Anne Elliott's photos with the keyword: near British Columbia border

On 10 August 2013, I had such a wonderful day in the mountains! I don't get out there very often at all, and certainly not as far as we went today, so it was an absolute treat! Friend Sandy had found an interesting Liverwort (non-vascular plant) there and wanted to go back to see it at a different stage, hoping it would make ID a little clearer. She asked if I wanted to go with her - ha, yes, you bet! We went past Banff and Lake Louise, as far as Bow Lake (seen in my photo) along Highway 93, the Icefields Parkway. They do say that this scenic highway is the most beautiful in the world, and it's easy to believe. I had jokingly said to Sandy when we left Calgary, that what I would really like, please, was blue sky to start with it, then a few puffy white clouds and then maybe even a touch of grey with the white - and that's exactly what we got (plus some rain on the drive back to Calgary). While we were there, we walked very slowly along the Bow Glacier Trail, which runs along the right hand edge of Bow Lake, but we didn't continue as far as the Falls. I had only ever once been to Bow Lake and that was 30+ years ago, but I had always longed to go back. It's one of my favourite places.

This Pigeon looked quite beautiful, sitting with its feathers puffed up, on a large, metal garbage container. Noticed it when I went with friend Sandy to Bow Lake, Banff National Park, on 29 August 2013. Sandy wanted to look for lichens, mosses and liverworts. I find these more and more fascinating, including to photograph, but of course I was so thrilled to get the chance to shoot the spectacular scenery and anything else that was beautiful! I hadn't been to Bow Lake in 30+ years, but had fallen in love with it all those years ago. "A baby pigeon is called a 'squab' or a 'squeaker'. The female is a 'hen' and the male is a 'cock'. A group of pigeons is called a 'kit' or a 'flock'."

This Pigeon looked quite beautiful, sitting with its feathers puffed up, on a large, metal garbage container. Noticed it when I went with a friend to Bow Lake, Banff National Park, on 29 August 2013. "A baby pigeon is called a 'squab' or a 'squeaker'. The female is a 'hen' and the male is a 'cock'. A group of pigeons are called a 'kit' or a 'flock'." It's Good Friday today, the beginning of the Easter weekend. Beautiful, sunny weather would have been nice, especially for working people who get the day off. Instead, it's gloomy and unpleasant, looking like it's going to either rain or snow. Just checked the forecast and it's 1°C (windchill -2°C) this morning, supposedly getting up to 4°C this afternoon, with an 80% chance of rain and snow. Happy Easter weekend to everyone who celebrates! Later: sure enough, it snowed all day today.

Can anyone tell me if this is "just" a regular Pigeon or a Carrier or Homing Pigeon? Or maybe you can only tell it's a Carrier Pigeon if you see a metal band on its leg? Whichever it is, it looked quite beautiful, sitting with its feathers puffed up, on a large garbage container. Noticed it when I went with a friend to Bow Lake, Banff National Park, on 29 August 2013.

On 10 August 2013, I went with friend Sandy to Bow Lake, in Banff National Park. It is located along Highway 93, the Icefields Parkway, said to be the most beautiful, scenic highway in the world. She had seen a tiny Liverwort (non-vascular plant) maybe a week earlier on a different trip and wanted to go back to check it at a later stage, and asked if I'd like to go with her. How lucky I am! She had hoped that it might be a particular rare species, but as it turned out, it wasn't. Still an interesting species to add to the list of flora and fauna for the area. We walked very slowly along the Bow Glacier Trail, which runs along the right hand edge of the lake, searching for anything of interest and beauty. This is where I took this photo, almost looking into the sun, but still turned out OK. Couldn't have wished for more effective clouds and their reflection : ) Later in the day, none of the views looked as beautiful as they did in the earlier morning light. We went as far as the second rock fall, but didn't hike up to the Bow Glacier Falls. I had only ever once been to Bow Lake (that I remember), and that was 30+ years ago, but I had always longed to go back. Many, many years ago, I did an oil painting of just the area in the centre of this photo. www.flickr.com/photos/annkelliott/9503913004

On 10 August 2013, I went with friend Sandy to Bow Lake, in Banff National Park. It is located along Highway 93, the Icefields Parkway, said to be the most beautiful, scenic road in the world. When we returned to the parking lot at the end of our hike, we went inside the Num-Ti-Jah Lodge to look around. A very interesting place inside and it has a great story to go with it. "Num-Ti-Jah Lodge is the dream of the remarkable Simpson family. Our story begins with a wild, red-haired 19 year old named Jimmy Simpson who left England for Canada in 1896. He was to become the legendary outfitter known as the last and greatest of the Canadian mountain men. He guided scientists, mountaineers, big game hunters and artists through the little-explored Rocky mountains. His wild character, quick wit, and tall tales of the trail made him one of Canada's most eccentric pioneers. When Jimmy Simpson camped at Bow Lake in 1898, he vowed that one day he would "build a shack here". Twenty-five years later he began building the first log cabin on the site and had a permanent base for his outfitting tours. He called his operation Num-Ti-Jah, a Stoney Plain word for pine marten, a small animal similar to a sable. In 1937, the Banff-Jasper highway was completed as far as Bow Lake. Jimmy, his wife Billie and their children Margaret, Mary and Jimmy jr. began expanding on the original dream of a "shack". With the earnings from Margaret and Mary's professional ice-skating tours, the building of Num-Ti-Jah Lodge began. In 1940, the Lodge had six guest rooms. By 1950, a beautiful log and stone hotel with 16 rooms stood on the shores of Bow Lake. In the fifties and sixties, Jimmy Simpson's reputation attracted tourists keen to hear his stories. While Jimmy became a living legend, his son took charge of the Num-Ti-Jah operation. Jimmy jr. has his own mountain stories from an outfitting career that spanned thirty-five years ending in 1974, two years after his father died. Although he retired from managing Num-Ti-Jah Lodge in 1996, with his remarkable memory, he is the keeper of the old tales of Bow Lake. "Num-Ti-Jah Lodge hasn't changed much since it was completed in 1950. What you'll see and feel here is the dream of the Simpson family." From the Num-Ti-Jah website - I can't get the link to work.

On 10 August 2013, I went with friend Sandy to Bow Lake, in Banff National Park. It is located along Highway 93, the Icefields Parkway, said to be the most beautiful, scenic road in the world. When we returned to the parking lot at the end of our hike, we noticed this brightly coloured van. I was taking a shot or two when I heard a voice say "Take your time ..." A couple was just getting back to this vehicle. This campervan company has the wildest designs on their for-rent vehicles - bright and so much fun.