Postcards from the Road

In my last post, I showed off some of autumn's colour in Leavenworth, Washington. On Saturday we drove to Spokane and attended the wedding of a young man we knew from Ecuador. It was great to see old friends again, the kind of friends one can pick up a conversation with no matter how long we've been apart. 

These photos were mostly taken while driving, so they are, literally "from the road." 

This morning (Sunday), we left Spokane shortly after 8 am, headed for home. We drove through flat lands covered with shape-shifting fog from which emerged old barns and deserted homes, ghostly trees, and a few scattered tidy farms. 

After 90 minutes or so, the fog lifted and a sere, stark, uninhabited landscape revealed itself. 

As we drove down into the deep coulee, rock walls stood like sentinels along the edges of what appears to be a dry lake or enormous river.

When we stopped for gas, I noticed this large painted sign on the side of a barn. I wonder just what the "Golden medical Discovery" was?

As we drove closer towards the mountains, acres of fruit orchards stretched along either side of the highway, and colour lined the riverbanks. As we climbed towards Stevens Pass the road curved through rain and leaves that swirled around the car. Towards the summit (1240 metres) the rain changed to wet snow and although none of it stayed on the ground, the mountainside trees were white. I was driving during this time, so no photos were taken. 

We soon descended over the coast mountains and the rain stopped. As we neared the Canadian border dark clouds gathered and soon poured down again. 

We had hoped to catch the 3 pm ferry, but driving in the rain slowed us down and we arrived at the terminal just in time to see the 3 o'clock ferry pull away from the dock. Oh, well. Nothing to be done but make the most of it. We walked, ate a late lunch/early supper, and caught the 5 pm, arriving home just after 7.

It was a lovely weekend, relaxing and enjoyable. I leave you with October leaves in the sunshine, from Friday's outing in Leavenworth. I hope your October has been as full of beauty as ours has. 

Linking with Mosaic Monday, hosted by Maggie from Normandy Life. This link up is number 107 for Maggie, and her last. She's passed the baton to another host who will begin next week. A huge thank you to Maggie for her expertise and graciousness in connecting bloggers through this link up. 

Postcards from the Road: Wildflowers

One last post card from the road. We should be nearing our island home once again by the time this posts. Here's a collection of some of the wildflowers seen in the Canadian Rockies. 

Have a great weekend! 

Postcards from the Road: Glacial Plain

Let's start with a pretty one: an alpine meadow filled with wildflowers. So cheerful.

Today we hiked to the Plain of the Six Glaciers. The trail followed the shoreline of Lake Louise to the end where glacial waters enter. Then a steady climb upwards to a tea-house adjacent to the wildflower meadow pictured in the first photo.

We continued climbing until the path led along the glacial moraine, seen above. Was I a little bit nervous? Maybe, especially on the return trip downhill. The trail to the right drops off into the glacial plain - the glacier here is covered by stones and dirt which help protect it from melting, but also hide the crevasses that would be easy to fall into, should one survive the tumble downwards. Shiver. The lady pictured above, ahead of me on the trail, also shared her nervousness as we ate our lunch perched on a rocky slope. By rocky slope I mean a slope of rocks. Nothing growing at all. You can see Lake Louise off in the distance.

During our hike we heard several cracks from the glaciers and looked up once to see a fine drift of snow fall from way above onto the glacial plain. Awe-inspiring. It's a desolate land above the treeline, but with beauty born of sparsity, leaving one to admire the massive rock formations and power that shaped them. Lichens and a few scrubby bushes survive in the harsh conditions, but little else. 

The above photo, not a black and white, is of The Mitre, with its glacier at the bottom. On our descent the rain began, not heavy, but rather steady. The world turned to gray. This day's hike was longer than Tuesday's, but not quite as steep. We hiked 13 kilometres, or about 8 miles.

Postcards from the Road: Little Things

The grand vistas of jagged mountains and massive glaciers are only a part of the wonders of the Canadian Rockies. Looking down from time to time reveals delicate flowers growing in harsh conditions. Above is Fireweed, with snow-covered mountains in the background.
 

This plant, whose name I am going to have to research, grows on a moraine - the gravel piles left behind by receding glaciers. How anything grows on them is amazing. This plant carpets the ground beside Sunwapta Lake, formed by the retreat of the Athabasca Glacier.
 

Indian Paintbrush is a cheerful sight beside hiking trails and in alpine meadows.
 

This delicate columbine nods gently beside Lake Agnes, where we hiked yesterday. It was the only patch of them I've seen so far.
 

Here we send our greetings from a rock in the Bow River near Banff. A kind Australian tourist took the photo for us. Wish you were all here!

Post Cards from the Road: Three Lakes

Four postcards today, featuring 3 lakes. The temperature was chilly this morning when we set our for our hike. Clouds covered the mountain behind Lake Louise, that iconic symbol of the Canadian Rockies. Sunshine soon dispelled the cloud and we had a beautiful day. Did you notice the red canoe on the lake?
 

Next: Mirror Lake, with the Big Beehive in the background. Our hike today took us around the back side of that rock formation on a steep trail that switched back and forth across the mountain.
 

Third: Lake Agnes. This photo is taken from the distant end of the lake where the switchbacks up the Beehive begin. The teahouse at the far end of the photo was doing a booming business, but we chose to bring our own lunch and perch on a rock to eat it.
 

Finally: Lake Louise once again, taken from the top of the Beehive. The black specks you might see are canoes on the lake. At the left end of the photo is the Chateau Lake Louise, one of Canada's famous Railway hotels - now owned by Fairmont.

When we returned to the lake, the sun shone and there were no clouds - it would have made a beautiful photo, but all I could think about was taking off my boots. It was mid-afternoon and tourists crowded along the lake shore. Tonight I can hardly keep my eyes open and it's barely 8 pm. We hiked 10 km (6 miles) with an elevation gain of 540 metres (1770 feet). Beautiful, beautiful views.

Postcard from the road - Mount Robson

It's funny how much I miss my blogging friends when I'm away from my computer. We're on a little trip and internet access is spotty or non-existent. Also, I'm having too much fun to sit down and write a post. Things will be a little quieter for the rest of this week and we have reliable internet, although no cell phone coverage, so I'll send you all a virtual postcard when I can.

Above is beautiful Mount Robson, in Mount Robson Provincial Park. It's the highest peak of the Canadian Rockies at 12,972 feet or 3954 metres. 

I haven't seen Mount Robson for many years, but have backpacked into Berg Lake twice, when we were newly married. It's a 2-day hike that follows the Valley of a Thousand Falls, then climbs steeply to the iceberg-fed lake. Lots of memories. 

Time to check the laundry in the machines here at the hotel and then find some dinner. I hope to catch up with you soon - if not this week, then next.