Canadian Rockies - Louise Creek Trail Hike, Distance Sign

On our first full day of the trip we were eager to see the ever-popular Lake Louise.  Thus, bright and early we got into the van for the short drive there, and were impressed to see how organized they were.  As we neared the entrance to the lake there were lots of cones in the road, along with personnel waving their arms and directing traffic to the seemingly ample parking area.  Excited to see the lake, we dutifully following all their instructions.  And we followed.  And we followed...until we found ourselves back on the road leading to our hotel!

Yes, they very efficiently flushed us right through the parking area and through a wooded area until we were spit back out on the highway going in the opposite direction, away from the lake!  Hmmm...must be full or something.  So what to do?

Then it dawned on us that, since this is a hiking vacation, why don't be just walk there?!?  That's when we found the trail with this sign indicating that all that driving and hassle would have covered just a few kilometers anyway.  So this was an easy solution for us, to take our first hike to the lake, killing two birds.

But there was a caveat for me.  Just a few days before leaving on this trip, eager to hit the ground running to begin retirement, I began to deep-clean here at the house.  In doing so I picked up boxes and objects that were way too heavy for this slowly-deteriorating body to endure, including an 80-lb backup electric generator, ending up with a classic case of sciatica.  And sciatica is one thing you don't want to bring on a five-day hiking vacation.  But I "soldiered on", as they say, willing my body through our daily hikes with Advil close at hand.

Canadian Rockies - Main Building of Ski Resort

This was the central building that housed the restaurant and gift shop, etc.  Loved the logs, stones, and rustic appeal in general - and the fact that it was people-less - so snapped one for the blog.  Thought the color combined with sharp edges might make an interesting Glowing Edges effect:

Following the sequence of the adventures to be had on the trip, next we'll see a bit of our first hike...

Canadian Rockies - Lake Louise Village, Ski Resort Rooflines

We took a bus to Moraine Lake during the latter part of our stay up there in the Rockies, and the summer staging area was the parking lot of a nearby ski resort.  I'd never been to a ski resort before, so we spent some time wandering around to see how "the other half" vacations.  Pretty much what we expected, though it was sans people and snow.  You could see how the runs were cut through the forest and they had not one but three lifts, one of which was running as a ride for the warm-weather visitors.

What I found most interesting, however, was the architecture and look of the buildings, evidently styled to match the surroundings.  Since I like both rustics and roof lines, knew this would be a keeper.  Found and Glowing Edges effects applied below:

Canadian Rockies - Lake Louise Village, Potted Flowers at Supermarket

This is a very small, cropped-in portion of a photo captured as some of us guys waited outside for the women-folk to shop at the local supermarket.  A front had blown through, and with it came some rain.  We learned that when rain was forecast it didn't mean a tropical, Houston-type downpour, but more of a slow patter such as what Andrew and I saw in England.  Makes sense, as they are fairly close in latitude.

Canadian Rockies - Lake Louise Village, Babbling Brook (or is it Bubbling Stream?)

This serene setting can be found a mere 50 steps from the Visitor Center in Lake Louise Village.  Being from Houston, it's kind of neat to know that almost all of the water in the creeks and streams around here comes from snow melt.  There was a day when you could dip a cup in and enjoy a nice drink, but am not so sure that's the case any more...

Canadian Rockies - Lake Louise Village, Christmas Lights / My Very Own Boeing 737

Okay okay, just one more from the balcony.  Captured just outside the door to our room on the second floor, thought this gave a better perspective on that odd tree with the Christmas lights.  There was one more on the property, seemingly chosen at random.  Suppose they do the rest of the trees when the season gets closer.

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Well, I finally did it.  Bought the PMDG Boeing 737 in the flight simulator, in itself an amazing game or hobby, whatever you choose to call it (I prefer hobby).  So realistic that not just one, but several real airline pilots produce YouTube channels dedicated to teaching hobbyists like us how to fly it.  Now I must learn from the ground up - literally - every switch, dial, knob, lever and display.  Looking forward to keeping the ol' synapses fired up during retirement...

Canadian Rockies - Lake Louise Village, More Fog-Shrouded Mountains

 ...a wider view of the distant mountains with clouds and fog.  Another one below when the sun managed to peek through, this from the same location and angle seen here just a few days ago:

Canadian Rockies - Lake Louise Village, Focus Shift of Fog-Shrouded Mountain

Taken the same morning, had been looking for an opportunity to focus-shift from some flower baskets hanging over our balcony in building #4, and figured this might work.  Focus shifted to the pink flowers below:

Canadian Rockies - Lake Louise Village, Favorite Window Shot

Probably my favorite from town, this was captured from the second-floor balcony where our brother-in-law and his wife (Chenjean's sister) were staying in building #5 of the Lake Louise Village Inn.

Canadian Rockies - Lake Louise Village, Half-Window Shot of Craggy Mountain

On one of the cooler mornings (28° F) we woke up to find the surrounding mountains shrouded by fog.  I went crazy snapping away to capture this phenomenon, though it's probably a common sight in these parts.  Nevertheless, I found the fog an important element in creating mystery, and applied sharpening to make the mountains look more craggy, providing an extra measure of contrast against the sky and trees.  Another one of my favorites...