Anne Elliott's photos with the keyword: explore2014September04

This view was taken along the Red Rock Parkway in Waterton Lakes National Park, roughly a three-hour drive south of Calgary. "The rock layers in Waterton are primarily eroded sediments laid down particle by particle at the bottom of an ancient sea which existed 1,500 million years ago. Evidence of this ancient seabed is provided by fossilized ripple marks and salt crystal casts. These rock layers make up the park's geological foundation. The park's unusual red and green rocks are shaly siltstones called argillite. The red rocks contain oxidized iron; the green rocks contain unoxidized iron. Beige/grey/brown rocks are limestone or dolomite. A noticeable black band seen on the face of some park mountains, called the Purcell Sill, is igneous rock." www.pc.gc.ca/eng/pn-np/ab/waterton/natcul/natcul1/a.aspx Friends, Cathy and Terry, and I, spent two nights (26 & 27 August 2014) in Waterton, driving the four different roads within the park for those two days. The third day, we drove eastwards from the park before driving all the way back to Calgary. Of course, we couldn't have had a more beautiful area to explore during our three days! Waterton Lakes National Park has amazing scenery and wildlife. The weather forecast that I saw before we left Calgary said that we were in for three beautiful days of sunshine - too often, it can be rainy weather. So, luck was on our side, giving us warm, sunny days - until the BIG STORM hit! We had driven eastwards from the park, hoping to see Yellow-bellied Marmots and, if we were really lucky, a Burrowing Owl. The storm was approaching very fast, around 5:00 p.m., and when we tried to get away from it, it quickly engulfed us. Someone from The Alberta Tornado Watch identified this storm as a Mesocyclone. Thankfully, we were not right in the very centre of it, but it was still a very scary experience. A few of the things we saw during our three-day trip included fantastic scenery, 4 Black Bears (including one that was swimming in the lake), Bison, Deer (including several that we saw in the village of Waterton, where we stayed for two nights at the clean and friendly Bear Mountain Motel), Golden-mantled Ground Squirrels, Chipmunks, various bird species including the endangered Burrowing Owls (new to all three of us), a few wildflowers, several Yellow-bellied Marmots (a first for me!), a few different insect species, and a family of some species of Grouse (still not sure what kind). I even got the chance to see three or four new-to-me old, wooden grain elevators. Later: I am so glad we returned to Calgary when we did, five or six days ago. Today, SNOW was falling "at a moderate to heavy pace this morning over the foothills of southwestern Alberta." We haven't even started fall yet! Up here in Calgary, we had rain instead, thank goodness.

At this time of year, there are Asters growing in the wild everywhere, When I see them, I know that fall is on its way. Today, 3 September 2014, at 9:30 a.m., it is pouring with rain and the temperature is 8C (apparently feels like 4C). This photo was taken along the Akamina Parkway in Waterton Lakes National Park, on 26 August 2014. Friends, Cathy and Terry, and I, stayed for two nights in Waterton, on 26 and 27 August 2014. This park is about 276 km south of Calgary and roughly a three hour drive. During the time we were there, we explored all four drives in the area: the Akamina Pathway that leads to Cameron Lake; the Red Rock Parkway; the Chief Mountain Highway which takes you up to the US/Canada Customs; and the Bison Paddocks. This was a driving trip, not a hiking trip - which is just as well, as a young woman was attacked by a Cougar on one of the trails, on one of the days! A few of the things we saw during our three-day trip included fantastic scenery, 4 Black Bears (including one that was swimming in the lake), Bison, Deer (including several that we saw in the village of Waterton, where we stayed the two nights at the clean and friendly Bear Mountain Motel), Golden-mantled Ground Squirrels, Chipmunks, various bird species including the endangered Burrowing Owls (new to all three of us), a few wildflowers, several Yellow-bellied Marmots (a first for me!), a few different insect species, and a family of some species of Grouse (still not sure what kind). I even got the chance to see three or four new-to-me old, wooden grain elevators.

There were a few of these very cute Golden-Mantled Ground Squirrels at Cameron Falls, in Waterton Lakes National Park. There were picnic tables nearby and where there are people, these little creatures know that, if they are "lucky", someone will give them food. I noticed this one doing its best to attract attention. "Spermophilus lateralis is found in Canada and the United States. It ranges from southeast British Colombia and southwest Alberta, into the western United States as far east as western Colorado and down to northwestern New Mexico and southern California. Golden-mantled ground squirrels have little positive economic importance to humans. They do however, provide amusement and enjoyment for many campers as they can become quite tame, living at campgrounds and taking food from eager campers hands. (Bartels and Thompson, 1993). Spermophilus lateralis can have a negative impact on the timber industry. In the fall, coniferous seeds make up a large portion of their diet, and S. lateralis can harm reforestation efforts by eating newly sprouted conifer seeds. They have little impact on agriculture because of habitat selection." animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/accounts/Spermophilus_late... A few of the things friends, Cathy and Terry, and I, saw during our three-day trip to Waterton Lakes National Park (26, 27 & 28 August 2014) included fantastic scenery, 4 Black Bears (including one that was swimming in the lake), Bison, Deer (including several that we saw in the village of Waterton, where we stayed the two nights at the clean and friendly Bear Mountain Motel), Golden-mantled Ground Squirrels, Chipmunks, various bird species including the endangered Burrowing Owls (new to all three of us), a few wildflowers, several Yellow-bellied Marmots (a first for me!), a few different insect species, and a family of some species of Grouse (still not sure what kind). I even got the chance to see three or four new-to-me old, wooden grain elevators.