Anne Elliott's photos with the keyword: highway

What??? Just checked our weather forecast and I found little snowflake icons for this coming Thursday, 13 September!! I am SO not ready for this. We did get snow in the mountains back in August. Yesterday, 8 September 2018, there was a second Fungi Foray out at West Bragg Creek. A handful of us from Calgary were there, plus so many people who belong to a mycological group. Many of them arrived armed with the dreaded baskets! Never a good sign, as that means mushrooms will be picked before those of us who are photographers and/or like to see mushrooms left where they are growing, get a chance to take photos. This year is not a particularly good year for mushrooms and other fungi. However, we did see quite a few different kinds, including this little family growing along the edge of a tree stump. As always, any IDs given are only tentative - have no ID for these. This little grouping was not in West Brragg Creek itself, but in a "secret" spot. Three of us went there after the foray. A treacherous place to try and walk, but a few different species can be found there. Definitely not a place for dozens of people. One of the things we wanted to check out in this second spot was a log that was covered in Blue Stain. On our last visit, we had photographed a white mushroom and when I got home, I noticed that the log below it had Blue Stain. We wanted to check if we could find any of the beautiful and unusual turquise fungi cups were to be seen. When we eventually found the right log in the forest (ha, ha!), we were delighted to see that there was a scattering of these teeny cups. Almost all of them were very pale, but some did have a turquoise rim. Will eventually post a photo of them. The weather was just perfect for our morning's walk. On the drive west of the city to West Bragg Creek, there was a beautiful Chinook Arch. I just had to pull over on the highway and take a quick shot through the windscreen. It was so tempting to keep driving further into the mountains - West Bragg Creek is right on the edge.

This was the first time I had ever seen a cattle drive in the mountains. The other times, it has been in the foothills, so this came as a great surprise. Just one cowboy and his herding dog and a small herd of cattle. I hopped out of the car when I saw them coming, took a shot or two before quickly getting back in, so as not to risk spooking any of them. Once they had safely passed, I was able to take a few more. I knew that this trip was probably going to be my last chance to take some fall photos, so, on 29 September 2017, I drove all day long through Kananaskis country. The next two days were a weekend, and I thought there would be a lot more people in the mountains. Of course, the mountains look beautiful in any season, but there is something extra special on a sunny fall day. People come from all over the place to see the Larch trees in their fall colour. As it turned out, three days later, on 2 October, we had a nasty snowstorm. Some of the roads leading out of the city were closed, and it was definitely a day to stay at home if possible. That's exactly what I thankfully did, listening to the strong winds howling around my place, blowing the falling snow. If I remember correctly, this was the first time I had driven alone quite this far, reaching the northern end of Spray Lakes Reservoir. Unfortunately, when I got there, the sun was in the wrong position and there was a haze over the mountains. I wasn't sure how far I would go, as I had intended topping up with gas at Highwood House, along Highway 40. I had also planned on buying a sandwich and a coffee there. However, it was all closed. As it was, I still managed to do the drive I wanted and still have gas in my car. My drive started by going to Turner Valley and taking the back road to join the main Highway 40. Last fall, the views were amazing and the sky full of spectacular clouds along this route. On this recent trip, there was a hazy view and in some directions the sky was a washed-out, pale blue with not a cloud in sight. When I came to the area where the little Pikas (Rock Rabbits) live, I didn't even stop, as I really wanted to reach Spray Lakes Reservoir, in Spray Valley Park. I had left home later than I wanted, 9:45 am, and wanted to make sure I was not driving home in the dark. As it was, I reached home about 7:15 pm, with little daylight to spare. The road to Spray Lakes, from the main Highway 40, is a dreadfully dusty, gravel road. This was a Friday, so I wasn't expecting many people in Kananaskis, but there were lots of cars, which made it difficult to drive this length of road. I was almost constantly in a thick cloud of dust with little or no visibility. The distance for the road from the Spray Lakes road turn-off from near Kananaskis Lakes to the northern tip of the huge Reservoir is 48 km, so just under 100 km return on this dusty road. The dust seeps inside the car, even with all windows closed. I also called in just long enough to take a handful of photos at Peninsular and Buller Pond, which are both along this Smith-Dorrien/Spray Lakes Trail. The return journey home (giving a total trip distance of 422 km), back the same way I had come, was uneventful, which is usually a good thing when doing such a drive. The gas station near home was a must, so now I have a full tank just in case I manage to make a last drive out of the city, once yesterday's snow has melted and before the next snow falls. Guess I need to get my snow tires put on soon, too.

