Our Time in the Mountains

Wildlife was all around us as we drove into the Canadian Rockies.    This elk, with soft velvety antlers, was our first sighting.  A rule of thumb for driving through the mountains is whenever there is slow traffic, get your camera ready; there is something great to see ahead.  I did see a mama grizzly bear with her baby cub but by the time we were able to turn around to get a picture, she had gone over the bank and we were not about to chase her down for a photo opp!!  Along the trip we also saw buffalo/bison (plains and woodland), mule deer, big horn sheep, whiskey jacks, magpies, blood thirsty mosquitos, and the infamous, elusive white tail deer—for all you New Yorkers!



In downtown Jasper, Matthew met a friend he named “Bear.”  Matt was amazed at the size of his feet compared to Bear’s.



Here at Athabasca Falls, outside of Jasper, we were amused by one of the warning signs, which read:  “Every year, people die a swift death by falling into these falls.  If one survives the fall, hypothermia will set in, in less than 1 minute. We only recover bodies for mourning families, so please spare us the trouble of recovering your body.”  -- spoken with true Canadian directness! :)  Normally these Falls do not have this much water flowing through but because of the heavy snow fall and melting, along with rain, the Falls are full and overflowing!

As we drove further into the mountains, the temperature continued to drop and snow began to fall.  The temperature decreased to a frigid 33 degrees F (1 degree C) –just my kind of weather for JULY!!  Even though it was brisk and windy, the view was amazing and well worth the drive.

Lake Louise

If there had been digital pictures 18 years ago when Dave and I first got our picture taken at this very spot, I would do a side by side but instead you’ll just have to imagine snow on the ground and more hair on Dave’s head!  It was sweet to reminisce past visits to this beautiful spot of God’s creation.

This was not our best "timed" jump but still a fun picture at Lake Louise.



We didn't stay long here, despite the beautiful view.  It was freezing and we were not prepared for this kind of weather.  Sam was wrapped in a blanket and I was borrowing Grandma's coat.  Something was going to have to change in the wardrobe department for us to spend anymore time outside!