The beauty of erosion
Walking in a winter wonderland
White-tailed Ptarmigan
White-tailed Ptarmigan camouflage
A patch of blue
A white world
Time to rest
Dazzling sunlight on distant peaks
When the land turns white
Twice the beauty
On the way to Canmore - seven Swans a-swimming :)
Sedge
Columbian Ground Squirrel / Urocitellus columbianu…
Beginning to look like fall
Thirsty Bighorn Sheep
American Pika - such a cutie
Our majestic mountains
Heading into the mountains
Forgetmenot Pond, Elbow Falls Trail
Kananaskis, through the windshield
Pika - tiny fluffball
Forgetmenot Pond, Kananaskis
Forgetmenot Pond
Learning from Mom
Storm arriving at Quarry Lake, near Canmore
A drive through Kananaskis
Town of Canmore, Alberta
Bighorn Sheep on the slope
When the storm moved in
A view from Quarry Lake, Canmore
Bighorn Sheep, mom and youngster
A mountain meadow, Kananaskis, Alberta
Cattle drive in the mountains of Kananaskis, Alber…
Heading for the mountains on a hazy morning
Kananaskis before the snowstorm
Lichen on the rocks at Rock Glacier
Road through Kananaskis
Farm in the foothills
Pika, on a windy day
On the way down
Scenery along Highway 40, Kananaskis
Golden-mantled Ground Squirrel in a Pika's cave
A favourite road
Painted Lady
Waiting for the herd to descend
Wide angle on the Bighorn Sheep ridge
Keeping watch over the herd
Small and fast .... and adorable
The beauty of our mountains
Clouds over the mountains
Star-flowered Solomon's Seal / Maianthemum stellat…
Arnica sp.
A splash of much-needed colour
Forgetmenot Pond, Kananaskis
Forgetmenot Pond, Kananaskis
(Yellow?) Morel mushroom
Elbow Falls, Kananaskis
Tall Lungwort
Elbow Falls, Kananaskis
White-crowned Sparrow / Zonotrichia leucophrys
American Dipper / Cinclus mexicanus
Shooting stars / Dodecatheon sp. (and Dandelions)
Forgetmenot Pond, Kananaskis
Kananaskis - a winter wonderland
Arethusa Cirque trail, Kananaskis
Strawberries and cream fungus / Hydnellum peckii
Colour among the mosses and lichens
Upper Kananaskis Lake
It's those white birds again
It's Pika time - again
Winter in Kananaskis
White beauty
A sweet encounter
Pika pose
Almost-disappearing act
Before the snow
Master of camouflage
Jagged little peaks
Before winter officially arrives
The sparkle of winter
White-tailed Ptarmigan in the sun
Almost a disappearing act
Resting on a bed of snow
White beauty
A favourite mountain slope
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Start of the storm
A strong Pacific Jetstream caused dramatic weather the day of this trip, along with rain and very strong winds that brought down trees, powerlines, falling glass from windows of office blocks in downtown, fanned wildfires, and so on.
Friend Gayle had asked if I would like to go out for the day on 17 October 2017, and we ended up driving through the Springbank area and then on to Canmore. I had checked the weather forecast and, I have to admit that if I was planning to go out of the city on my own, I would have changed my mind and stayed home instead. However, we decided to at least get out for a while and see how far we would go. As it turned out, we got as far as Canmore in the mountains, where we had lunch - Lasagna for me : )
Feeling re-energized, we decided to start driving up the mountainous road that leads from Canmore to the Spray Lakes area. Though I have been on this road at various times, I have never driven it myself. If I want to get to the Spray Lakes area, I go from the south and all the way along Highway 40. This rough, narrow road from Canmore is quite an adventure at any time. It gives a wonderful view looking down over the whole of Canmore and the river.
It is also a popular road for Mountain Sheep, and we were lucky to see four of them in a little group, licking the salt from the bottom of the cliff rock face. It is incredible how these wild animals can climb the steep, rocky surface - done very cautiously. This is their road and if they want to stand in the middle of it, then cars wait.
"One of the most important features of the bighorn sheep is the unique structure of its hooves. Rather than being hard like those of a horse or cow, the sheep have rubber-like hooves that allow excellent mobility on steep rock faces."
www.conservenature.org/learn_about_wildlife/rocky_mountai...