This morning, 15 September 2017, I am sitting at my computer for the second day in a row wearing a sweater, and the temperature only 6C! We seem to have plunged straight from the awful heat of summer into winter. One more day, and we should get back to the mid-teens. Yesterday, I came across a few photos of snow-covered Banff National Park! I'm so not ready for this!!! Best of all, though, is that Waterton Lakes National Park has been receiving some rain, thank goodness. This, plus much colder temperatures, should help all the firefighters and others deal with the massive wildfire in the park. It sounds like 70% of the forest has burned. I read a comment by someone saying that Canyon Church Camp lodge was saved, but that the cabins burned. It will be good when a definite report eventually comes out. Foothills MP John Barlow had a chance to fly over the Kenow Wildfire at Waterton Lakes National Park two days ago, on 13 September 2017 and he will be posting a video soon. On 18 August 2017, I made a very last-minute decision (just after midnight) to return to HIghway 40, Kananaskis. Last year (2016), I had finally made myself do this long drive (293 km), after longing for years to be able to get there on my own. I was determined to go again this summer, and 18 August was the day. I left home a few minutes before 8:00 am and took the scenic back road to Highway 40. Unfortunately, we are still getting the smoke from the British Columbia and Alberta wildfires, so distant shots are not the best, though this one seems clear enough. As of 19 August 2017, there were 140 wildfires currently burning across B.C., and this year's wildfire season is now officially B.C.’s worst ever wildfire season. However, the landscape on this whole drive is spectacular and I could never tire of it. I would imagine most people drive the whole loop along Highway 40, but my destination was the place where Pikas (or Rock Rabbits) live, keeping my fingers crossed that at least one of them would show up. I was in luck and saw two of them, and managed to get a few photos, though I have taken better photos on previous visits. While I was standing near the base of the huge talus/scree slope, I started hearing the sound of rocks falling! The first thing that flashed through my mind was that I was not standing in the best place if a rock slide happened, and then I remembered seeing someone's photo of a bear with her two cubs walking across the rocks just above where I was standing. Looking around, I could see nothing - and then, suddenly, I could just make out the tiny silhouette of a Bighorn Sheep on the very top of the very distant ridge, and then several others came along. In a short time, one of them walked to the end of the ridge and stood there, on guard the whole time it took for the rest of the herd to slowly make its way down the rocky mountain side. Sometimes, they would stop and feed for a while. They ended up passing me on a closer, low ridge and finally reached the road. What a journey they made in order to get salt off the road surface! I watched them for a long time, while they hung around just below me, refusing to leave the road when cars came along. Nothing would make them budge! It was just as interesting to watch the reaction of the drivers - most slowed right down or stopped, and most people stayed in their vehicles. After calling in again at Highwood House to pick up a much-needed coffee, I carried on with the drive home via various backroads, including the Priddis area. My early morning drive had given me just two birds - a Northern Harrier and some other Hawk. The return drive gave me maybe four Hawks, none of which stayed long enough for a photo. A strange, empty feeling, as two days earlier, friends and I had seen dozens of Hawks during a day's drive.

