I left the Travelodge in Brooks a little after 7; up onto the Trans Canada Highway. 2 hours later I was in rush-hour traffic (Calgary is a "big city", with skyscrapers, traffic, and parking problems). Met with Travis Lutley (Collections Technician, Art/Military History), who took me into the bowels of the storage racks to see a beautiful (and large) painting by William Bradford - The English Arctic Expedition in Search of Sir John Franklin:
I have used the image from my app since they don't like public distribution of images from their storage areas.
Travis then escorted me to the 2nd floor, where their core-collection paintings are on display. I discovered 2 Bradfords I did not know about, plus a Bierstadt!
William Bradford - Near Cape St. John, Coast of Labrador, ca. 1885:
William Bradford - Coastal Trading Post at Sunset, 1873:
Albert Bierstadt - Rocky Mountain Sheep, n.d.
The 4th floor has their Mineralogy exhibit, with excellent samples, including :
and "The Oldest Known Rock in the World"
Hey, I'm going to see some BIG ROCKS later today!
And then out on the road, 2 hours west into Banff National Park:
The beautiful views start RIGHT AWAY:
I'm spending the night in Lake Louise Village, but first some hiking up at Moraine Lake:
Yes, it has been SNOWING! Good thing I have my winter coat, a fleece, winter LL Bean boots, gloves, neckwarmer and hat!
The hike up to Larch Valley and Sentinel Pass is challenging, but straightforward:
Larch trees are in the Evergreen family, but the lose their "leaves" each winter. Kind of foggy:
Above Larch Valley, conditions started to White-Out:
but I could still follow the trail, up to (the upper of the) Minestimma Lakes and the base of Pinnacle Mountain:
My selfie when I decided enough-is-enough, and turned around:
A view down at (the lower of the) Minestimma Lakes on my way back down:
I made great time down, so I wanted to hike Moraine Lakeshore Trail:
It was a GREAT HIKE alongside a BEAUTIFUL LAKE!:
Moraine Lake runs north-south, and this is from the seldom-photographed south end:
One last picture from this beautiful place from the "Moraine Lake Viewpoint":
Hey, I'm sorry, but you cannot spend the night in Lake Louise, Alberta without at least SEEING Lake Louise - so up the road I went:
The right peak is Mt Fairview - "Named for for view from its summit. First ascent in 1893 by Samuel Allen and Walter Wilcox." I think I need to get back here someday for more hiking!
This REALLY COOL topo map was at one of the information kiosks:
I ended the day going to a Real Restaurant and having a steak and a big glass of milk! Thank You God for these wonderful adventures!
Music today was from my big iPod, continuing in the W's:
Gil Scott-Heron and keyboardist Brian Jackson - Winter in America, 1973
Pink Floyd - Wish You Were Here, 1975
(Wait, didn't that start off this whole trip Thursday morning? Yes, but that was 44 albums ago.)
In Calgary, I listened to CJSW | Calgary's Independent Radio 90.9FM - they had BBC News, roots music, and bluegrass/Canadian folk. Very enjoyable.
Kimberly Caldwell - Without Regret, 2011
various artists - Children of Winter, 2008
A few years ago, Wendy and I were watching a Warren Miller ski movie, and I LOVED THE MUSIC - high energy, with some Jack Johnson thrown in once in a while. So I made my own "Warren Miller movie soundtracks":
WM_ChildrenOfWinter, 2008 has 32 songs
WM_ColdFusion, 2002 has 21 songs
WM_HigherGround, 2005 has 18 songs
WM_Impact, 2004 has 22 songs
WM_Journey, 2003 has 18 songs
WM_Off The Grid, 2006 has 14 songs
WM_Playground, 2007 has 39 songs
WM_Storm, 2002 has 9 songs
Although these are the PERFECT songs to have when driving up a mountain to go hiking in the snow, it is a little too intense for my "regular driving".
Still playing "Check Off The License Plates". Today I saw: WA, OR, CA, NM, UT, MT and "Beautiful British Columbia".
Temperature-wise, it was 34º F at 7:15 AM, and peaked at 43º F at 1 in the afternoon.
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