THURSDAY - 29 September
We did get to
sleep in, and enjoyed a late breakfast at Ricky’s, in Banff. Today we also moved to the
Lake Louise area where we will be for two nights. We spent time once again cruising
the Bow Valley Parkway looking for the big animals.
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| Parkway Sign |
We had no luck but certainly gave it a valiant try. Fall color has been elusive due to the weather before we arrived. Most of the aspen are bare due to wind and rain preceding our arrival to the area. But here is a little hint of what it could be -
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| A Grand Mountain |
Our evening
shoot was along Bow River with Castle Mountain dominating the view.
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| Castle Mountain With Late Light |
We again
pushed the clock and the restaurant with arriving well after sunset for a
dinner just before they closed.
FRIDAY – 30 September
This morning we
were off to Lake Louise and Moraine Lake for sunrise and morning light on the
both lakes.
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| Lake Louise with a Low Cloud |
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| Lake Louise Before Sunrise |
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We had overcast skies to start but then it broke while we were at
Moraine Lake. The area around Chateau Lake Louise is filled with lots of people
as it is well known for it’s beautiful location. They were jumping in front of
cameras, etc. We moved up to Moraine Lake which was still very popular but
we could at least set up and not be surrounded by a circus. Both Lakes are
colored by the glacial silt which is suspended in the water. The silt comes
from the grinding of the rocks underneath a glacier. The blue or tourquoise
color the lake is a result of the the sun reflecting off this “rock flour”.
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| Moraine Lake I |
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| Moraine Lake II |
We returned to Chateau Lake Louise for a
delightful brunch with a grand view of the lake out the large windows.
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| Entrance to Chateau Lake Louise |
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| Chandelier in Lake Louise Chateau |
Afterwards
we wandered the grounds for a short time.
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| Bee on Yellow Flower |
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| Mountain Ash |
|
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| Mountain Ash Detail |
Here is a close view of a larch tree
which is a member of the pine family but is deciduous in that it loses its needles
in the fall.
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| Larch Tree, a deciduous pine |
In the
afternoon we once again cruised the Bow Valley Parkway looking for critters, to
no avail. We stopped on the TransCanada Highway to learn about the Spiral
Tunnels. We were actually able to see a very long train move along the rails
and see the spiraling of its path. I have a very short video, but, here are a couple of links to youtube videos
of it. They really give you a proper experience of what it all is about
This
one is in German but has a very good and easily understood graphic –
Not
far from the view point for the Spiral Tunnels was the turn off to Takakkaw
Falls. This is the second highest waterfall in Canada at 1250 feet. As you can
see it is a very long falls with a spectacular step in it where the water hits
a ledge and then proceeds down the mountain. It was fun watching it being moved
by gravity and the wind.
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| Takakkaw Falls |
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| Takakkaw Falls with Step Detail |
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| Takakkaw Falls and Stream |
We lingered for sunset and were rewarded for our patience.
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| Sunset from Takakkaw Falls |
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| Takakkaw Falls 3 |
Really enjoyed your posts/photos... happy travels
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