The only time I had ever driven to Kananaskis (the mountain area closest to Calgary) was just over two months ago, on 10 September 2016, when my daughter came with me. I wasn't too impressed with the photos I took on the first drive, especially of the little Pikas (Rock Rabbits) that we went to see, so I wanted to go and spend a bit more time with them. A drive like this also helped me get a bit more used to my newish car - before the roads are covered in snow and ice! Actually, there was a bit of snow on the ground in places close to the trees when I got to where I see the Pikas. These little Pikas/Rock Rabbits are only 6-9 inches long and are usually seen far away, running backwards and forwards over the scree (talus) slope that they call home. Very occasionally, one happens to come close, usually for just a quick moment. "The American Pika is a generalist herbivore. It eats a large variety of green plants, including different kinds of grasses, sedges, thistles and fireweed. Although pikas can meet their water demands from the vegetation they eat, they do drink water if it is available in their environment. Pikas have two different ways of foraging: they directly consume food (feeding) or they cache food in haypiles to use for a food source in the winter (haying). The pika feeds throughout the year while haying is limited to the summer months. Since they do not hibernate, pikas have greater energy demands than other montane mammals. In addition, they also make 13 trips per hour to collect vegetation when haying, up to a little over 100 trips per day." From Wikipedia. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_pika A couple of short YouTube videos in case anyone wants to hear and see these absolutely cute creatures: youtu.be/US_Hy_eGPtg youtu.be/OQ2IgcjVIfc I left home at 8:45 am, later than I had intended, and drove southwards via Millarville and the back way to Highway 40. When I Googled the distance via that route, it gave me 134 km, 1 hr 41 mins from home to the Highwood Pass. Needless to say, I kept stopping to take photos, so it took me quite a bit longer than that. By the time I got back home around 5:00 pm, I had driven 299 km. This day was a Monday, so not too much traffic anywhere, which makes a huge difference. The weather cooperated very nicely. A little chilly to start with and a sky full of beautiful cloud formation early morning. This time, I only drove as far as the Pikas, just north of the Highwood Pass, especially as I wanted to make sure that I wasn't driving home in the dark. The Highwood Pass, at an elevation of 2,206 m (7,238 ft) is the highest paved pass in Canada. In past years, I have hiked the Ptarmigan Cirque, Pocaterra and Arethusa Cirque trails, but can no longer do hikes like these. The scenery is breathtaking in this whole area (indeed, for the whole drive), some mountain slopes covered in forest and other mountain faces displaying bald, breathtaking folds above the treeline. There was only one 'scary' incident on this trip. I had stopped to take a few scenic shots when I was on the backroad to join Highway 40. I didn't close my car door completely and when I went to open it, I discovered it was locked! Pressing the fob to open all the doors did nothing. I just could not get into my vehicle. Thank goodness, I had read on the Internet that there is a key hidden away inside the fob - otherwise I would never have known and might still be standing there, lol! Feels so good to know that I am now comfortable enough to do this drive on my own, after so many years of wishing I had the courage to do it. Thank you, little Pikas, for being so adorably cute, that I was determined to drive back to see you : )

The only time I had ever driven to Kananaskis (the mountain area closest to Calgary) was on 10 September 2016, when my daughter came with me. I wasn't too impressed with the photos I took on this first drive, especially of the little Pikas (Rock Rabbits) that we went to see, so I wanted to go back and spend a bit more time with them. A drive like this also helps me get a bit more used to my new car - before the roads are covered in snow and ice! Actually, we have had snow since then, but I stayed home and waited till it had all melted : ) There were a few small patches of snow on the ground in places close to the trees when I got to where I see the Pikas. I left home at 8:45 am, later than I had intended, and drove southwards via Millarville and the back way to Highway 40. This photo was taken along Highway 40. When I Googled the distance via that route, it gave me 134 km, 1 hr 41 mins from home to the Highwood Pass. Needless to say, I kept stopping to take photos, so it took me much longer than that. By the time I got back home around 5:00 pm, I had driven 299 km. This day was a Monday, so not much traffic anywhere, which makes a huge difference. This time, I only drove as far as the Pikas, just north of the Highwood Pass, especially as I wanted to make sure that I wasn't driving home in the dark. The Highwood Pass, at an elevation of 2,206 m (7,238 ft) is the highest paved pass in Canada. In past years, I have hiked the Ptarmigan Cirque, Pocaterra and Arethusa Cirque trails, but can no longer do hikes like these. The scenery is breathtaking in this whole area (indeed, for the whole drive), some mountain slopes covered in forest and other mountain faces displaying bald, breathtaking folds above the treeline. There was only one 'scary' incident on this trip. I had stopped to take a few scenic shots when I was on the backroad to join Highway 40. I didn't push my car door completely closed and when I went to open it, I discovered it was locked! Pressing the fob to open all the doors did nothing. I just could not get into my vehicle. Thank goodness, I had read on the Internet that there is a key hidden away inside the fob - otherwise I would never have known and might still be standing there, lol! Feels SO good to know that I am now comfortable enough to do this drive on my own, after so many years of wishing I had the courage to do it. Thank you, little Pikas, for being so adorably cute, that I was determined to drive back to see you : )

