temperatures exploring along highway 40. Getting out and grabbing a few images kept the jet lag a bay for one day at least, though the rain is back in full force today and a comfy couch threatens to lure me into an afternoon nap. Next week promises better weather at last so I should be able to get some hiking in ...... how many times have I said that this year? According to the calendar autumn begins around here on September 23rd, unfortunately nature pays little attention to our timescales and has determined that this year it will begin early. I confess it's really disappointing to see the trees turning and the birds and squirrels going crazy for food in the garden so early in the year.
Don't get me wrong, we love to see wildlife in the garden but autumn brings thoughts of winter and it's just too early for that....isn't it. Anyway, I'm still waiting for storms to clear before I can make any decent hikes so thought I'd shoot a few garden critters and a few riverside shots from this afternoon. 'The flock' are back in the yard every day now and that's a sure sign of autumn. There are about 30-40 birds in 'The flock', mainly sparrows and pine siskin who seem happy in each others company. The main shot below shows 24 of them on the feeders and the rest are in the trees waiting their turn. There's no trickery here, this is one image with 24 birds. We have had two siskin hit the window and knock themselves wonky for a short time, but we've picked them up and nursed them for a few minutes and they've returned to the flock seemingly no worse for wear. The neighbours tell us a black bear has been seen behind the house but we've only see the usual suspects. The gallery below has captions on images from the garden and a short wander by the river today. Hopefully I'll get out one day this week, but if the storms continue the weather is clearing early next week and I'll be out in the mountains then. Regulars on the blog will have noticed a lull in posting of late, that's because Sarah and I managed to squeeze in some time together in London during the last two weeks and the camera took a back seat for the most part.
We enjoyed time together and saw what we could of the city as we did. We took full advantage of the foods available including a lovely dinner with friends in Soho, another in Chinatown and a wonderful lunch at the new Marco Pierre White restaurant in Holborn. We walked for miles and shopped until we dropped (well one of us did). We visited the markets at Portobello, Brixton, Brick lane, Camden, Borough, Old Spitalfields and of course Covent Garden. We shopped on Oxford street, Regent Street, Marylebone, Covent Garden, Westbourn Green and Carnaby street to name but a few. We bantered with the 'soap box brigade' at Speakers Corner on Sunday afternoon. We fed squirrels in Tavistock Square Gardens and Parakeets in Hyde Park and enjoyed people watching in Russell Square, Holland Park and Kensington Gardens. In the second week Mark, Hayley and Ethan made the trip down to spend a few days with us and we did it all again. The most difficult part of every trip home is always the return journey to Canada, and this trip was no different. We had such a great time and squeezed in all we could but the result of that is the lasting memory of all we are missing. As I said earlier, the camera took a back seat this time, but I did make a few images for the memories. The main shot is the city framed by Tower Bridge and the gallery below has captions to identify each location. |
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
All
Archives
January 2024
The Shaman, West Texas
|