Fabulous Fall.. being aware

I am very aware of how long it's taken me to post something new here, or even finish posting about my trip west, however there are two things in the way; one of them  being that it is fall and it is my favourite time of year to get outside and take shots, the second being that my Dad has been sick and I've been so caught up in family and work that I haven't been spending much time on my self. I am also aware that when I do this (as it's happened in the past) I sometimes feel consumed by the energies of worry, negativity, doubt etc. I look to all of the strong things in my life when this occurs i.e. job, loved ones, freedom, and I remember how important it is to be grateful for how I've got to where I am and where it is that I want to go, all the people who have helped me along the way. I can honestly say that when things are happening in you life, the good, the bad, the happy and the sad, there are always people there for you, people who will relate to you, people who will fill your days with joy. I am quite terrified of what could happen with my Dad, I truly am, do I let that show everyday, no, am I thankful for everyday I have with people I hold close to my heart, yes.

Enough of the sap. For all of those who know where I'm at, I feel you too. Why does the heart grow so heavy? As if the worry isn't causing our brains enough trouble, the heart has, has, has to feel it too.

So!

Let's sum up the rest of my trip west so I can move on =) (this is going to involve posting more photos and letting them speak for themselves!). After day three we packed up the next morning, headed to Jasper. This day was full of shots of the mountains due to the drive, we stopped at the columbia icefields, peyto lake, athabasca falls and then hit Jasper. We had a wilderness tour in the evening. When we arrived at the campground (Whistler's) the park attendant working at the station bluntly noted that we should sleep in the truck if we plan on camping there, that they quite frequently have bears roaming the park on a daily/nightly basis because at this time of year the bears head north. So... if that wasn't enough to suggest that camping there in a softshell tent hoping there was not a scent of food on the truck or in the cab was not a great idea, I don't know what was. Jacq quickly offered to pay for a hotel room for the night, and I quickly obliged. We bartered a room at one of the hotels and managed to get a 15% discount. Good enough. The wilderness tour was somewhat worth the money we paid ($58/2 people) the tour guy told us where to go and what times the animals were active (dusk/dawn) so we ventured out in the tour bus, which was a bit crammed, and observed the animals. We saw an osprey, elk, big horn sheep and, deer. It was somewhat eventful, however the next day (our last day in the mountains) was much more eventful. We went to Maligne Lake, and hiked Bald Hills and ran into a bear on the way in, as well as mama bear with her cubs 25feet in front of us on the trail on the way out. It was alarming to say the least, I don't remember the last time my knees shook so bad... actually I retract that, the last time I was that nervous and trying to hide it was when I did my speech at my brothers funeral, that's how nerve racking running into a bear that close is when she has her cubs and she's walking towards you. I will give props to my cousin for her efforts in getting me to "face the bear" LOL, I will never for the life of me forget that moment.

So below are some shots from the rest of the days in the mountains, enjoy!

Emerald Lake Pt. 2 - Long and overdue

So sorry for flaking out on these posts. I haven't had time since I've been back to actually write, spent last week in Penetanguishene, ON for a job (I know, the luxury!).

Continuing on, Day 2 in the rockies. I left off at Emerald lake, and some of the shots from the hike around the lake. Still, probably my favourite "scenic" days of all. We also canoed around the lake - here is a pic of Jacq with her canoe club skills :)





On the way back from Emerald lake we stopped at Takkakaw Falls, we had to climb this ridiculous road/mountain on the way in the truck, it was literally terrifying! The road zig-zagged up the mountain and it was full of hair-pin turns (So tragic) I think it would be super fun in a mini, but not in a big truck, you feel so high off of the ground. Truth be told, I may have discovered a little fear of hights during this drive that I never knew about. Kudos to Jacq for driving it, I would have parked and walked it - LOL. Below are some of the shots from that portion of the day.


Tunnel in the mountain along river



Takakkaw Falls



Takakkaw Falls



Bridge you walk across to get to the falls.



Crazy drive up the mountain!

After our adventure to the falls, we drove back to Lake Louise campground and set up our camp, it was spitting a little bit so we quickly put the tent up (tried to smash the pegs in but it was more rock than the first camp ground so they went half-way - LOL). I chopped a bit of the wood for later or the next night as we were staying at this camp ground for two nights. We sat back for a bit under the tent's fly that pulled out from the door, had a Twisted Tea and planned out our next move. Jacq was much happier because this campground was fenced in, no bears getting in! We regrouped, got our bags together for a nice hot shower, got dressed up and went for an amazing meal at the Emerald Lake Lodge. There was a wedding reception at the cafe (next to the lodge), so they had nice flower baskets hanging. Here are some shots of our amazing meal, some canoers on the lake and the river we crossed to get to our campsite.

At reception when you walked in to Lodge (beautiful!)

 

My Appetizer -Roasted King Scallop, Cucumber, Fennel, Citrus & Watercress Salad

 

               Jacq's -  Heirloom Tomato, Warm Goat Cheese Tart, Arugula & Basil, Olive Oil, Aged Balsamic



Jacq's main -

       Grilled Beef Tenderloin, Roasted Shallot Potato Mash,Charred Spring Onion, Morel Mushroom Veal Sauce



Mine -

                       Seared Northern Caribou, Sweet Potato Goat Cheese Terrine,Summer Fruit Game Glaze

Bow River - running along our campground at Lake Louise

As you can imagine, this was a full day for us. LOL - so after our grand meal we crashed. We rose early for white-water rafting in Golden, BC - Stay tuned.... :)