This is a poor quality photo, as you can tell, but I did want to post it for the record. It was taken yesterday evening, 12 February 2015, SE of Calgary, at one of the ramps leading from another road, right next to the main, busy highway. The lighting comes from car headlights and street lamps, giving the owl a rather unpleasant colour. We had pulled off the ramp on to one of the small patches where a car is able to stop. We really hoped the owl knew what it was doing and that it would soon leave for the fields. While we were there, it flew alongside the car and pounced on some kind of small rodent (Meadow Vole?) for a snack. Seeing this beautiful Snowy Owl certainly made a great ending to a day of exploration in a mostly familiar place! Yesterday, 12 February 2015, was spent SE of the city, with friends Cathy and Terry. They picked me up around 7:00 am and I think I was home somewhere around 7:30 pm, after a great day of searching for owls, barns, and anything else that caught our eye. The weather was beautiful, despite a cloud layer. The temperature reached a brief high of 13C around 1:00 and 2:00 pm, which felt so good, especially for mid-winter. Many of the roads we travelled along were roads that I had driven on myself, some of them a number of times. A few of the roads were new to me, which was a treat, including a "trail" that was so deeply rutted and snow-covered that I'm amazed that we ever got out of there! This track and another backroad that was new to me led to a few old barns that I really appreciated being shown. I think my friends were amused that I fell asleep on this very rough track - after only an hour and a half's sleep the previous night, on top of always being very sleep-deprived, I'm really not surprised. It's strange how some fields in the whole area were more or less bare and yet others had a lot of snow covering the stubble, with piles of snow lining the edges of the road. As far as wildlife was concerned, we saw 11 owls - 8 Snowy Owls and 3 Great Horned Owls. The Snowies, other than the one in this photo, were all extremely distant, so my photos are of white specks in a nice setting, ha. If I hadn't been with two people who can spot "everything", I'm sure that I would never have found most of these owls! One of the Great Horned Owls gave us a lovely view, although not close, with no branches getting in the way. Loved hearing it calling to its mate, who was presumably tucked into one of the neighbouring trees. Other birds included a flock of Snow Buntings, plus two individuals that were perched on a fence - haven't checked yet to see if I have a sharp enough photo. We had to deal with a lot of heat distortion during the day, so some photos are far from sharp. Another bird we saw was a beautiful Falcon perched on an electricity pylon - not a large bird, so presumably a Prairie Falcon, not a Gyrfalcon. Many thanks, as always, Cathy and Terry, for a great day out, including the delicious chili you made and brought along. Fun and rewarding! Really appreciated being with you, doing what we all enjoy so much. Thanks, too, for giving me time to photograph the various barns we came across!

