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.All Trips / Alberta / Central Canada / North America
Banff National Park’s best Short Hike — Moraine Lake Rockpile Trail
Moraine Lake is located a few miles south of Lake Louise in Banff National Park, in one of the most scenic and breath-taking locales of the Canadian Rockies. In the winter the lake is buried under a thick layer of snow and not accessible by car. The road leading to Moraine Lake is a popular cross-country skiing destination once enough snow has accumulated for the Park Service to groom it, but the skiing trail ends well before the lake because of high avalanche risk within its valley. During the summer months (June – Sept) Moraine Lake is popular and busy, even though it doesn’t thaw out until late June. Parking is limited so it’s best to arrive early. The lake …
Tagged Banff National Park, lake, Moraine Lake, Rocky Mountains
“Pic of the Week”, October 20, 2017: Paradise Valley, Alberta
There are probably more places that go by the name “Paradise Valley” than by any other. This particular one is situated on the western outskirts of Medicine Hat, just off the TransCanada Highway in eastern Alberta.
The valley was home to the native peoples of Alberta for thousands of years. They lived here, gathered wild berries, and hunted buffalo (chasing them off a cliff at a nearby”jump”). They valley has a rich archaeologic record documenting this history which has been extensively explored.
Today this Paradise valley is home to a public park and golf course, and has this pretty floral wagon situated within it.
(Click on thumbnails to enlarge, right arrow to advance)
Oct 19, 2017
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.All Trips / Alberta / Central Canada / North America
Cochrane Farmers’ Market
The town of Cochrane sits in the beautiful Bow River Valley, between Calgary and Banff. Growing rapidly because of its proximity to Calgary, Cochrane still retains a small town vibe although it’s now home to more than 20,000 people. The region was originally developed as a ranch, as was much of the western Alberta prairies, and the farmers’ market is still held at the Historic Ranch Site (which you can explore when you’re done with your visit to the market).
While it’s only held during the summer months, the Farmers’ Market is very enjoyable. It’s busy, but not too crowded, and features locally grown produce and handicrafts, as well as popular food vendors. You’ll find items here you don’t see …
Tagged Cochrane, farmer's market, food
“Pic of the Week”, July 1, 2017: Ballooning over Calgary
Stepped out of my home on my way to work early one morning and was surprised to see this hot-air balloon floating over the roof-tops. Not a common site and as good as a jolt of caffeine in waking me up.
Jun 30, 2017
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.All Trips / Alberta / Car Culture / Central Canada / North America
Classic Steel — a visit to the Rolling Sculpture Car Show, Canmore
Happy Canada Day, eh? Today is Canada’s 150th birthday and across the country people are celebrating in a big way. It’s not everyday a country reaches that age and there is good reason to celebrate, because Canada is a great place to live! There’s a “suggestion” from the Canadian government that a certain percentage of media be “Canadian Content”, so here is our piece of Canadian content for today.
I wonder if there is anything more Canadian than spending a pleasant summer day enjoying classic cars with the beautiful Alberta Rocky Mountains as a backdrop? Probably so, but those things likely would be a lot less fun.
Summers in Canada, or for that matter any place that has cold snowy winters, are …
Tagged Alberta, Canmore, cars, collectible cars
.All Trips / Alberta / Central Canada / North America
Gotta Sing, Gotta Dance! A Day at Calgary’s Ukrainian Festival
One of the many things I enjoy about summers in Canada are the large number and variety of ethnic festivals held around the country. Like the United States, Canada has derived much of its character from its many immigrant groups. People are encouraged to celebrate their heritage, culture and traditions, while become part of the national melting pot.
If you’re interested in learning more about the culture of a country, visiting one of these festivals is an excellent way to take a “mini-trip” to that destination. This year I wanted to explore somewhere I’d never been to before, so decided to stop by the Calgary Ukrainian Festival. Over a weekend, the large Ukrainian community of the city presented a great celebration …
Tagged Calgary, Ukrainian Featival
“Pic of the Week”, May 27,2017: Spring in the Rocky Mountains
I enjoyed a beautiful drive alongside and through the Rocky Mountains in Alberta and British Columbia this past week. The landscape had greened nicely with the warming weather, but the mountains still had lots of snow on them. I made a few stops along the way and photographed some of the beautiful scenery.
(Click on thumbnails to enlarge, then right arrow to advance the slideshow)
May 26, 2017
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.All Trips / Alberta / Central Canada / North America
Cave and Basin National Historic Site, Banff
The Cave and Basin National Historic Site is a small site just outside the town of Banff, but is important to Canadians because it was a catalyst to the formation of Canada’s first national park, Banff National Park.
Historic aspects
The Cave and Basin is the lowest of nine sulphurous hot springs, arranged in three groups, on Banff’s Sulphur Mountain. The water is heated geothermally at a depth of about 3 km (2 mi) and escapes to the surface at these sites. The Cave and Basin is the only natural cavern in the area big enough to comfortably accommodate groups of people.
Humans have inhabited this region for at least 10,000 years, back to the retreat of the massive …
Tagged Banff, Banff National Park, Cave and Basin, hot springs
