Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Glacier Walking

One of the highlights of our trip was a walk on Columbia Icefield's Athabasca Glacier which is located between Banff and Jasper in Alberta, Canada.

Here are two pictures of the glacier as you slowly approach it. Click on the second photo. Those small dots are people and the rectangles are the special vehicles for traveling on the glacier. They are called all-terrain Ice Explorers.



Here is a close-up of an all-terrain Ice Explorer


This is the road we traveled on in the all-terrain Ice Explorer. Be sure to click on this photo also. The road was very steep!!!!


We spent about 20 minutes walking on the glacier. This is a photo of looking up at the glacier from its base.


A close-up.


Closer!


Even Closer!


And finally, a close-up of the melt water!


P. S. Some of the photos I took and some DH took.

Saturday, September 5, 2009

Canadian Rockies

In August we spent about 8 days in the Canadian Rockies. Unfortunately, I came home with a terrible cold, so I took it easy for over a week.

I am back to my routine of working in the studio, teaching, and walking 12 miles/week.

Our trip to the Canada was beautiful. We spent two nights in Waterton Lakes National Park on the border of the US. In 1932, this park along with Glacier National Park in the US were combined to form the Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park, a celebration of the friendship between Canada and the United States. Below are pictures of Waterton lake and the town. The lake is feed by glaciers which make the water such beautiful colors.

This is the view from the town. The wind comes flying into the valley causing whitecaps on the lake.


This waterfall feeds into Waterton lake.

In the town of Watertown, we saw many deer, which just roam around the streets, sitting on people's lawns and eating their flowers.