Just Darn Pretty Stuff ~or~ Stuff that Takes My Breath Away (Uh-Huh… Rockies)

This will probably be the last of my Rockies blogs, unless there’s a public outcry demanding more… Hahaha. For somebody without a job, my to-do list is growing. Most of my projects involve pictures. For example, my grandson pointed out yesterday how our walls are painfully bare of pictures of his little sister (his self-proclaimed best friend, awwwww). I have a beautiful 72-picture photo album from Jasper (72 of my best pictures? How do narrow that down from 3700+??? I could do 72 pix just of Pyramid Lake!). I have a huge family project, a couple of calendars, maybe some scrapbooking, AND we leave in eight days for our last trip of the summer, a quickie to the Sunshine Coast.

Seriously, if anybody knows of a way to get paid to travel all around and take lots of pictures, let me know! I’ve been “volunteering” at this all summer!

Even though I already wrote a “highlights” blog, it left out a lot of really pretty stuff, most of it totally accessible to the general public. 

So, go get a cup of coffee, and maybe some popcorn or trail mix (in our honour, but not too much if you’re dieting…), put a couple more cushions on your chair, and enjoy the Rockies through our lenses.

As you know by now, Pyramid Lake pretty much tops my list. I am absolutely enchanted with Pyramid Mountain and the lake that bares its name. (8.06.09)

Alpenglow on Mt Edith Cavell from the property of Becker’s Chalets (where we stayed) (8.6.09)

Looking the other direction at Mt Tekarra (I think) (8.6.09)

You knew these were coming! First, Patricia Lake at 6:55 a.m. Who needs moons and mountains when there are colourful boats?? (Uh, I do! I do!!) (8.7.09)

And, of course, Pyramid Lake at 8:05. (Are you sick of this picture yet? Me, neither!)

Imagine what this would look like on a sunny, blue-sky day! Maligne Lake at the unphotographed Spirit Island viewpoint (8.8.09)

Maligne Lake on another day, after the Bald Hills hike. We were in a downpour; this mountain was not. (8.12.09)

  Wearing a fresh dusting of snow, Mt Kerkeslin along the Athabasca River the same August (!) evening, from Becker’s (8.12.09).

I made Rich pull over so I could shoot this panorama at the Columbia Icefields on our commute day to Banff. (8.13.09)

This was just a better day to visit the Athabasca Glacier! (8.13.09)

We took so many beautiful pictures of Bow Lake, it was hard to pick the one to share, but this truly took my breath away! (8.13.09)

Lake Minnewanka sounds like a horror movie summer camp, but it was all sunshine the day we were there. (8.15.09)

I just had to slip this one in. Of all the places around Banff to shoot my wedding photos, Johnson Lake doesn’t top my list, but these two must love it. I was very underdressed for the event! (8.15.09)

Castle Mountain and the Eisenhower Peak shine in the afternoon sun (8.16.09)

You know, there’s probably a good reason that the popular tourist spots are where they are. Lake Louise at 8:25 a.m., before the parking lot filled up, but after the small first tour bus arrived. Yup. Breathtaking. Taken darn-near the paved shoreline path. (8.17.09)

Lake Agnes, from the Teahouse (8.17.09)

Looking back at the Lake Agnes Teahouse (8.17.09)

 Moraine Lake has stolen my breath both time I’ve seen it, both cloudy, windy times. (8.18.09)

Emerald Lake, Yoho National Park, on the way home. (8.20.09)

Now this just takes my breath away!

We took over 3,700 pictures, and saw some absolutely amazing things. It seems that every step we took, we kept uttering, “Wow!” and “Man, oh man!” For whatever reason, mostly light, the pictures just don’t convey the spectacular, jaw-dropping beauty of many of the places we went. These aren’t the only “good” pictures we took, but they represent the best photographs (not necessarily the most beautiful places, altho they are all beautiful, no?).

If you want more information about anything you’ve seen on Nancy-Girl’s Journey just leave a comment (it’s easier to sign on as “Anonymous” if you don’t have a blogger ID. Just sign your comment, if you choose, so I know who you are). What the heck, leave me comments even if you don’t have a question. I love to hear from you!

A week from tomorrow, we leave to start our last trip of the summer. We’re going down to Redmond to pick up some old friends to bring them back to Canada to explore the Sunshine Coast with us. We will be visiting places we’ve been before, so I’m not sure if we’ll be taking a break from photography, but we’ll see. We’re pretty much playing tour guides on this trip, so I’m not expecting much blogging activity. Again, we’ll see.

But, unless otherwise requested, this is the last Rockies blog. The real world must take over now. This has been fun. Stay tuned for more adventures!On the Tunnel Mountain trail, above Banff, 8.15.09