Part way up the mountain, we took the turn-off to Quarry Lake, a place I had heard of and seen photos of, but had never been there myself. We parked and decided to walk round the lake, which turned out to be very unpleasant, with strong winds picking up grit and leaves and whipping our faces, as the storm moved in. For the first time ever, I believe, I saw a tree come crashing down at the edge of the forest.
Once safely back to the car, we thought we would drive a little further and see what conditions were like. Rain and very strong winds continued and once we reached the north end of Spray Lakes Reservoir, we made the decision to turn around and head back down. The mountains were disappearing from sight, so there wasn't much point in continuing, anyway. Gayle had originally hoped to go on as far as Banff, but there was no point in doing so in such dreadful weather.
As often happens, the weather seemed to brighten somewhat once we were out of the mountains. It felt so good to actually see some blue sky. Getting closer to Calgary, the car radio was announcing which city roads were blocked by a fallen tree or downed powerlines.
I was not far from home, shortly before sunset, when I noticed some impressive clouds and, on the spur of the moment, drove back to the edge of the city and along one of the gravel back roads just within the city limits. It was worth it, though I was quite relieved when I finally reached home.
Many thanks, Gayle, for a great day out, braving the weather! We had fun and it certainly was an interesting experience. I really appreciated the chance to use my camera, before the next snowfall arrives and stays on the ground for the next few months.
Friend Gayle had asked if I would like to go out for the day on 17 October 2017, and we ended up driving through the Springbank area and then on to Canmore. I had checked the weather forecast and, I have to admit that if I was planning to go out of the city on my own, I would have changed my mind and stayed home instead. However, we decided to at least get out for a while and see how far we would go. As it turned out, we got as far as Canmore in the mountains, where we had lunch - Lasagna for me : )
Feeling re-energized, we decided to start driving up the mountainous road that leads from Canmore to the Spray Lakes area. Though I have been on this road at various times, I have never driven it myself. If I want to get to the Spray Lakes area, I go from the south and all the way along Highway 40. This rough, narrow road from Canmore is quite an adventure at any time. It gives a wonderful view looking down over the whole of Canmore and the river.
It is also a popular road for Mountain Sheep, and we were lucky to see four of them in a little group, licking the salt from the bottom of the cliff rock face. It is incredible how these wild animals can climb the steep, rocky surface - done very cautiously. This is their road and if they want to stand in the middle of it, then cars wait.
"One of the most important features of the bighorn sheep is the unique structure of its hooves. Rather than being hard like those of a horse or cow, the sheep have rubber-like hooves that allow excellent mobility on steep rock faces."
www.conservenature.org/learn_about_wildlife/rocky_mountai...
Part way up the mountain, we took the turn-off to Quarry Lake, a place I had heard of and seen photos of, but had never been there myself. We parked and decided to walk round the lake, which turned out to be very unpleasant, with strong winds picking up grit and leaves and whipping our faces, as the storm moved in. For the first time ever, I believe, I saw a tree come crashing down at the edge of the forest.
Once safely back to the car, we thought we would drive a little further and see what conditions were like. Rain and very strong winds continued and once we reached the north end of Spray Lakes Reservoir, we made the decision to turn around and head back down. The mountains were disappearing from sight, so there wasn't much point in continuing, anyway. Gayle had originally hoped to go on as far as Banff, but there was no point in doing so in such dreadful weather.
As often happens, the weather seemed to brighten somewhat once we were out of the mountains. It felt so good to actually see some blue sky. Getting closer to Calgary, the car radio was announcing which city roads were blocked by a fallen tree or downed powerlines.
I was not far from home, shortly before sunset, when I noticed some impressive clouds and, on the spur of the moment, drove back to the edge of the city and along one of the gravel back roads just within the city limits. It was worth it, though I was quite relieved when I finally reached home.
Many thanks, Gayle, for a great day out, braving the weather! We had fun and it certainly was an interesting experience. I really appreciated the chance to use my camera, before the next snowfall arrives and stays on the ground for the next few months.
Yves Saulnier has particularly liked this photo
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