An Alberta PhotoJournal

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We've been home for a week now, but I'd realized that I had so many pictures to share from our recent trip to Alberta that it would require its own blog post, so here it is! It had been ten years since our last visit to Alberta, so this was a long-anticipated chance to see family, to reconnect with friends from way back, and to be reminded again of some of the highlights of the area I grew up in and where we spent the first few years of our marriage.

The beginning and the end of our week we enjoyed beautiful fall weather―bright blue skies and not too cold or windy. Classic "crisp" fall days. We took advantage of those days by going for walks in a couple of parks close to where my parents now live . . .

This Airdrie city park had a walkway around a small lake where there were plenty of water birds. Not all that unusual, but they weren't all Mallards and Canada Geese. We were pretty sure we spotted wood ducks, confidently identified American Wigeons, and we thought we saw (and heard) Common Loons. I finally got a decent enough photo of a pair that we originally thought we loons, but once I zoomed in on my photo, I decided they were actually Hooded Mergansers. A couple of nice additions to my "Life List" of birds using my Merlin app! (My husband pointed out awhile ago that the Merlin and Audubon bird identification apps are really like Pokemon Go for older adults - gotta spot 'em all! - and he's not wrong!) 

Another day we took advantage of the lovely weather to visit Big Hill Springs Provincial Park and do a bit of easy hiking. My sister and niece were free to join us that day as well.

We went into Cochrane for a coffee break afterwards, and the view towards the west was a wonderful preview for our next day, when we got yet another practically perfect day as far as weather, and we spent the day at Banff National Park. 

Our first stop was the Lake Minnewanka and Two Jack Lake loop.

Next we drove up Mount Norquay. No skiing for us! But the view of the town of Banff from Norquay is so pretty.

We drove through town, and then out to the Cave and Basin. This is where three railway workers discovered thermal hot springs in 1883, and where the tourism draw of the area began. I don't know if I'd be interested in climbing down into a dark cave that smelled of sulphur, but they did it! And recognized the potential.

Eventually Canada's first National Park was established and people came to take in the hot springs. The first pool and hotel was built here. The pool closed sometime in the 1960s, and later on the building was restored, no longer as a pool, but now as a historical site.

You can walk up boardwalks above the building to see (and smell!) the springs, and there's also a nature boardwalk downhill from the building, where you can see birds and wildlife along with a beautiful view of the lake and mountains. And yes, I did a little birdwatching here too, getting some pretty decent photos of a belted kingfisher, and spotting a couple more waterbirds to add to my "Life List".

Another very popular place to visit and take photos in Banff is Bow Falls. It's just a short walk from downtown, and not very far from the iconic Banff Springs Hotel. Way back in the day, when we lived in Calgary, we used to go canoeing and put in here. (During the summer when it was hot, of course!)

Back into town for lunch! Most of Main Street is now closed to vehicle traffic, which makes sense from a tourism and town management viewpoint, but it makes it harder to decide where you want to eat since you can't do a driveby! We chose Canadian Brewhouse and I thought the view from the restaurant window was pretty nice!

And finally, it was time to head to the Upper Hot Springs to relax in the pool. 

We drove on the Tunnel Mountain Road out of town, which took us past the campgrounds where my family used to spend so many weekends when I was growing up, and past the resort where my husband and I stayed on our honeymoon! After a quick look at this view of the river and the hoodoos, we were ready to head back to my parents' place for the evening.

My parents now live in Airdrie, but we used to live in Calgary. We didn't spend much time in the city at all, but on the day we went to meet my brother for coffee, we drove around a bit to see how things have changed and what's stayed the same. We drove by the house where I grew up, my high school, and the church where we attended. The house is quite changed, and the church building now belongs to a Korean congregation. We also drove past the house where my husband and I lived, and past the greenhouse where he worked. Calgary Tower used to be the tallest building in the downtown, but now is surrounded by much taller skyscrapers. Those stone lions on the Centre Street Bridge are still there, and looking good!

And prairie views may not be as iconic as the mountain views, but I think they are beautiful.

I also made sure I got some photos of a bird I like―the magpie. I'm pretty sure magpies are a western bird, and although I like them (and I like crows too, which is weird, I know) I was reminded that most people are quite annoyed by them and their aggressive scavenger ways! They are very smart birds, apparently, and I think they are pretty. So there. This particular magpie might not have been among the best and brightest of the species, because right after I took this photo, he attempted to fly up onto the eaves of the building and made an epic misjudgement, hitting his head with an audible thunk! Doh! We laughed. Mr Magpie was okay, but probably embarrassed.

 

The main reason for our visit―or at least for the timing of our visit―was to join my siblings in celebrating our parents' 60th wedding anniversary! So here are a few family fun photos from the occasion.

The eating/drinking something action shot is a long-standing family tradition!

Thanks for joining me on this tour! Hope you enjoyed it, and maybe even learned something. Have you been to Calgary or to Banff? Leave a comment and let me know when and where, or which of these places you'd like to visit!

See my related posts: A Canadian Rockies PhotoJournal, Part One and A Southern Alberta PhotoJournal

A version of this post will also appear on A Fresh Cup of Coffee.

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