Welcome to my blog wherein I will be sharing some of my outdoor and travel photo experiences and ideas.
Hope you enjoy my musings and ramblings. Comments are welcome.
April 16 - Back Home
We finished our skiing at the end of March. After house cleaning and packing the car, we began our drive home on April 3.
This scene is just west of Revelstoke. Snow and fog were higher in the mountains, but the roads were fine - bare but wet.
This is the Trans-Canada Highway in Albert Canyon, where we passed through two avalanche sheds.
We drove through parts of Mount Revelstoke and Glacier National Parks, and eventually into Yoho National Park.
This small conifer was poking out of the snow at Natural Bridge area in Yoho.
We spent the first three nights in Canmore, so that we could explore Banff National Park.
Vermilion Lake and Mount Rundle. Unfortunately all the lakes here were still frozen.
This lonely tree was along the route to Kootenay National Park, near Storm Mountain.
Nama Creek, Kootenay National Park, British Columbia.
Back in Banff, we did encounter some wildlife.
This Bighorn Sheep ewe was near Two Jack Lake.
We saw this Gray Wolf along the Bow Valley Parkway.
This huge Wapiti (or elk) was also along the Bow Valley Parkway. We originally spotted him briefly up on a ridge but got no photos. I was able to photograph him the next day after making several circuits of the road. I was surprised that he still had his antlers.
The next morning we began our trip across the prairies. It is always anticlimactic for me in this landscape after the magnificence of the mountains.
These deteriorating but brightly painted grain sheds were near Chestermere, Alberta. I found little else to photograph across the prairies.
In our last four return trips from the west I have had no luck finding piled-up ice along Lake Superior's east shore. These ice-covered rocks were along Pancake Bay - the best I could find.
And this is what we came home to find, as I looked down my driveway. Where is spring?
March 18 - Last Days of Winter
2018 has been a fantastic winter for skiing at Silver Star Mountain. At the beginning of this month the snow base was measured at 279 cm., breaking a record that was set in 1950. Here are a few images from the mountain which show the beauty of this winter's snowfall.
These two photos are the view from the top of the mountain looking east to the Monashees.
Veda and Harrison along a street in the village, with its huge snow banks.
Dramatic collection of icicles on a village building.
This is a scene in Silver Star Provincial Park, which surrounds the ski resort.
Snow covered trees in the hills near Salmon Arm.
These two images I made in Kalamalka Provincial Park on a hike on a trail to Rattlesnake Point, which overlooks Kalamalka Lake. This park is just across the street from the home where we are staying.
These two views of Kalamalka Lake are on the opposite side of the lake from our place.
On this drive, we counted more than sixty swans along Otter Creek Road, in North Okanagan.
This pair of Bald eagles is nesting in these trees along the shore of Kalamalka Lake close to our place. We have seen them flying by on numerous occasions this winter.
Ontario Day 2018
Friday was our annual Ontario Day at Silver Star Mountain Resort. On a cold day, as it began snowing (a good omen at a ski resort), the participants gathered at the top of the Comet chair for the mass ski-down to Renegade Ridge.
The Ontario Ski Buddies stopped here at Renegade Ridge to pay tribute to members of our group who have passed.
Then the assembled skiers skied down to the Comet lift, and from the summit skied to the village for lunch, gift draws, and sing-along at The Red Antler.
Thanks go to the organizers, prize donors, and all participants. And then back to the slopes..............
February 20 - Armstrong
We've had some very cold days lately - too cold for enjoyable skiing.
So today we took the opportunity to do some exploring in the North Okanagan. We drove north along the Otter Lake Road where the valley is quite broad. This largely farming and ranching area is known as Spallumcheen.
I often find dilapidated buildings are interesting to photograph. Why is that? Perhaps it's the mystery about their history and why they have been neglected.
We have often spotted Trumpeter swans in this part of the valley, wherever they find open water.
Armstrong is a small town in a picturesque setting of the North Okanagan just north of Spallumcheen.
Here is your typical small town general store. Note the spellings on the "General Store" sign.
As we explored the town, we discovered unique and enticing shops. Among them was a nice sandwich shop which was really a bakery. We could not walk out of it without a couple bags (small ones) of goodies. From there we were directed up the street to The Wild Oak Cafe.
We could not resist splitting a freshly made sandwich and with our lattes. This place is now on our to-go-to list. We will definitely be returning to The Wild Oak Cafe. And is there a better way to top off the visit than with some fantastic chocolates, and not just ordinary chocolates, but Swiss chocolates?
Just west of Armstrong, along the road through another rural area, we saw these whimsical examples of folk art erected on poles.
Along another country road just out of Armstrong, we found six Bald eagles resting in the trees. This is a photo of one of them.
Now back to skiing and wine!
February 7 - Okanagan Valley
It has been more than three weeks ago that we arrived in Vernon, in the North Okanagan Valley.
This has been a winter with a lot of snow. This is not the norm here in town, but it has made for fantastic skiing conditions on Silver Star Mountain.
A winter look in an orchard in Osoyoos, at the southern part of the Okanagan Valley in British Columbia.
In the hills immediately south of Vernon.
Though the Okanagan is known for its orchards and vineyards, ranching brought in the original settlers. There are still some ranches operating.
This is a street in Vernon after one of the recent snowfalls.
The main street of Vernon.
This is the week of the annual Vernon Winter Carnival. It kicked off with a parade last Saturday. Here are a few faces from that parade.
