Anne Elliott's photos with the keyword: on the way to Kananaskis

Tomorrow, 8 October 2019, the forecast is for more snow. That means a few days spent hibernating, waiting for most of it to melt. I so rarely go for a walk, so I have no idea if any of the paths in our city parks/natural areas are actually bare by now, after our recent 3-day snow storm that dumped just over 10" of snow in the city. They won't be tomorrow. Having seen the forecast, I made a quick decision to get back to the mountains - I don't drive there when there is snow on the roads. It was going to be sunny, but unfortunately, it was also very windy, which gave me a lot of not-quite-sharp images. Also, much of the highway through Kananaskis is closed for the winter months, for the protection of the wildlife. There were three or four locations that I wanted to photograph with snow on the peaks. With scenic shots in my mind, I took the south route, this time avoiding the dusty, gravel back road that I love to drive. Normally, I would never do a drive like this on a weekend day - more cars and people. Much of the drive was similar to my trip with friend, Pam, on 5 September. A little over a month ago already? The first part of my drive, before turning around and heading home, I had done before, but I had never driven myself the most northerly part. I really wanted to make sure I did this while I could, rather than have to leave it till next year, as I might have lost courage by then. Actually, this north stretch had not been in my plans, but as it was not yet noon, I decided to do it, driving further than Pam and I had gone. A couple of extra stops were added - Barrier Lake and Lorette Ponds. Keeping a close eye on how much gas was left, it was time to turn around and go back home the same way as I had driven earlier in the morning. Lots of animals on the road - mainly cattle! I don't think I have ever seen so many cows on the road before - and, oh, what a mess they were leaving behind them, everywhere! They were as stubborn about moving off the road as the three groups of Bighorn Sheep I came across during the day. So many people were out to go hiking and there were lots of cars parked in many places. On my return drive, I was not too impressed to see about a dozen cars lined up along the edge of the road - thinking 'hikers' and then suddenly thinking "bear?" As I drove past, I caught a glimpse of three brown shapes in the long grass. I did what I don't like doing - a U-turn and adding myself to the end of the line. My handful of highly zoomed photos were all taken through the windshield, turning them into green-tinted blurs. I have added two of them, just for the record. Not sure if I can rescue any others. I tried to read the blurry number on the pink ear tag, which may have shifted upside down, on her right ear. If I am correct, she may have been Grizzly Bear #251 or #125. She was busy feeding in the long grass with her two cubs, totally oblivious of the audience. I didn't notice if many people were out of their cars - I know the female idiot (oops, I mean 'driver') of the car in front of me, got out and walked down the road in the direction of the bears, but I couldn't see where she disappeared to. Eventually, a Park ranger arrived and shooed the beautiful bear family into the trees. Such an unexpected sighting and thrill - definitely the highlight of my 440 km drive. If I am right, I think I had only ever seen two Grizzlies before in all these years - a female with one cub.

HAPPY snowy CANADIAN THANKSGIVING! After a couple of fairly sunny days, we are back to another snowfall this morning, 8 October 2018. Our first major snowstorm blew in at the beginning of October and now here comes the second one. I wonder if we will end up getting fall or if we are more or less going straight from summer to winter. Our temperature this morning is -2C (windchill -8C) - the norm is around 15C and we have been way below average for weeks now. Not to mention all the rain we have had. This photo is from 25 September 2018, when the weather forecast finally looked a little more promising. We have had so many gloomy, rainy days and when I woke up that morning and saw that the sun was shining, I knew I had better get out to the mountains before the fall colours disappeared. It was almost 11:00 am before I left home, so I was limited time-wise, but still managed to get to my destination. I had taken my computer to be fixed the previous day, to clear a virus and malware after being hacked, so I had more time to get out with my camera. I thought this might just be my last chance to see fall colours and, if I was lucky, a little Pika. Luck was on my side and I saw both. Getting photos of the little Pika required an awful lot of patience : ) A few days later, our first snowstorm arrived, bringing as much as 60 cm of snow to Kananaskis and about 38 cm to our city. How lucky we are to live so close to such magnificent scenery!

Yesterday, 29 September 2018, I collected my fixed computer after having a virus and malware installed on it when my computer was hacked more than a week ago. I have all sorts of photos to go through and edit from the past week. This photo is from 25 September, when the weather forecast finally looked a little more promising. We have had so many gloomy, rainy days and when I woke up that morning and saw that the sun was shining, I knew I had better get out to the mountains before the fall colours disappeared. It was almost 11:00 am before I left home, so I was limited time-wise, but still managed to get to my destination. This Raven was one of several along a gravel back road. I have a very early start to today, and will be away from my computer till early this evening. Forecast is for snow : (

This photo was taken on Saturday, 10 September 2016. This was the second day in a row that I did a long drive that I had never done myself, and had longed for years to be brave enough to do. On the Friday, I drove way down south as far as the Coaldale Bird of Prey Centre (drove 496 km that day). Then, on the Saturday, my daughter came with me to Kananaskis and I drove the Highway 40 loop, going south via Turner Valley and then coming home via 1X and Highway 1A. I had been to Coaldale maybe five times before with various friends, and I had been to Kananaskis quite a few times over the years with various friends. What a way to introduce a new car to life with Anne Elliott, lol! By the end of this second day, it was so dirty from all the dust gathered, especially along the rough, gravel Spray Lakes/Smith-Dorrien trail (only drove part way along this mountainous road).. Also covered in splattered insects which were unlucky enough to fly into my car. If I had been able to do these drives a bit earlier in the summer, I would have done so and not on consecutive days. However, I would never have taken my 17-year-old car, for a start. Then, when I checked the Bird of Prey Centre's website, I discovered that Saturday was the last day it would be open before closing till next May. As far as the Kananaskis trip was concerned, there has already been snow in some areas of the mountains, and I definitely did not want to risk doing my very first drive there in snow. So, two wonderful days, for which I am truly thankful! About a month ago, I went with friend, Pam, for a long day out in Kananaskis (the mountain area of the Rocky Mountains that is closest to Calgary). What a great day we had, seeing so many different things in such beautiful scenery. The trip with my daughter followed a good part of the trip I was on with Pam, which was great. Our first stop was at Highwood House, a very convenient place to stop for things like coffee, washrooms, gas station. All the Hummingbird feeders have been taken down now that the Hummingbirds have left. From there, we drove north to Rock Glacier to see the little Pikas (also called Rock Rabbits). I'm pretty sure we saw just two individuals and managed to get some rather distant shots. As usual, they were darting all over the massive scree (talus?) slope, busily collecting plants to store and dry in their "caves", ready for the winter months - they don't hibernate. There was very light rain while we were there, but that cleared up for the rest of our journey. 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 Further along, we called in at Boulton Bridge, as I wanted to do a quick check to see if there were many mushrooms around. Recently, I had been there with friends, Dorothy and Stephen, and we found lots of interesting mushrooms to photograph. Saturday was very different and it was obvious that the peak of the season was already over. Trying to find Buller Pond, where I had stopped with Pam the other week, we ended up at an area called Peninsular, part of Lower Kananaskis Lake. I don't remember ever having been to this area before. A short drive along the Spray Lakes/Smith-Dorrien trail, followed by continuing along Highway 40 past Barrier Lake, brought us to Highway 1. We crossed over and found 1X, which then took us to Highway 1A leading to Cochrane. From there on, I was on very familiar driving ground. Many thanks, Rachel, for coming out with me. We had a great day in such magnificent scenery with enough wildlife to keep us happy (Pikas, Bighorn Sheep and a tiny Chipmunk who was munching on a bright red berry).

This photo was taken on Saturday, 10 September 2016. This was the second day in a row that I did a long drive that I had never done myself, and had longed for years to be brave enough to do. On the Friday, I drove way down south as far as the Coaldale Bird of Prey Centre (drove 496 km that day). Then, on the Saturday, my daughter came with me to Kananaskis and I drove the HIghway 40 loop, going south via Turner Valley and then coming home via 1X and Highway 1A. I had been to Coaldale maybe five times before with various friends, and I had been to Kananaskis quite a few times over the years with various friends. What a way to introduce a new car to life with Anne Elliott, lol! By the end of this second day, it was so dirty from all the dust gathered, especially along the rough, gravel Spray Lakes/Smith-Dorrien trail (only drove part way along this mountainous road).. Also covered in splattered insects which were unlucky enough to fly into my car. If I had been able to do these drives a bit earlier in the summer, I would have done so and not on consecutive days. However, I would never have taken my 17-year-old car, for a start. Then, when I checked the Bird of Prey Centre's website, I discovered that Saturday was the last day it would be open before closing till next May. As far as the Kananaskis trip was concerned, there has already been snow in some areas of the mountains, and I definitely did not want to risk doing my very first drive there in snow. So, two wonderful days, for which I am truly thankful! About three weeks ago, I went with friend, Pam, for a long day out in Kananaskis (the mountain area of the Rocky Mountains that is closest to Calgary). What a great day we had, seeing so many different things in such beautiful scenery. The trip with my daughter followed a good part of the trip I was on with Pam, which was great. Our first stop was at Highwood House, a very convenient place to stop for things like coffee, washrooms, gas station. All the Hummingbird feeders have been taken down now that the Hummingbirds have left. From there, we drove north to Rock Glacier to see the little Pikas (also called Rock Rabbits). I'm pretty sure we saw just two individuals and managed to get some rather distant shots. As usual, they were darting all over the massive scree (talus?) slope, busily collecting plants to store and dry in their "caves", ready for the winter months. There was very light rain while we were there, but that cleared up for the rest of our journey. 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 Further along, we called in at Boulton Bridge, as I wanted to do a quick check to see if there were many mushrooms around. Recently, I had been there with friends, Dorothy and Stephen, and we found lots of interesting mushrooms to photograph. Saturday was very different and it was obvious that the peak of the season is already over. Trying to find Buller Pond, where I had stopped with Pam the other week, we ended up at an area called Peninsular, part of Lower Kananaskis Lake. I don't remember ever having been to this area before. A short drive along the Spray Lakes/Smith-Dorrien trail, followed by continuing along Highway 40 past Barrier Lake, brought us to Highway 1. We crossed over and found 1X, which then took us to Highway 1A leading to Cochrane. From there on, I was on very familiar driving ground. Many thanks, Rachel, for coming out with me. We had a great day in such magnificent scenery with enough wildlife to keep us happy (Pikas, Bighorn Sheep and a tiny Chipmunk who was munching on a bright red berry).

