Downloading the Camera

Last week sometime I downloaded the good camera, as opposed to the cell phone camera or the kidlet's Nikon "Snap-n-Go" Camera.

This is the camera that we usually forget to take with us because it's big, bulky, and it makes it hard to ride rides camera.

And I discovered some interesting pictures on it.

My kidlet's 12th Birthday--ready to eat out at Flemings Steakhouse.

Thanksgiving

Kidlet reading to her second cousin, Olivia

In my traditional location, making gravy

My nephew Matthieu who made the desserts under my watchful eye.



Christmas





 Just down the stairs

I had bought these fuzzy penguin jammies for the kidlet, unbeknownst to me, she also bought a set for me!

 

 

The kidlet in her favorite location!

 

 

And now we fast forward eight months . . . to CANADA

 

 Canada's highway from Calgary into Banff National Park

 

 Lake Louise.

Lake Louise, chilly mornings warm afternoons

 

Moraine Lake

The crowd level in Banff National Park was HUGE. Gorgeous weather plus a three-day Canadian weekend, plus the last weekend before school started equaled monstrous crowds. The previous day they had Moraine Lake road blocked off and people were parking on both sides of the little two-lane road that led from Canada's highway up to Chateau Lake Louise. 

 This picture doesn't do justice to the crowds. A very nice man took our picture.

 Because everyone should have a picture of a yellow mushroom

and moss growing on a tree stump.

 

A pretty little creek

 

 

Johnston Canyon

 I think this was the lower falls, though we hiked to the upper falls, their were a few inconsiderate people taking photo after photo after photo of the falls . . . while a HUGE line (20+ people) built up on the narrow catwalk

Walking down from the Upper Falls in Johnston Canyon

 

Banff

We stayed here. Not my picture, but the sun was better than the one I took. The angle of the sun washed everything out. 

 Waldhaus Restaurant and Pub. We ate our first poutine at this pub. Yummy! Poutine is French fries, cheese curds with gravy. We also had bratwurst on ours.

 Climbing Tunnel Mountain. This mountain is right in the middle of the town of Banff. It's a relatively quick climb with some amazing views.

Tunnel mountain view of Banff Springs Hotel

 

 See? I actually got the hubs to climb up to the top with me!

 

View of the golf course and I think this is Spray River.

 

Hoodoos--A side trip

 

 These next few pictures are from the marsh trail near the Cave and Basin National Park.

We took only a couple of pictures because every time you stopped mosquitos attacked . . . marsh, yanno.

 The 'basin' in the Cave and Basin Park. People used to come up here for the medicinal heated water.

 Let's just say that it's very aromatic, reminding you of what Hell would smell like, very sulfuric.

While hubs was at his meetings, I hiked a few places alone. I did hike the Spray River Trail, but it was very flat, very boring, and very secluded. I didn't have a bear bell or bear spray, so I cut my hike short when I started to feel a little too isolated. That day I only hiked six miles.

The day I hiked Sulfur Mountain, I managed 10 miles. My Weight Watchers ActivLink didn't award me very many points because I wasn't walking fast enough . . . stupid thing can't calculate VERTICAL miles. Yeah, I was walking slow because I was walking up 2300 feet!

 

Sulfur Mountain

 Info and warning about elk and bears

 

 

 

 

 

 

Proof that I actually WALKED up the mountain as opposed to riding the gondola

 Gondola coming up the mountain. Light tannish building is the gondola station.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Pretty changing colors the higher I climbed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Interesting gnarled tree roots, and deer chewed tree trunk. 

 

 

A typical cut-back in the trail. It doesn't show how loose and uneven the trail really is. Easy to climb, but I slipped about four times on the way down.  

 At the top. Bow River Valley

 Proof that I was there. To the left of Bow River is Tunnel Mountain with the Banff Springs Hotel near the base. That was the starting point of my walk up Sulfur Mountain. Tunnel Mountain seemed like a tough climb, but this vantage point makes it seem like a pimple of a hill!

Wildest animal in the wilderness . . . a chipmunk.

Gorgeous waterfall. I took a picture of a really nice couple at this point.

 

 

And that's about it for today!

 

Later, Peeps!  



Boondoggle

Definition: the act of boggling a doon . . .

Or how about: term for a scheme that wastes time and money, usually related to business expense that provides no real monetary outcome.

In other words, I've been on another vacations sans kidlet. She had school, so we couldn't take her with us. Hubs had to go to Canada--specifically Banff--for a business conference. I had every intention of blogging daily, but you see how well that went!

