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