Victoria, British Columbia

Me and Jenny, best of friends; so sad she is leaving today to join her friends in Washington. Thank you Jenny for your friendship, guidance, chocolate, patience and care for me during our short time together!
In Vancouver we boarded the ferry for Vancouver Island; a fun 90 minute journey across the Juan de Fuca Strait.
It was awesome to be on the open ocean and come into beautiful Vancouver Island. The scenery was outrageous!

We camped at China Beach, a wonderful forest campground right on the beach. In the morning I took the walk down the trail to the beach and had the early morning beach all to myself. If you look closely you can see my boots in the bottom of the picture. It has rained nearly every day in Canada and I wore these darn boots every single day!

So spacious, wild and rugged; my kind of place.

The bones of the sea; ancient driftwood lay strewn all over the beach, like a huge dinosaur graveyard.
The campground was like a rain forest; luscious fern, banana slugs, moss covered trees and spongy ground from years of compost.

Trail leading down to the beach; this is way too much fun!
The beach was filled with all my favorite things; sticks, feathers, shells, logs, driftwood and bits of flotsam and jetsam; whatever that may be. It was like a huge treasure house. In Victoria there is a wharf with entertainers, wood carvers, artisans and people of every shape, size and nationality. This fellow we called the white man, would stand there perfectly still until someone dropped money in his bucket. Then he would perform a mime act that was pretty darn amazing.

The city is filled with wonderful things like this horse and carriage ride. However it was $50.00 for 15 minutes, so we decided to walk, and walk we did. For hours and hours we roamed the city, drinking coffee, window shopping, talking to the street people and eating delicious salmon chowder and salad at an Irish Pub.

How can a city be this pretty? A lot of the buildings are huge and centuries old made out of brick and covered in ivy.

The famous One Man Band; he did it all. I saw him when I was in Victoria five years ago, and he is still here, doing the same songs, playing the guitar, bass, Dobro, harmonica and drums all at the same time. A little strange, but hey you gotta make a living somehow.

Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada

For the last week or so, me and my friend Jenny have been wandering around Banff and Jasper National Parks in Alberta Canada, camping in the rain, hiking on the trails and building huge fires in the campgrounds. Peyto Lake was one of the most beautiful lakes I have ever seen; so crystal blue.

“I gave my heart to the mountains the minute I stood beside this river with its spray in my face and watched it thunder into foam.” Walace Stegner

One misty morning in Banff I drove out to this meadow and took this picture.

Moul Falls is a gorgeous waterfall in Wells Gray Provincial Park. We hiked down to the base and stood in the mist; an exhilarating experience to say the least.
Wild, wonderful freedom.....
Standing in the mist I experienced intense joy that bubbled up from deep down inside and burst out in a whoop and a shout that could be heard throughout the canyon!
My dear friend Jenny; a wonderful woman married to a wonderful man. Jenny and Sully currently live in Hawaii but are in transition; uncomfortable but challenging.
Sweet smelling Canada Rose.

My favorite lake, Moraine Lake is a glacially-fed lake in Banff National Park that is not far from Lake Louise. It was exquisite walking to the end of the lake, exploring the lake shore and rock art along the way. You were right John, this is the prettiest lake!
The glacial lakes are such a pretty color of blue from the "glacier flour" which is ground up bits of rock and silt that enter the water and reflect the beautiful blue-green color.
That would be me at Peyto Lake, an absolutely gorgeous blue lake fed by glaciers. When I first saw the lake, I thought it was fake, but then the deep blue water, snow covered mountains and cloudy sky were all too real. There is no trail down to the lake, just forests; that didn't stop Jenny who was soon scrambling down the hill only to come upon a huge bear print. Needless to say she scrambled right back up!
One evening in Jasper National Park, we were desperate for a campground and while searching we passed the Snaring River. Reflections always fascinate me, so I stopped and took a few pictures. We arrived in Whistlers Campground, on National Aboriginal Day. The local aboriginal Mountain Cree were holding a celebration in the campground that I attended. This handsome young man is the main speaker at the event. It was so beautiful to watch the women in their colorful costumes swirl and twirl to the beat of drums.
Two of the male dancers, totally engrossed in the dance.

This woman reminded me of what Pocahontas would have looked like; pure beauty and grace.

On the way into Jasper I saw this black bear on the side of the road. Yes, we did stay in the car!

