Mount Rundle

Mount Rundle, originally uploaded by susanvg.

Look down any street in Banff and you will see a mountain (you can see a wire across this picture - it was taken right in town) - a towering rock-faced giant. Mount Rundle is one of my favourites - its curved side appears to me. When the Rockies were first formed Tunnel Mountain was part of it, but at a certain point they split apart. If we think there are a lot of earthquakes now, I can only imagine the period when these mountains were pushed up from the sea as being exponentially worse.

We took the gondola up Sulphur Mountain for a view from the top - simply breathtaking to look at the peaks from their level instead of looking up.

And to look down at the town of Banff with the Bow River snaking through the valley.

We took a raft trip along the river, past the hoodoos (Sandstone that has eroded; a rock - capstone - on top shelters it so that the sides erode, but the top does not), proof again of Mother Nature's art work.

Even mist covered, Mount Rundle captivates me - its graceful sweep, and craggy top - a lovely form.

The Rockies

Morraine Lake 2, originally uploaded by susanvg.

I've been home for a week, trying to sort through the myriad of photographs. Our Arctic trip ended with a flight from Resolute Bay to Edmonton, so we spent another 9 days in Southern Alberta - first time in the Rockies. I had been before, so the mountains and lakes were not quite as astounding as the first time, but their beauty and grandeur are incredible. Glacier fed lakes and rivers are every shade of turquoise and green.

Although we didn't see a lot of large wildlife, we did see some delightful smaller creatures.

Lake Louise is breathtaking with the mountains towering over it and the glacier perched on the craggy mountains at the far end. Red canoes dot the lake dwarfed by the peaks.

As these splendours are in a national park, preservation of wildlife is paramount. As you drive the highway through the park, you pass under overpasses built as animal crossings. Cameras have proven their effectiveness. Some of the deer in the area are so tame, they come to feed in the town of Banff. Once made a meal of the flowers in front of our hotel.