Tag: Canada

Travels in Canada – part ten – Athabasca Falls

~ Spence's Girl ~ 3 Comments

IMG_8012

On our return from Jasper to Banff, we stopped off to see these spectacular falls.  The power of the rushing water was awesome.

Athabasca Falls in Jasper National Park is not the highest or the widest waterfall in the Canadian Rockies but it is the most powerful. The full width of the Athabasca River is funneled into a three metre gap and over the brink of the falls. Despite what the interpretive signs say, most of the rock is not limestone, it is actually gog quartzite, and ounce for ounce it’s as strong as steel.

Over the eons the waterfall has moved back and forth in it’s search for the path of least resistance, cutting and abandoning channels as it goes. One such channel has been developed with stairs and trail for easy exploration. It also gives access to viewpoints at the bottom of the main canyon and to the river bank beyond.

courtesy of trailpeak.com

 

 

Travels in Canada – part nine – Jasper

~ Spence's Girl ~ 1 Comment

The trip to Jasper, from Banff is one of the most stunning. With many turnouts for breathtaking photo opportunities, it took us hours to drive it. As a result, we opted to stay in Jasper for a couple of days to enjoy this charming town. It is a higher elevation and was a bit cooler than Banff.  We enjoyed not only it’s beauty but the pubs, restaurants, shops and the people here.

“Jasper is a specialized municipality in western Alberta, Canada. It is the commercial centre of Jasper National Park, located in the Canadian Rockies in the Athabasca River valley. Jasper is approximately 362 kilometres (225 mi) west of Edmonton and 290 kilometres (180 mi) north of Banff, Alberta at the intersection of the Yellowhead Highway (Highway 16) and the Icefields Parkway (Highway 93).” source Wikipedia

The Canadian Rockies are magnificent to see and the Icefields are beautiful.  Due to the relatively short time we would be there, our photos of the Icefields are from the turnouts. You can pull off Highway 93 and go out onto them via a specialized vehicle.  It is a popular tourist spot as we could see from numerous vehiclesparked and people waiting for the tour.

Travels in Canada – part eight – Banff

~ Spence's Girl ~ 6 Comments
IMG_8300
Oh Canada

Banff is a charming town in Alberta Canada, surrounded by breath-taking mountainous vistas at every turn.  The people are friendly, the town is easy to walk, filled with a variety of fun restaurants, pubs and shops plus every possible outdoor activity you could want.

Travels in Canada – part six – The Banff Hoodoos

~ Spence's Girl ~ 3 Comments

Banff is a gorgeous spot to visit. Surrounded by mountains, the air is pure and the people are friendly. There are great restaurants, gardens, Banff National Park and every type of activity embracing the outdoors.

One of the recommendations we were given by locals was to drive up Tunnel Mountain to the Hoodoos, which we did.

Hoodoos are composed sedimentary rock covered by harder rock that is harder to erode. Once softer sediment erodes rock needle, or tower like natural obstacles are left. The Hoodoos are awesome to see as are the views from this elevation.

Keep watching for more on my Travels in Canada….more to come on Banff, Jasper, Canmore featuring the beauty of Alberta. 

Travels in Canada – Lake Louise & Moraine Lake – part five

~ Spence's Girl ~ 2 Comments

Thus far in my series “Travels in Canada”, I’ve posted photos that might beg the question “are these for real?”

The color of the water in this part of Alberta Canada, is a breathtaking mix of turquoise, teal, aqua, blue-green dependent on the depth, sun and clouds. The brilliance of these lakes is also explained by “rock flour”.

“The impressive colour comes from silt-like rock flour continually being carried into the lake by melt-water from the surrounding glaciers. The tiny and uniform particles become suspended in the water, refracting blue and green wavelengths of light.”

Suffice it to say, the pictures are for real. While standing on the shores, it defies description.

Travels in Canada – Moraine Lake – part four

~ Spence's Girl ~ 13 Comments

Moraine Lake is a glacially fed lake in Banff National Park, 14 kilometres outside the Village of Lake Louise, Alberta, Canada. It is situated in the Valley of the Ten Peaks, at an elevation of approximately 6,183 feet. source: Wikipedia
Spence and I learned of this locale by accident.  We’d mentioned we were headed to Lake Louise and were told we must visit nearby Moraine Lake. This recommendation came from locals which we believe is the best source when travelling.


A bit more rugged than Lake Louise, Moraine Lake is equally lovely with trails to enjoy and photo opportunities at every turn.  It is hard to imagine a place like this until you see it.

Travels in Canada – Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise – part three

~ Spence's Girl ~ 6 Comments

When visiting Lake Louise, it’s hard to look away from the turquoise water surrounded by mountains in this breathtaking spot.  Even so, it’s impossible to miss the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise.  Though we were staying elsewhere, we couldn’t resist strolling around the hotel, landscaped grounds and stopping at their exceptional Lakeview Lounge for drinks, enjoying a spectacular view.

What a stunning place this is and worth seeing!

Travels in Canada – Lake Louise, Alberta – part one

~ Spence's Girl ~ 9 Comments

Spence and I adore traveling.  Before my retirement, my dear Canadian friend (and co-worker) Jess and I were discussing vacation spots. We started talking about Banff, Lake Louise, Jasper, Canmore and before you knew it, I was planning our trip.  As much as we’ve traveled, we’d never been to this magnificent part of Canada.  If it isn’t on your bucket list, it should be.  Traveling there in September, the weather was perfection as you can see. I’ll be recounting this amazing trip over the next few weeks in my new series, Travels in Canada. I hope you’ll follow along…

Oh Canada!

~ Spence's Girl ~ Leave a comment

image018181918

I didn’t take this picture but I loved it.  The sheer whimsy of it makes me smile.  Living within an hour of the Ambassador and Blue Water bridges spanning to Canada, I’ve made many a trip there.  Of course Ontario by proximity is our most frequent destination but I’ve also had the pleasure, on a six week road trip, of driving through the Canada Rockies.  Absolutely breathtakingly beautiful.  On that same trip, we went as far west as Kimberley in British Columbia