Thursday, September 20, 2012

Rivers (and rocks)

On a recent vacation, my husband and I traveled to 4 of Canada's National Parks in the Rocky Mountains--Kootenay, Yoho, Banff, and Jasper.

Bow River


Driving the Icefields Parkway in Northern Banff and Jasper, the scenery is gorgeous.  The valleys are surrounded by mountains.  Rivers and lakes abound.



The above 2 photos are of Bow River north of Lake Louise in Banff.  The Bow River begins as meltwater from the Bow Glacier on Mount Gordon on the Continental Divide.  Its waters eventually end up in Hudson Bay.  The river was so named because the Cree Indians made bows from the douglas fir trees that grew along its banks.


 Kicking Horse River
view of Kicking Horse River in Yoho National Park
The water was milky gray seafoam-bluish-green.  Can you picture that?  milky silver with undertones of very light blue-green.



This is a view of the Natural Bridge, a formation that spans the flow of the river west of the town of Field.  This bridge was sculpted by the erosive forces of water rushing over what had once been a waterfall.  The harder limestone has remained while the softer rock below eroded more rapidly.



another view of the Natural Bridge with people for some perspective.



The sand on this small beach of the Kicking Horse River is gray.  (This is the same view as the first Kicking Horse River photo above.  Here I've climbed down onto the beach which is in the foreground.)



Nearby is the stunning Emerald Lake.  
How could we resist enjoying dinner with this magnificent view?! (@ Cilantro)



I'm linking up with my favorite teacher, Ms Jenny Matlock, as we work our way through the alphabet.  Please do go visit the other students, for you never know what gems you may find--humor, poignancy, information, visions of far away places, stuff you've never even dreamed of!  Check it out HERE.  You may even wish to join in yourself!  This week our letter is "R." 

PS:  These photos are straight-out-of-the camera.  There is a bit of a haze in the first couple photos for 2 reasons--the lighting in the sky and the fact there was a fire not so far away sending smoke everywhere.

photos by me © 2012 all rights reserved

23 comments:

  1. Beautiful pics! Love the tree reflections in your Bow River shots and that gorgeous rushing water at Kicking Horse River.

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  2. amazing mountain view.

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  3. It's so gorgeous there! I can't imagine it in person but hopefully I'll see it one day!

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  4. Your first photo looks like a painting...it's truly stunning!
    And the last photo is pretty good too...pass the wine :)

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  5. Margaret, as you know, Rod is Canadian by birth, and we have family in Alberta and BC. We have visited all those wonderful places over the years. What a great "R" post you have given us!!

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  6. Oh this R post ROCKS! I love the gorgeous photos! I hope to visit one day because the scenery is so welcoming! Thanks for the share!

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  7. That is the perfect view for a romantic dinner!!

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  8. Wow, the rivers are gorgeous. And your dinner view-- envious here! :)

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  9. Oh so beautiful! Love the running water. And what a view! I need to go to Canada - on my bucket list! {:-D

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  10. Oh man what an amazing scene! Gosh...you all are so lucky to have gone!

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  11. Gorgeous! I love the last picture! Want to be there now!

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  12. Just beautiful! I can't get over how turquoise the water is in some of those photos.

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  13. Rivers and rocks are two of my favourite things! Beautiful pics! ~ Maureen

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  14. So many gorgeous photos! That river is stunning.

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  15. Stunning photos of nature! I love all your reflection shots..

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  16. Love love love the river!

    Makes me want to go to Canada, right now...

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  17. Fantastic photography of beautiful country ~ Wow! ~ (A Creative Harbor

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  18. So gorgeous that it looks like a film set!

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  19. Beautiful photos! Wow! The rivers are gorgeous!

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  20. These pictures are magnificent. There is nothing more awesome than nature's beauty! Lucky you to have been here.

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  21. These are beautiful pictures. I hope that I could visit these parks one day !

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  22. What a ridiculously magnificent view!

    And olives, too!

    Wow.

    I would have really enjoyed this trip! It would be fun to be shivery cold!

    Thanks for linking.

    A+

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Your comments make my day! Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts!