Canada, Autumn 2011 — with Carol & John

30 September 2011 Kirsten Osa

In September 2011, John and I had the pleasure of accompanying Carol on a memorable journey through Alberta, revisiting some of the places she had explored on earlier trips with her friend, Jean Craven. (Click any image to see full size.)

Our first stop was the Alberta Institute for Wildlife Conservation (AIWC) at Madden, where we stayed with Dianne Wittner, the founder of the centre and a close friend of Jean. Dianne was an incredibly generous host, showing us around the area and sharing some of the places that held special memories.

Madden

One of the places she took us was the dramatic Badlands and the excellent Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology in Drumheller. We also had an early morning excursion to look for Moose and visited Francis Field, where Jean had once had a cabin. Carol, John and I also spent a day at Canmore, a lovely mountain town where Jean had lived.

The Badlands — Drumheller

Canmore

On the morning of our last day, we had a guided tour of the AIWC hospital. Afterwards, we set off for Nakoda Lakeside Lodge, operated by the Stoney Nakoda First Nation, where we enjoyed a delicious Sunday lunch in a beautiful lakeside setting.

Nakoda Lakeside Lodge

After lunch we said our goodbyes to Dianne and headed north-west to stay at Aurum Lodge, an eco-friendly guest house near the Cline River, just off Route 11. It made a perfect base for exploring the Rockies.

Aurum Lodge

Our first outing from Aurum took us to Peyto Lake, Lake Louise, and Yoho National Park, with a stop at Saskatchewan River Crossing along the way.

Peyto Lake

Golden-mantled Ground Squirrel (*Callospermophilus lateralis*)

Lake Louise

Takakkaw Falls — Yoho National Park

Saskatchewan River Crossing

The following day, we drove north into Jasper National Park, stopping first at the Columbia Icefield and later at Athabasca Falls, with its thundering cascade and the long, winding staircase cut through a narrow canyon.

The Columbia Ice Field — Athabasca Glacier

Barn Swollows at the Athabasca Glacier Centre

Castilleja miniata — Barn Swollows at the Athabasca Glacier Centre

Athabasca Falls — Jasper National Park

The next morning, we left early for Banff, where we spent the day exploring, taking the gondola up Sulphur Mountain. The views from the summit were stunning, and from the platform I even spotted a tiny pika on the rocks far below. We stopped off at The Lodge at Bow Lake for dinner.

Banff — Sulphur Mountain

Bow Lake — Banff National Park

On our way south the following morning, we came across a “bear jam” on Route 93, with cars pulled over to watch a bear by the roadside.

American Black bear (Ursus americanus) — Black Bear (*Ursa americanus*)

Our final stop was a small guest house just south of Calgary. From there, we visited the fascinating Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and then continued on to Waterton Lake.