Again, all three photos posted today were taken the day before yesterday, 20 August 2016, when I went with friend, Pam, for a long day out in Kananaskis (the mountain area of the Rocky Mountains that is closest to Calgary). What a great day we had, seeing so many different things in such beautiful scenery. We met up in the city at 7:00 am and drove southwards through Millarville and took the back way from Turner Valley to Highway 40. This is exactly the route that I had planned to go when I was all set to take my daughter on 4 August. Then my car's muffler and catalytic converter died and I haven't been able to go on any long drives at all. Nothing further than maybe five or ten minutes from home, with a vehicle that sounds dreadful with its loud, broken muffler noise and the loudest rattle that sounds as if the bottom of my car is about to fall off. Before we left the town of Turner Valley (on Highway 22), we called in for a few minutes at friend Jackie's garden to see if there were any interesting birds at all her feeders. We only saw Pine Siskins, but no doubt all sorts of other species would arrive for her during the day. The first thing we saw after Jackie's was this Swainson's Hawk perched on a fence, with a beautiful view of the distant mountains. Our first stop along Highway 40, which is the highway that goes right through Kananaskis, giving spectacular scenic views every inch of the way, was at Highwood House. This small store/gas station, at such a convenient location, is known for its Hummingbird feeders. We were lucky enough to see either one or maybe two of these teeny birds, and I did manage to get one blurry shot, just for the record. Continuing on our way north, we eventually came to Rock Glacier where we happily watched one or two little Pikas darting all over the massive scree slope, busily collecting plants to store and dry in their "caves", ready for the winter months. I will add more information about these very small animals when I post a photo of one of them. Already have lots of information under previously posted Pika images. These are such difficult creatures to photograph - only six or seven inches long and the same colour as the surrounding mountain of broken rock. Our next destination, after bumping into friend Kerri who was photographing the PIkas, was Buller's Pond, near Spray Lakes along the Spray Lakes/Smith-Dorrien road. I don't remember ever stopping there before and we were so glad we called in. Just before we got there, we took a drive up the mountainside road to Mt. Shark and gazed at the mountain scene before our eyes when we reached the highest parking lot. I have been up here maybe two or three times before, but in winter time. Soon, we arrived at Buller Pond, which is a lovely pond/lake, where we saw masses of small, green, jelly-like 'blobs' floating near the edge of the water. I tried to identify these late last night, but couldn't find anything that looked exactly the same. So, I'm not sure yet if they are insect eggs or maybe even salamander eggs. It was here that, while walking through the trees near the edge of the pond, I suddenly gasped and couldn't believe my eyes. There was a beautiful Spruce Grouse perched on a tree stump, with a second one lying at the base of the stump. Such a beautiful sight! I quietly called Pam to come and see what I had just found and we spent some time watching them. These two birds, with their gorgeous feathers, showed no sign of moving, allowing us plenty of time to take photos. Eventually, I saw yet another one of them moving around on the ground nearby, and then a fourth one. So, it seems that it was a mother and her three young ones. What an absolute treat to come across these spectacular birds and to be given time to really enjoy them. Once back on Highway 40, we started driving south on Highway 40, heading for home. We just couldn't resist calling in again at Rock Glacier, where I was able to get closer and perhaps better photos of one of the Pikas. Then, fifteen minutes later, we saw several cars pulled over at the sides of the highway. Could it finally be a bear? Unfortunately, no, it wasn't, but instead we saw a group of four Bighorn Sheep, three standing at the edge of the road and a fourth standing in the road as if to let us know that she owned the road and had right of way. However, she didn't move. Can't remember if it was this female or one of the others that started walking along the edge in the direction of our vehicle. She walked with determination and I was taken off guard when she came level with my window and I got a quick shot. Her focus, however, was on a photographer who was out of his car and had walked towards her, then crouched down to photograph her as she got closer and closer to him. She stopped just a matter of maybe six feet from him - we drove off now that the road was clear, so I've no idea if anything happened between the Sheep and the photographer, but he was doing everything that a photographer (or anyone) should not be doing! Thank you so much, Pam, for enabling me to get out to the mountains! It was such a fun, enjoyable day, in beautiful weather, spectacular scenery, and much-enjoyed company!