Random shots from Alberta, Canada.

Our recent holiday in the Canadian Rockies gave me plenty of opportunities to play with my new camera.

Rather than bore you all rigid with endless photos of mountains, lakes and and magnificent vistas, I thought I'd post a few of the more unusual pictures I took during our travels.

On the day we arrived, the city of Calgary was hit by a violent hailstorm, which covered the ground with several inches of hail within minutes and was accompanied by some very strong and gusty winds. This was the scene in Prince's Island Park in the city centre next morning.


More storms arrived next day, this photo shows a funnel cloud developing near Heritage Park in Calgary, an interesting 'living museum' showing much of the history of the area from the time of the early settlers to the present day.


This is the McDougall Memorial Church just off the highway between Calgary and Banff. Built in 1875, it is reputed to be the oldest building in Alberta and it stands in splendid isolation within a landscape of rolling prairie grassland and hills. A very atmospheric place.


Just outside Banff, we discovered the site of Bankhead, an old mining town which was abandoned in 1922. All that remains now are the shells of a few old buildings and a section of the railway tracks which were used to haul coal from the mines. An old locomotive and some coal carts can still be seen on this piece of track.
For those of you who like detail, this is a No. 101 KH Porter Compressed Air Locomotive, built in 1901.




A panorama shot taken from Mt Norquay, overlooking the town of Banff.


One of the many Ravens we saw during our stay. An inquisitive, intelligent bird, the sound of their calling to each other in the trees and mountains became the 'soundtrack' to our trip.


Willowherb is a very common wildflower in the area. It can be found growing almost anywhere and provides an extra splash of colour in all sorts of locations.


Potentilla, which we would regard as a garden plant in the UK, grows in abundance in the wild here, often to quite high elevations, and brightens up the landscape with splashes of yellow.


The opportunity for this shot presented itself as we crossed the car park at the Icefield Discovery Centre near Jasper. It shows part of the Columbia Icefield, which feeds eight major glaciers.


This photo shows a small section of burnt forest on the road to Maligne Lake, near Jasper. The area had recently seen significant forest fires, started by lightning.



The one time we didn't mind getting stuck in a traffic jam! The Icefields Parkway between Lake Louise and Jasper is rated as one of the world's great scenic drives, and as we travelled back to Calgary on the last day of our trip, resurfacing work was in progress. If you're going to be sitting in a queue for 10 minutes, this is as good a place as any, so we just switched off the engine, sat back and enjoyed the views.

 

Smashing shots Trunk

 

Great pics @Trunky I was there in Edmonton/Jasper the last 2 weeks in July and saw some impressive thunder storm too.

 

Fantastic photos Trunky especially of Calgary as we have been to Calagary on the Isle of Mull in Scotland where I believe the ships sailed from and Calgary when they had the land clearances and Calagray in Canada is named after that place when they landed.

I shall never get to visit these places so lovely to see the sites and culture through others eyes

 

Lovely pictures Trunky.

My daughter will be working in Calgary for a couple of weeks soon.

 

Lovely pictures

 

Keep them coming, you won't bore us rigid!.

 

It's a fine city @Sheal, I'm sure she will love it.

Our impression was that the Calgarians have a great sense of civic pride. The streets are clean, with no litter to be seen (imagine that!), the people are friendly and helpful and there are many fine parks and public open spaces, with various sculptures and pieces of artwork to be seen.

Here are a few of the photos we took during our stay, which hopefully give a flavour of the city.

The atrium of the Suncor building, which also contains an indoor tropical 'park' known as the Devonian Gardens.


Some of the many and varied pieces of artwork and sculpture dotted around the city's open spaces.








Evening rush hour in Calgary.


The Bow River runs through the centre of the city. Prince's Island Park sits on an island in the river within a couple of minutes walk from the city centre and is only open to pedestrians and cyclists, providing a peaceful, green haven.




The city skyline, seen from various vantage points.

From the viewing deck of Calgary Tower, at a height of 525ft.


A panoramic shot from Edge Hill Park, just across the Bow River, 10 minutes walk from the city centre.


From Nose Hill Park, about 15 minutes drive from the city centre.

 

Thank you Trunky, a lovely balance of pictures to give us a glimpse of Calgary.

 

Some great shots. I have visited the East of Canada but not the West. One day!

 

thank you I really enjoyed that..