October 02, 2020
What a lovely day for a drive. About 45 minutes west of my place, I visited Elbow Falls, which is about 15 minutes passed Bragg Creek. What a lovely place to go on such a clear and sunny day.
To my surprise, there were quite a few people here. I should not have been so surprised where this is such a great place to be on a nice day.
The fall contrast of the evergreen trees, the yellow leaves of the birch trees, the grey of the mountain rock and the clear blue sky makes for a great color contrast.
October 03, 2020
Another wonderful sunny, warm day, and perfect for a bike ride. This trail is just a block away from my place.
You would never know that this was within the city limits, Fish Creek Provincial Park.
Beautiful fall reflections.
At one point, I was biking around a corner and 3 deer were standing right by the path. I was glad they were not standing on the path ... that would not have been pretty. LOL
Water level is low for this time of year, but great photo opportunities.
One of the many bridges for pedestrians or cyclists to use. I drove my bike over 10km, crossed over at least 5 bridges and did not cover the full length of the park ... all this within a block of my place. So much to explore ... Awesome!
October 04, 2020
At 6:30 this evening, I joined a small group to do a social distance hike through Bowmont Natural Environment Park [part of the Bow River Pathway system]. This park is in the NW section of Calgary along the Bow River.
The park winds along the valley bottom beside the river.
We walked along part of the paved path and also on many dirt paths.
Calm fall evening, allowing for some nice reflection shots.
Again, I am impressed with the path system and seems hard to believe that you are in a city. The park systems were well planned.
Walking through some ravines, great shelters for some wildlife.
We broke through and climbed to the top of the bluff to watch the sun setting. The old Calgary Olympic park is on the horizon.
Beautiful fall color ... brilliant yellow.
Just to the east of this photo, a deer was calmly walking through the bushes. This setting gives one the impression you are in the country, and it certainly felt like it.
As the sun was setting, the reflection of the river took on a completely different perspective.
A selfie with the foliage behind me.
Enjoying another dirt path.
Bow River separating, for a short distance, creating this little island.
October 05, 2020
This morning I woke up at 6:30am and was out the door by 7:15am. I was on my way to Banff National Park. My main focus was to get to Morraine Lake in the morning for a few nice pics and to walk around the base of the lake.
Before getting to the park, there was a great deal of fog in the valley. At times the visibility was not the greatest.
I was fortunate to capture this shot of the moon before it disappeared behind the mountains.
How majestic these mountains are ... it looks like this pile of rock is in the middle of the road. LOL
The drive up the road to Morraine Lake was relaxing, not much traffic on the road. At one point I stopped to take this snapshot ... I love the shadows that the sun created on the mountain, very unique and surreal.
I made it to Morraine Lake! I was fortunate to be one of the cars they allowed up the road to park. Many vehicles were turned away because the parking lot was full.
The log pile creates quite an image to this jewel of a lake.
The reflections were much better than expected ... the water did not stay calm long as the wind picked up after a while.
This is pretty close to where the old Canadian ten dollar bill photo was taken. An interesting reflection off the lake, love it.
This is the first site you see when you arrive at the lake ... such a majestic, beautiful site.
I walked along the base of the lake to the very back of the lake. There was a steady flow of water coming down from the surrounding mountains. A beautiful sound and incredible view.
I thought you would be able to walk completely around the base of Morraine Lake, but it seems that the trail ends at the back of the lake and you must return the way you came in.
The water is so pristine, that even with the reflection shot, you can see the rocks at the bottom of the lake.
When you look at the water, you would think that the color was changed through photo-editing. This is the actual color of the water ... glacier fed aqua-blue.
Hard to see from this angle, but on dip of the mountain in the background is a glacier. When you walk further on the path it is more visible.
This log pile was not easy to get to, but was worth the journey. It is not wise for people to go here as it looks like the log pile is on solid ground, when actually the lake flows like a creek underneath this log pile.
After leaving Morraine Lake, I made my way back to the town of Banff. It has been a little while since I visited this town. I made my way through the town to Bow Falls ... I always enjoyed visiting here.
The scenery always seems to look different. This is the view looking down the river from the falls.
Taking a walk along the river edge, another great viewpoint of Bow Falls.
I had to sneak in a couple panoramic shots.
I took a little drive passed the falls, this mountain scene really caught my eye.
A landscape shot of Spray River flowing into the Bow River. I love how the sun was just shining on Tunnel Mountain in the background.
One last look at the falls before heading home. A long day ... a fantastic day!
