Another great Sunday drive…

… are you starting to see a pattern here? I think maybe we replace our camping experience that we get in the summer, with day trips in the winter. We couldn’t pass up the weather today as it was nicely above freezing for the first time in ever. The tasks that we passed on were cleaning the basement out so we could continue with the development down there, as well as some ordinary household chores. I think we chose well. Traci actually chose for us, she came home all full of energy after her 6k run at run club this morning and said, We’re going to the mountains! … OK!

The truck is very dirty as it has been freeze – thaw – freeze for a couple days, but I don’t mind as it makes us kind of anonymous with the dirt covering up the company logos.

For once we didn’t stop at Tim’s on the way out of town, opting for a much healthier McNuggets and Fries instead. I blame Andrew as he was asking for fries. Once fed we were on the road heading straight west toward Canmore and Banff. Our destination was just shy of the Banff National Park as it is kind of expensive to enter, and the mountains are just as nice in Canmore for free. Remember the photo I posted on the last Sunday Drive,with the mountains in the background? 

Well, this is what those same mountains look like about 35 miles closer to them.
It was a bit breezy today, but that's what we get when it gets nice in the middle of winter here in Calgary. They call them the chinook winds. When moist air from BC is compressed as it is pushed over the mountains, it dumps its rain or snow on the mountains and we are left with warm and very dry air on the Southern Alberta side. It’s quite the phenomenon as it can warm up 30+ c (50f ish) degrees in a matter of minutes sometimes. (It’s amazing to experience a strong chinook firsthand!)

Anyway it was slightly above freezing and windy. The other thing the wind does is take away the snow, without it actually melting. The air in a chinook is incredibly dry and it acts like a hand dryer in a public washroom, just evaporating the moisture in thin air. there was a lot of snow out here a week ago, but the warm and the winds had all but taken it away.

We stopped off in Bow Valley Provincial park to have a run around outside as we had the dogs with us, and whenever they can get a few moments off leash we give it to them. they love it! There was no one else around and we just played in the wilderness.

Hey, check this out…

What is it Andrew?…

I dunno Mommy, but I’m pickin’ it up!…

Whoops!

I FELL! WOOT!!!!

Oh, Andrew…

We went from our little secluded spot to Canmore, about 10 more minutes down the highway. A rest stop was in order at the Safeway, and I took the opportunity to snap some sunny mountain peaks. These were right from the truck in the parking lot.

We toured around town a bit, then took the slow road out of Canmore, back to Calgary in the hopes of seeing…

Mountain Sheep!!!

There they were on an ledge above the road. We stopped for quite some time as the Boss of all the Mountain Sheep was ‘herding’ the large group down the ledge to some tasty grasses near the road. Man was he somethin’ to see. This fine fellow was very majestic and VERY in charge.

It was very cool watching the sure footed animals make their way down the rock face. 

There were probably 20 in the group and you could see the hierarchy quite clearly. The young stags tried to act tough, the females just tended to their business, the children were pretty oblivious to most things and the boss, well, was the boss, and they ALL listened to him. 

What are you lookin’ at kid? hehe… get it? kid?

Another nice Sunday Drive in the books. I love them because I get to take part in three things that I love to do. Photography, Blogging and most importantly, spending quality time with Andrew and Traci!

Here are a few more photos from today.

It gets really windy here. this is probably a 200 year old pine, that is whipped constantly from the left (west) so it makes it easier (relatively) to grow to the right (east) where it is kind of sheltering itself from the winds.

I thought this snowbank looked pretty cool with the grasses sticking out.

Mt Yamnuska, a popular climb because the view over the prairies to the east amazing. Poppop has been to the top of this one.

Pic of the day… who else?