We returned last night from a lovely two weeks exploring not too far from home. "Far" might be rather subjective, as we left our Island home and drove across British Columbia into Alberta to spend time in a few provincial and national parks, driving about 3000 kilometres in all.
As we followed our map crossing through the the Rocky Mountains and into golden grasslands, I wondered if and when we would see the mountains of Waterton Lakes National Park. They rose up on the horizon abruptly, jutting into a blue sky somewhat hazy with wildfire smoke. After settling our camping trailer into its spot, we walked around the town of Waterton to get our bearings.
Tim's brother and his wife joined us for three nights. One place we visited was Red Rock Canyon. The canyon walls, carved out by thousands of years of water erosion, are a gorgeous red colour punctuated by white bands. This is argillite, layers of mud and sediment compressed over time. The red hue is due to the presence of iron oxide. Clear water revealed stones of many colours in the stream bed.
Along the Red Rock Canyon Parkway we stopped to watch a couple of groups of bears. They are currently feeding up for the soon approach of winter and mostly kept their heads down while munching on berries. I was happy to see this one turn his head towards us for a few moments. One group of bear was a mama with three cubs, one very black and the other two honey brown. What fun to see them.
Another view of the canyon. I loved the undulating shape of the rock here.
An enormous wildfire burned much of this area in 2017. The skeletons of trees remain, but renewal is happening. Willows and pines along with grasses and shrubs provide habitat and food for wildlife. Eventually, the burned trees will fall and become part of the ground cover.
Wildfires are devastating and tragic when homes and lives are lost, but a natural part of the forest cycle. The majority of forest fires are caused by lightning. I found hiking through the burned forest quite interesting. It was easy to see through the tree trunks to the view beyond, a view that would be obscured if the trees were alive.
We watched an American Dipper bobbing his head looking for food and causing ripples in the clear water. Waterton Lakes Park was named for an English naturalist, Charles Waterton, who was an early conservationist.
The weather was lovely during our trip, with rain falling only on the day we left the park. Today I've been dealing with laundry and seeing what's happening in my garden. I picked 12 pounds of tomatoes and a huge basket of green beans. The pumpkins are fat and orange. There are radishes and beets and carrots to bring in, and lettuce gone to seed that will be fodder for the compost bin.
It's lovely to go away for two weeks just as school is beginning. As a retired teacher, it makes me feel like I'm skipping class - with no consequences! As nice as it is to go away, coming home is always lovely. I'll be catching up on blogs over the next few days.
Wishing you lovely early autumn (or spring) days.
Dear Lorrie, it looks like you had a really enjoyable two weeks away, and 3,000 km is a lot of driving! Canada is a really big country. The Red Rock Canyon is gorgeous, well worth the trip (and trek) to see it. A bear sighting is exciting, and cute to see bear cubs too. But the bears would frighten me - we hear such awful stories of people taken by bears. I can relate to the skeleton trees after fires, as Australia has bush fires on a regular basis. We are crossing fingers the coming Summer is not a fiery one, and that we will have plenty of rain to keep it all under control. Your garden sounds amazing: all those tomatoes, beans and pumpkins, Wow. Enjoy your harvest.
ReplyDeleteDearest Lorrie,
ReplyDeleteWhat a fascinating environment to walk in, camp in and even travel through!
How incredible the sight of water having shaped those ancient rocks over time.
Fabulous photos.
Hugs,
Mariette
Sounds like you’ve had a wonderful time skipping school lol. I get exactly the same feeling especially when I’m out walking on a weekday morning. What stunning scenery you have seen. Looking forward to hearing about more of your adventures. B x
ReplyDeleteIt is amazing how nature renews herself. The destruction in the forests from Fiona is hard to see in the glad at Cavendish now. Everything is grown in again.
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like a lovely vacation and at a perfect time too.
Hi Lorrie~ It looks like you had such a good time! The pictures are so beautiful, I love how you capture it's beauty in a photo . . . You are so talented! I would love to visit Canada one day! Hugs, Barb
ReplyDeleteWe've visited Waterton on several trips and on one particular one ( it may well have been 2017) there were fires and smoke which made it hard to see at times.
ReplyDeleteIt's always fun to spy an American Dipper (which I think of as a Water Ouzel . Was it Winnie the Pooh that introduced us to this bird's "other name")?
What a trip you had! I could admire the view in your first photo for all the morning. (It's 9 o'clock here.) Interesting geology and groups of bears... lovely!
ReplyDeleteWith 3000 kilometres one would cover the entire length of Finland three times.
Happy Sunday!
Hello again, Lorrie, and thank you! I was really happy to add this post to the list of links of my photo challenge. Indeed, most of your posts will fit the challenge wonderfully.
DeleteSounds like an amazing trip.
ReplyDeleteYour photos are incredible!
Waterton Lakes National Park looks stunning.
Such a treat to see the bears and their cubs!
Happy Sunday, Lorrie!
What a lovely trip and beautiful Nature!
ReplyDeleteYou must have had a wonderful time .
Spectacular photos, the clear water looks inviting for a dip on a hot day.
ReplyDeleteSending autumn best wishes back to you. What an absolutely gorgeous country and national park. So glad you could have this adventure.
ReplyDeleteYou covered a lot of territory in your "local" adventure! So many beautiful things to be seen . . . and different things in each area. What a rich and diverse world we live in! Loved the glance of the bear. Your first photo is stunning!
ReplyDeleteThere are so many beautiful areas in western Canada, across the whole country in fact. Wildfires are part of the natural cycle as you point out, but not on the scale it is now occurring year after year. The knock-on effect is devastating too. Birds which come here to breed in the boreal forest are increasingly finding that their habitat has gone. Sometimes, looking at the map, it seems that half the country is burning. Despite all of that, it looks like we are about to elect a government of climate change deniers.
ReplyDeleteYour camera must have an amazing zoom lens when you photographed the bear.
ReplyDeleteI am feeling the fall vibes, despite the hot temperatures.lol.
You seem to find some very beautiful places to visit, Lorrie. I was so intrigued by the shapes of the rocks in the river, almost as though it had been sculpted.
ReplyDeleteThat was a beautiful "nearby" camping trip and wonderful hikes. The undulating rocks (or so they appear) are lovely and of course the mountains -- this is the kind of place that no matter which direction you look there is natural beauty abounding. And a good reminder about the different kinds of forest fires. ... Happy retired Autumn, no longer "school year." -- it's been a few more years for us but your feeling is still shared.
ReplyDeleteSo enjoyable to see your photographs, it looks like you had a very nice time away.
ReplyDeleteYour garden has given you a good Autumn harvest, that's a nice lot of tomatoes!
Enjoy your Autumn days.
Many thanks for your kind thoughts in the recent comment on the low carb diabetic.
I am slowly adjusting to life without my beloved Eddie, some days are better than others but I am fortunate to have wonderful family and friends, and that includes blogland friends like you who leave very thoughtful comments which I do appreciate.
My good wishes.
All the best Jan