Western Alberta/Rocky Mountain Landscapes...March 2010 landscapes

[casil403]

So I figure rather than flood the forum with the rest of my shots, I will just start a thread here and add as I go.
So my friend Terri and I left yesterday morning for a last minute girls weekend in Banff. We didn't have any plans or a place to stay, we just wanted to go and shoot photos on the way and just do whatever we felt like. The rule was whoever saw something and if it was safe to do so we stopped and took photos....that simple.
We decided to go along Highway 1A which meanders through the Foothills and along First Nations Land..small twisty and narrow road but the scenery is to die for!
So here is an expose of our little mini daycation! :) I hope you enjoy.

So leaving Morely church in the other thread...we continued along first Nations land...I spotted this opening in the Bow River...as I was taking the shot, a few ravens flew into it which IMO added to the scenery! I had to crawl on my belly to get as close as I could to the edge as I have a tremendous fear of heights..I think it was worth it...to get the old gnarled tree which was my prize.:)
Again...the birds are real...lol!
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2717/4471074569_ab5b47ce65_o.jpg
My gnarled tree:
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4004/4471126019_1d6f04920f_o.jpg

[casil403]

Mount Yamnuska in the background on the right...our next stop.

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4019/4471984738_d2f8aabf84_o.jpg

[Greg_Nuspel]

That ice does look thin, looks like you had a good 'girls' photo trip.

[Bambi]

I've been sneaking a peek at these on Flickr Casil and I love them!!!! I am totally jealous of your daycation!

[Lovin]

Beautiful shots !
Banff area is amazing ! My friends visit it, and I just can't wait to see it. Maybe this summer.

[QuietOne]

I'm not sure which is the bigger danger - the thin ice or the really rickety pier to get to it. What a view of the mountains, though.

[Mad Aussie]

I am so going to be glued to this thread! Awesome country!

[casil403]

I've been sneaking a peek at these on Flickr Casil and I love them!!!! I am totally jealous of your daycation!

Well, I talked to Terry and we decided if you are game, when you come out we would take you along the same stretch of road and you can shoot with us...and possibly overnight in Banff too if you are up to it...:clap:

[casil403]

A new foal and Mother on the side of the road...she is not very old..wee thing.

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4040/4471298171_1d535cf631_o.jpg

So we parked at Mt. Yamnuska parking lot and Terri went one way to shoot some stuff and I (of course) found the muddy bog in which (again of course) I sat down to shoot in!

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2700/4471298299_8e040edfb9_o.jpg

[Bambi]

Well, I talked to Terry and we decided if you are game, when you come out we would take you along the same stretch of road and you can shoot with us...and possibly overnight in Banff too if you are up to it...:clap:

ooh that sounds awesome!!!!!

[casil403]

More shots at/in the bog:

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4065/4472112584_6de76e7625_o.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2766/4472136170_94248c0c41_o.jpg

[Iguanasan]

Not sure how I missed this thread so far but I'm glad I didn't miss it entirely. Nice shooting. I too thought the ice was a little thin ;) This is some really beautiful country and you are capturing it nicely. Thanks for sharing.

[casil403]

So what a difference a month makes...I was at this same beaver pond in the middle of February and it was frozen over almost as was Vermillion Lake.
Here it is a month later.
Snowy Mount Cascade peeking over Mount Norquay
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2714/4472223330_7974f337cb_o.jpg

Mount Rundle:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2620/4472223212_18705c0c05_o.jpg

And the town of Banff, Alberta as seen from Mount Norquay. Mount Rundle is the famous mountain to the left with Tunnel Mountain below her. Looking though the town you can see the Spray Lakes/Kananaskis area in the distance. The mountain on the extreme right is Sulphur Mountain.

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4032/4472288116_fa09e52b31_o.jpg

[Bandit]

Beautiful!!

[mbrager]

Last shot of the Banff townsite is wonderful. Thanks for taking us along on your daycation.
Mike

[Mad Aussie]

Wow ... look at that town nestled under those monsters! Love it.

[casil403]

Next stop was Bow Falls and then 2 Jack Lake...A great place to canoe in the summer time....not the falls,:eek: but the lake. ;)
Bow falls sits right underneath the Banff Springs Hotel in the town...about the only part of the river that is still frozen.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2757/4473083182_d54fdb7992_o.jpg

2 Jack Lake is on the North of the Trans Canada highway...beautiful lake with Mount Rundle again in the background. I had to do a bit of tentative walking on ice to get to this tiny little island. Didn't fall in which is good. :fingerscr

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4071/4472349391_0902695d6d_o.jpg

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4053/4473125974_8d04556577_o.jpg

[casil403]

One of my fave places to shoot.
Here's some info on it from Wikipedia:
"Water of the Spirits" in Nakota - the Stoney Indian language is a glacial lake located in the eastern area of Banff National Park in Canada, about five kilometres northeast of the Banff townsite. The lake is 28 km (17 mi) long and 142 m (466 ft) deep, making it the longest lake in the mountain parks of the Canadian Rockies (the result of a power dam at the west end).
The Palliser mountain range in the background:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2691/4473126108_2a1e38572c_o.jpg

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4042/4473126034_7305385014_o.jpg

[Wicked Dark]

So we parked at Mt. Yamnuska parking lot and Terri went one way to shoot some stuff and I (of course) found the muddy bog in which (again of course) I sat down to shoot in!

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2700/4471298299_8e040edfb9_o.jpg

Each has its own merits and beauty, but this is my favorite. What a gorgeous part of the country.

