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July 2025

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Lake Louise

July 25, 2025 in Flotsam and Jetsam, Photos | Permalink

Canada is a huge country which contains, arguably, more than its fair share of natural beauty. The Girl and I frequently  find ourselves overwhelmed by its ravishing gorgeousness – and that is just here on Vancouver Island. Should one explore further afield within in the province –  or, indeed, venture into the great expanse of the nation beyond – one finds one’s breath taken away on a regular basis.

There are some parts of the country, however, that go beyond any glories that I have thus far experienced. Lake Louise – in the Banff National Park – is one such area of staggeringly dramatic beauty! So epic is it that I should at once stop trying to capture its perfection in words – and just let the gentle reader goggle at the images.

Without further ado…

Photo by Andy Dawson ReidPhoto by Andy Dawson ReidPhoto by Andy Dawson ReidPhoto by Andy Dawson ReidPhoto by Andy Dawson ReidPhoto by Andy Dawson ReidPhoto by Andy Dawson ReidPhoto by Andy Dawson ReidThe colour of the waters of the lake seem almost unreal. All of the glacier-fed lakes in the area have similar distinctive hues – a result of the particles trapped in the ice which remains in suspension once the ice has melted.

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Johnston Canyon

July 20, 2025 in Flotsam and Jetsam, Photos | Permalink

There is much to see in the Banff and Jasper National Parks. Aside from Banff itself one would probably wish to devote some time at least to the following: Johnston Canyon, the Lake Louise Gondola, Lake Louise itself, Moraine Lake, the Icefields Parkway, the Athabasca Falls and Jasper.

On our recent trip to the Rockies The Girl and I had three days in Banff and one in Jasper and we aimed to cover as much of this as was feasible. Naturally The Girl came up with the smart solution. ‘Hop On Banff‘ operate a clever schedule with a couple of old yellow school buses which enables one to choose which sights one wishes to see and in which sequence. As you might expect – given The Girl’s involvement – this all went very well.

This first batch of images takes as its subject the Johnston Canyon.

Photo by Andy Dawson ReidPhoto by Andy Dawson ReidPhoto by Andy Dawson ReidPhoto by Andy Dawson ReidPhoto by Andy Dawson ReidI was most taken with the elevated walkways which extend more than a kilometre and a half up to the lower falls. As can be seen from the photos the engineering feat that enables one to walk through the heart of the canyon – above the raging torrent – is most impressive. Construction must have been a spectacularly difficult task, but now results in an easy stroll practically through the heart of the rapids.

Photo by Andy Dawson ReidPhoto by Andy Dawson ReidBeing out in the heart of nature we were – naturally – seeking wildlife. Armed with bear-spray and a little learning (dangerous!) we were on the lookout for eagles, ravens, moose and bears!

Not a one! Plenty of these cheeky little chaps, though.

Photo by Andy Dawson ReidNo – not a chipmunk (though quite similar in appearance). This chap is a ground squirrel – and there are gazillions of them in the mountains.

Bold as brass, too!

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Banff

July 13, 2025 in Flotsam and Jetsam, Photos | Permalink

As trailed in my last post The Girl and I recently returned from our splendid adventure in the Rocky Mountains, the which also featured (as part of the full supporting program) exploration of some much loved parts of Vancouver Island. As promised in that post am now in a position to offer the gentle reader, over these next few weeks, a selection of images from that trip.

Having flown to Calgary and transferred by bus, we kicked off our tour in Banff – whence came these initial images:

Photo by Andy Dawson ReidPhoto by Andy Dawson ReidPhoto by Andy Dawson ReidPhoto by Andy Dawson ReidPhoto by Andy Dawson ReidAs expected, Banff was dramatic and striking. What I had not anticipated was that it would also be as crowded as it was.The fact that the G7 summit was to take place in the environs the week after our visit went some way to explaining the crowds – as did the huge media conference in progress at the iconic Banff Springs Hotel.

Photo by Andy Dawson ReidThe town’s restaurants and bars thronged each night with media executives frantically hawking their wares to each other. Leaving such matters to the gentle reader’s imagination I will head rapidly for the tranquility of the surrounding national parks.

Before I move on, however, a quick shout out to the exquisite Beaujolais Boutique B&B at Thea’s House.

Photo by Andy Dawson ReidThis was one of The Girl’s finds – naturally – and she will certainly be doing a full review of it later which I may well feature on this forum. We cannot praise them enough for the lengths to which they went to ensure that our trip started well.

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Time and space

July 3, 2025 in Flotsam and Jetsam | Permalink

Photo by Andy Dawson Reid“Many a trip continues long after movement in time and space have ceased”.

John Steinbeck

Back at the top of the year, in my customary “What are we planning for the new year?” posting, I wrote – amongst other things:

“We are hoping to host some friends this year – which is always fun when it also turns into a holiday for us”

I am delighted to report that – following a considerable period of discussion and an even more extended phase of planning – the visit has duly taken place and did – as posited above – turn into a holiday for the Girl and I just as much as it did for our guests. I think it is safe to say that we all had a great time.

In the course of our pre-visit discussions – the aim of which was to establish what might be seen, done and otherwise experienced in order that we all feel that the visit had been a success – we settled on the fact that – The Girl apart (who, naturally, has history of her own in such matters) – none of us had visited the awesome Rocky mountains and their surroundings from the Albertan perspective. We might have approached them from British Columbia – flown over them on our way to the coast and even gazed at then from afar from the environs of Calgary or Edmonton. We had not, however, traversed them  – and in particular we had not done so by train!

These – and other omissions – we set out to rectify on this excursion. The results of our endeavours may be measured by viewing subsequent posts in which I will share the photographic evidence of our meanderings.

 

 

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