From the Passenger Seat

Despite my best efforts to hint without pushing, Sal likes to take pictures vertically. Here is a selection of pictures from her perspective.

Swinging at the Red Park

Desert @ Cleaver

Cullen's grad

sorry AJ, no peeking

Bubble blowing

Grade 1 math

Icefields Parkway

Looking for that shot

Peyto Lake

Icefields Parkway

Icefields Parkway

Gaucho Brazilian

Coast Hotel flowers 

Bighorns in Kananaskis

Post bath time

Approaching Moraine Lake

Peyto Lake Story

Winter snows fall and over many years form a hanging glacier, Peyto Glacier.
During the summer, the snow and the glacier partially melt into Peyto Creek.

As the glacier moves over the rock of the mountain it scrapes the rock creating fine sediment known as rock flour.  Melt water heavy with rock flour flows across the silt plain and into Peyto Lake.

Rock flour suspended in the water of the lake reflects sunlight creating the turquoise colour. The turquoise colour attracts millions of people that just have to climb into any wide angle picture of the lake.

Indian Paintbrush (Castilleja)

I remember many things from the summer road trips we used to go on as kids. My memory of Moraine Lake was one of the driving forces that had me standing on the rockpile some 40 years later. Less significant memories are still rattling around in my head.

The Indian Paintbrush, pictured below, is found lining the shoulders of the mountain highways. The bright colour draws my eye, always has. When numerous plants are lined up the edge of the road looks to be lined in red. I remember noticing these plants from the back seat of the family car.

A quick google search provides interesting details. The roots actually invade other nearby green plant roots and steal nutrients. It is the state flower of Wyoming. The colourful part of the plant is not the flower, they are nearly invisible and edible. Also known as prairie fire, desert paintbrush and painted cup. The common name originated from the use of the plant as a paint brush by several native tribes. There are 200 species of the Castilleja growing from Alaska to the Andes.

more info on Wikipedia

Avalanche on Icefields Parkway

Much like the signs warning drivers of wildlife on the road, highways in this area have signage warning that this is avalanche country. In both cases the last place you expect to see a moose is where the sign warns you to be vigilant. With our bighorn sightings that occurred within the warning zone every time and then this scene, I'm beginning to believe.

This was just a few km up the Icefields Parkway. We passed it on the way in and I marked the location. On our return I pulled over and took a few shots. I did some research and found that this was supposed to be a controlled avalanche. Two American snow-shoers were killed in another avalanche close to this spot below Mount Hector.

Here is the CBC article I found date May 05, 2017:

More than 24 hours after an attempt to trigger a controlled avalanche brought down more snow than intended and buried part of the Icefields Parkway near Lake Louise, there's still no sign of when the section of road will be re-opened.

"We have road crews in there with heavy road machinery," Parks Canada spokesperson Tania Peters told CBC News Friday.

"We're working to clear out that debris. There is a large volume of it. It's going to take them some time," Peters explained.

The Icefields Parkway, which is a section of Highway 93 North, is blocked between Lake Louise and the Saskatchewan River Crossing. The snow debris is 15 metres deep and covers 100 metres of road, Peters said.

Crews triggered the initial avalanche as part of their seasonal risk reduction efforts, but it brought down more snow than intended.

"Routine avalanche control work on the Icefields Parkway yesterday

[Thursday] evening produced a larger result than expected from Mt. Hector," according to a statement on the Banff National Park Facebook page.

Park officials immediately closed Highway 93 north between the Trans-Canada Highway and Highway 11 after the avalanche was triggered.

At the time, officials expected the route to be closed for at least 24 hours.

Avalanche technicians and road crews remained on-scene Thursday night. 

Pictures posted with the article 

I could hear melt water rushing about 100 feet below the road. Notice the guard rail that was destroyed for about 125 feet. The 8 x 8 posts were snapped clean at the ground as were trees pictured.  Another article reported that last winter was the worst avalanche cycle in more than 25 years.

Pictures I took of the scene.

twisted guard rail

looking up the path of the avalanche

looking down the steep hill below the highway