[kat]

Very cool set! That is it..I'm planning a trip there.

[Marko]

AWESOME set...I too am planning a trip there in about 6-7 months.

[OWLP]

Very beautiful area, already four years ago, we were there (Taylor and OBrain Lakes). Have to go there again soon, it's not too far from here. :)
Wonderful series.

[casil403]

Thanks everyone...nice to hear you are liking my part of the world. To think only an hour away.
I think of all, this area was my favorite place to shoot....the winding road along Highway 1A formerly known as Old Banff Coach road. It runs through First Nations land and I was a little hesitant with trespassing on it, (there have been stories of slingshots with rocks hurled at trespassers on First Nations Land around here) but the scenery was just so freakingly beautiful I couldn't help myself. :)

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4036/4474118548_6b3ba79979_o.jpg

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4010/4474118664_59f02640dc_o.jpg

That was it for our drive out there...I have a few from the drive back the next morning.

[casil403]

The next day...We decided to go via the backdoor behind Canmore and along the Smith Dorrien Road to get back to Calgary. Really windy day with gravel storms and strong winds that were both cold and a bit forceful. Not too many shots as the snow was just too deep to get anywhere decent for a shot. I fell in well past my knees and up to my upper thigh a few times to the point I didn't want to chance injuring something...damn...it was pretty though.

Sunrise over Grassi Lakes in Canmore:
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4013/4474177110_9c9f8f966b_o.jpg

Upper Kananskis Lake..one of my favorite places in the world...Ive canoed, camped and hiked here!
Mount Sarrail to the left and Mount Invincible to the right - you can see the strong wind gusts in the cloud patterns.:

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4035/4474197114_e7a39427b3_o.jpg

[Mad Aussie]

Love those last two shots (that shot into the sun is very nicely done) and the 1st in post 18 as well.

I think when I get to Canada I'll just stay at Banff and the rest of Canada can come to me :)

[Iguanasan]

Love those last two shots (that shot into the sun is very nicely done) and the 1st in post 18 as well.

I think when I get to Canada I'll just stay at Banff and the rest of Canada can come to me :)

Absolutely, the two in post 18 (Lake Minnewanka) are my favourites out of all of them though it's a hard choice from so many great landscapes.

[casil403]

Thanks guys. :)

[casil403]

MA... Banff is beautiful but not cheap, especially in summer season. The off season here is in winter! High season is June to October. :)

[Mad Aussie]

Why is winter the off season? Too much snow and ice?? Does it have snow on the mts all year round?

[casil403]

You can go out hiking/camping touristing more in the summer season...winter has skiiing but there are far more tourists in the parks in summer.
Some of the mountains have snow all year round (lots of glacier areas also) but most of it is gone once July hits. Mind you I was up at Rawson lake (the last shot the Kananskis mountain on the left has a trail going up with a beautiful lake at the base of the vertical mountain cliff face) a couple of years ago on July 1 weekend and there was still quite a bit of snow up there.
Really cool place again on my to do list this year is the Lake Louise to Jasper via the Icefields Parkway...lots of really cool scenery there and snow in the mountains...btw, there are often bike excursions that go on that route also...You would friggin' LOVE IT!:highfive:

[Mad Aussie]

It sounds like the in between season is the best ... a mixture of snow and temperate temps perhaps? Love the sound of that lake with the cliff!

[casil403]

It sounds like the in between season is the best ... a mixture of snow and temperate temps perhaps? Love the sound of that lake with the cliff!
I posted some shots of it a while back.....
I think the thread is here:
This is the summer time. July 1st weekend. :) You would love the hike.
http://www.photography.ca/Forums/f11/mount-sarrail-kananaskis-country-alberta-2644.html

[casil403]

So the last of my shots...thought this would be a great way to end my adventure...so long farewell...and MUSH!
Btw, you can see the wind whipping off the top of the mountains...it was freaking windy here!

The story:
We ran into these 2 guys out exercising their huskies on Spray Lakes...not a tour company...just a couple of hobbyists. They rescued all these huskies from shelters and have taught them to pull.
Such beautiful and really friendly dogs who were so itching to get out there and run. Just barking and so excited in anticipation of their journey, They take them out for 6 hours at at time (with a couple hours of rest in between) along the lake and into the forest. The guys were kind and let me pet their dogs and hang out for a bit before they left. What an awesome thing to do as a hobby and what a beautiful backdrop to do it in! :)
THE END.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2722/4474853300_c884262b81_o.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2784/4474854382_37927966e8_o.jpg

[Mad Aussie]

Very cool. Love the wind whipping off the tops and the huskies digging in to get moving.

I don't even remember that other thread ... yet I obviously had seen it ;)

[casil403]

LoL.... it was about a year ago....I like your comments too...prophetic almost. :)

[Mad Aussie]

LoL.... it was about a year ago....I like your comments too...prophetic almost. :)
I must have known something :)

[edG]

wow some really great shots Casil

[Bambi]

you know Casil these are all freaking awesome!!! :highfive:

[casil403]

Thanks you so much...nice to hear especially with the doldrums I have been feeling of late.:o

[Hillbillygirl]

Just saw this thread, and all I can say is WOW! You took some awesome shots of some beautiful scenery Casil. you sure know how to make the rest of us jealous of the area you live in. Great work again.

[AcadieLibre]

Wonderful and fabulous shots, very enjoyable to look over, thanks.