In Banff we took a hike up to Johnston Canyon Falls, a rushing, wild waterfall.

Beautiful spring flowers blooming in Jasper.

Crow Foot Glacier in the Columbia Icefields on the way to Jasper. Cold, crisp and exciting.
Beautiful ice cold lake on the way to the Icefields.
The views in the Icefields are so intense you cannot even comprehend what you are seeing.
" O Canada! Our home and native land! With glowing hearts we see thee rise, the True North strong and free! From far and wide, O Canada, we stand on guard for thee. God keep our land glorious and free! O Canada, we stand on guard for thee."

Lake Louise, an unbelievable beauty nestled in the mountains. Very crowded, very breathtaking, very impressive

Wildlife corridors are built over the highways to allow the animals safe passage. I had heard about them, but to see them was such a blessing. It is so exciting to see Canada value the natural resources and take care to protect them.
Right next to the Wildlife Corridor, I spotted two grizzly on the other side of the fence. The fence is built to keep the animals off the freeway after they cross over!
Self Portrait in Banff National Park! I am having fun with my tripod!

Glacier National Park, Montana

For the last week I have been camping at Glacier National Park; an outrageously beautiful place in Montana near the border of Alberta, Canada.
One afternoon I took the hike out to St. Mary Falls and found it to be one of the most breathtaking waterfalls I have ever seen.

Wildflowers were blooming, snow was in the mountains, Iceberg Lake was slushy and it rained for five days straight. I still got out and hiked but it was cold, wet and gray.
That would be me sitting in front of my campfire and trying out my new tripod and self timer! The campground at Many Glacier is awesome; filled with aspen, pine, rugged mountains and sits right on the river.
The last day, the weather cleared and I was able to snap this photo of the river right in front of my campsite.
One evening this baby moose and his mama walked right through the campground! Evenings tended to stretch on forever as it didn't get dark until almost 11:00 pm!
Signs are posted everywhere warning of the dangers of wild and crazy animals. I encountered quite a few of them during my stay.
While out on a hike up to Iceberg Lake, I came across two grizzlies foraging in the meadow below me. I did my bear prayers, snapped a couple pictures and hightailed it down the mountain.
These bad boys are big and dangerous; but at the same time terribly exciting. Why are we so attracted to the wild side?
Bighorn Sheep can be seen on the mountainside and occasionally walking through the parking lot at the Lodge!
The Many Glacier Hotel is a historic old building overlooking Swiftcurrent Lake. It was built between 1910 and 1915, and for a cougar, still looks good!
When it got too cold and wet outside, I stopped in at the Hotel and drank Lattes in front of the massive fireplace.
View of the Many Glacier Hotel from the hillside.

Meadows that stretched on forever and seemed to eventually blend in with the sky.

Deer were on nearly every trail I took as well as roaming through the campgrounds each evening.

On Saturday the rain finally stopped and blue sky appeared!

The Going to the Sun Road runs from East Glacier to West Glacier and has some incredible hiking trails and views. Wild Goose Island in the middle of the lake looked so serene in the midst of steel gray sky and clouds, rugged mountains and dark green pines.

One evening the rain cleared and I caught this translucent rainbow shining in the clouds.

Incredibly peaceful view in front of my campsite at Many Glacier Campground.

While hiking up to Red Rock Falls, I looked to the side and was surprised by this young male moose looking at me!

It is hard to describe the exhilarating feeling you get out on the trails in such a beautiful place.

Sometimes the little things can be even more powerful than the larger than life experiences!

One morning I was standing under a tree waiting for the rain to clear and trying to decide whether or not to get out on the trail. An older couple came by and stopped and looked at me. Immediately they encouraged me to join them. Needless to say, I did and enjoyed their company all the way to Redrock Falls.

When I first arrived at Glacier I stayed at Two Medicine Campground; surrounded by the Blackfeet Nation, enormous mountains, rivers, lakes, trees, wildlife and unfortunately ticks! I picked two off my neck and had to have the very cute, young Ranger look at my neck to see if they broke the surface. That was a little weird.

While out on a hike around the lake, I sat down to eat my apple. When I looked up, this mama moose was staring at me.

The stream beds, rivers and land are filled with these gorgeous colorful rocks.

View from my campsite at Two Medicine.For all the birdwatchers in the world......