I believe this picture was taken from Surprise Corner. I took this one two years ago. Though I have downloaded my pictures they are still on the hubs computer, not mine.
Anyway, we went early over the Labor day weekend--erm, Canada had Labor Day weekend, too-- and mix that with some gorgeously warm weather and that equals serious crowds around Lake Louise and Banff!

The road to Moraine Lake was shut down, and people were parking everywhere on the two-lane main road from Canada's Highway 1 up to Chateau Lake Louise. Luckily we had last minute reservations!

We hiked. We climbed mountains. We ate a ton of food. We were spoiled by sleeping on down pillows. We had wake up service where they brought coffee and juice to the room. I used a coffee machine that was simply--TO DIE FOR!

We were spoiled. . . . well, I was more spoiled than the hubs since he had given me a spa day as a belated birthday gift.

I enjoyed my spa day, but to be honest that sort of pampering isn't really my thing.

Who knew, right?

When hubs was at his meetings, I hiked quite a few trails. But I must say my biggest accomplishment was hiking Sulphur Mountain. I hiked one mile through the spongy moss covered ground in the woods just to reach the trailhead for the mountain.

About two hours later, and 8,041 feet UP, I made it to the top. I borrowed this picture of the view from the internet, but I'll post one of me in it later to prove I did the hike  .  . . well, I'll also have to show you some pictures of the trail to prove that I hiked and didn't cheat by riding the gondola!

Tunnel Mountain, which I also climbed, is the tiny mountain just left of the center of the picture. Banff Springs Hotel, near the bottom of the picture and slightly to the left, was where I walked from.

The climb was so worth it! Though two days later, my hips and upper thighs are still stiff and sore!

Sorry, I didn't post while I was goofing off, but that's the beauty of having my own blog . . . I can goof off and not post!

Hopefully, I'll get my pictures together to post next week.

But I won't promise anything since I have to go to the dentist bright and early Monday morning to have the crown work started and a couple of cavities filled.

Hey! That might be the secret to losing this extra weight that I gained! Have dental work done so I can't eat!

Later, Peeps!

Hiking in Canada

Banff Springs Hotel

About two weeks ago, my hubby and I took a short trip to Canada leaving the little pumpkin in the care of her grandmother. Hubby had a conference at the Banff Springs Hotel starting Sunday, 10/2, but we arrived a little early to visit with his sis and her family in Calgary before we drove to Lake Louise and then Banff. Yes, we passed through Banff before driving to Lake Louise. It was a good thing too, since we had to buy cheap umbrellas.

We weren't able to visit with hubby's sister much since her artwork was in a show. Here's an example of Tina's artwork on her Facebook page. I hope the link works! Remember that my picture is of one of her first works. She's evolved to using painted metal from cars. I love so much of her artwork, but these are big pieces and it would be cost prohibitive to have her send me something, though I do have a little birdy and a metal wreath.

Metal wreath

On Saturday, we drove from Calgary to Lake Louise. We took a side jaunt to Banff to pick up some umbrellas and bypassed the canyon we wanted to walk in hopes that the rain would let up the next day. We took this shot of an elk from the road. 

Elk heading toward doe

Castle Mountain

Kayakers on Bow River

Room at Lake Louise

On Sunday, we hiked to Johnston Canyon before driving to the Banff Springs Hotel.

Upper Falls at Johnston Canyon

Moss on walls of Johnston Canyon

On Monday, Hubby went to his conference and I chatted with Anna Lisa, a Fairmont Gold Supervisor who suggested a few hikes I might enjoy. The green marks they hike I did on Monday.

I hiked up the Bow Falls trail to walk around the Marsh trail before walking by the Bow river to the Fenland trail. I hiked back to town to enjoy a beer and a bowl of French Onion soup before heading back to the Banff Springs hotel. I think I hiked for about 3-4 hours.

Bow River from Marsh loop

marsh loop
On Tuesday, Anna Lisa talked me out of hiking Sulfur mountain, but suggested Tunnel Mountain, the base of the mountain is a few blocks off Main Street--the pink highlighted route.

Tunnel Mountain

Surprise at the top of Tunnel Mountain

Afterwards, I decided to walk down Tunnel Mountain Drive to Surprise Corner and walked toward town on the other side of Bow River! For lunch I enjoyed a Cheddar and Ale soup and a nice beer before walking up Spray Avenue to the hotel. Wednesday was travel day and we arrived home late at night after picking up the kidlet from grandma's house.

And that is it. These pictures are just a fraction of the ones we took. :-)

Later, Peeps!