Many of my photos on this day were taken through the windshield or a side window of my friends' car, while they were driving. Usually, when I take photos through the car window, most of them don't come out, some being too blurry to use and with a blue/green tinge. This photo is one that was sharp enough, though I had a problem with the colour. What a day I had a few days ago (7 December 2014) with friends Cathy and Terry, in an absolute winter wonderland! We set off about 7:45 am (still dark) and drove westwards to the Kananaskis area of our majestic mountains. Early in the drive, the sunrise turned the still distant mountains pink. This is always such an amazing sight to see. Once we had reached Kananaskis, we drove the area of Highway 40 that is still open (the rest of this highway is closed during the winter months) and also the Smith-Dorrien road. There had been a recent snowfall and the trees in many places (not in this photo) were still covered in snow, which turned everywhere into a winter wonderland. There was no wind and the temperatures hovered a few degrees around 0C. Sunshine, a few clouds, and fun company made it such a great day! My friends had been hoping for a long time to be able to show me a winter Moose and yesterday they did well, finding a beautiful female and, at another location, a male with antlers that looked rather like two little twigs sticking out of the side of his head. The size of both these wild animals was huge! The closest we saw them both was when they approached the car. You can stop the car some distance away from them, but if they are busy licking off the salt and minerals from any car in sight, they sometimes might eventually come close. All the female was interested in was doing this very thing : ) She would occasionally stop, straighten up and look and listen - usually this would be because she had heard or seen people show-shoeing or cross-country skiing on a nearby trail through the forest. The rest of the time, she licked and licked and licked some more - the slurping sound could be heard from quite some distance : ) At one point, she bent both front knees to kneel, so that she could reach the lower part of a vehicle. Lol, she did a fine job of cleaning headlights till they shone. Impressive and rather amusing at the same time. Free carwash, anyone?? We saw the female first, then the youngish male, and then we saw the female a second time, later. After feeding on dead leaves and tiny twigs from under the deep snow, she then lay down in the snow near the edge of the trees - the first time I had ever seen a Moose lying down. Such a peaceful scene - no one else was around, either. I always feel so privileged when I witness any kind of wildlife, especially so when you get the chance to watch a while and learn the behaviour of the animal or bird you are lucky enough to see. My friends were so delighted to be able to let me experience this yesterday, though I always tell them that just being in such spectacular scenery and being able to photograph the mountains is more than enough for me. Yesterday, they did really, really well! Be warned that I took a lot of photos, so I hope you won't get tired of seeing Moose and snow-covered mountains! Guess I'll have to throw in the occasional old Weasel or Pika photo to break the monotony for you, ha. Thanks so much, Cathy and Terry, for such a great day - including the delicious chili that you brought along. Hope you are enjoying going through your own photos and video : )

Nothing too inspiring, but kind of liked this view of forest and mountain peaks that I noticed in a side mirror, when we went to the mountains yesterday. This was the main highway between Canmore and Calgary. Didn't see a whole lot of birds - in fact, it was an extremely quiet, slow day for birds, though the highlight of the day was seeing a Northern Hawk Owl on a very, very distant tree! As you can see in this photo, the roads were clear and it was a beautiful day. Today, it's -2C and we have had/are still having heavy snow all day long. Here comes winter, AGAIN!

I finally got out as far as Forgetmenot Pond on 27 September 2012, the far end of Elbow Falls Trail, Highway 66, west of Bragg Creek, Kananaskis. A slight exaggeration of the fall colours, as we get mainly yellow leaves, with just the very occasional yellowy-orange tree. I've only ever pulled over on this quite steep hill two or three times before, as it's not a safe place to do so. However, not another car in sight at that moment. Even though I've driven this way many times, when I come to the top of this hill, the view always takes my breath away.

There wasn't a single car in sight when I reached this hill down into the valley just before Forgetmenot Pond, so I pulled over a little, stopped and half got out of the car and took the fastest photo I possibly could. Not a good place to stop and I've only ever done it a couple of times - but the view takes away my breath every time I come round a corner and see this view (I was already part way down the hill). A lot of the autumn leaves were already on the ground, but still enough colour to add to the view.

This was taken yesterday, on the Nanton Christmas Bird Count, south of Calgary. Three of us covered Cayley (about half way between High River and Nanton) and the area south from Cayley. Our area was flat farmland, like the band that cuts across the midle of this photo. As you can see, the main roads were clear and the weather was gorgeous! This is a zoomed in photo, so the mountains appear closer than they really were. Needed a "lazy" day (i.e. a day at home, working on my computer) today, ready for another long Bird Count day tomorrow.

A very kind friend invited me to go along with him to search for White-tailed Ptarmigan at Highwood Pass, Kananaskis, today. We have tried a couple of times before to find one, but still no luck : ) The day started out around 7:45 a.m. with a gorgeous sunset mixed with a Chinook arch (see photo that was posted after this one), as we headed south of the city. The colour and light were spectacular! As we drove deeper into the mountains on Highway 40, it started to snow, and when we eventually reached Highwood Pass, there was SO much snow - too much to be able to walk unless one had snowshoes or skis. Fortunately, the highway itself was very good. When we got back to the city, it felt good to see clear ground and gorgeous sunshine : ) I so rarely get to the mountains, and I really appreciate a treat like this!