The Most Excellent Adventures of Ann, Christina, Nick, and Skippy

124

Comments

  • Ann McRaeAnn McRae Registered Users Posts: 4,584 Major grins
    edited October 24, 2007
    Excellent, Christina. I love your travelogue.

    What Christina failed to mention is that the distance covered this day was about 250km, but we were on the road for more than 12 hours, including time to shop a bit and have a great lunch in Canmore(along with the Melissa's roadrace participants - all billion of them).

    Let me go grab some photos...I'll be right back!! okay - here I am. My favorite, different Louise shot:

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    We travelled the Bow Valley Parkway (the old, non-4 lane highway) from Louise to Banff. We came across this meadow that was full of turning aspens and low hanging cloud in front of the peaks. I love the way the geometries of the elements are the same:

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    Wedge Pond pano of either 3,4 or 5 images (I cannot remember)

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    Road through Kananaskis

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    and a foothills sunset at Longview:
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    In addition to beef jerkey, Longview is famous as the filming location of several major motion pictures (Legends of the Fall, parts of Dances with Wolves, etc.)

    ann
  • schmooschmoo Registered Users Posts: 8,468 Major grins
    edited October 25, 2007
    What a great photo!!!

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    clap.gif
  • dogwooddogwood Registered Users Posts: 2,572 Major grins
    edited October 25, 2007
    Ann McRae wrote:
    Brian - moose sightings are pretty rare. I think I can count all moose sightings in my life on one hand despite living and travelling through moose country all my life.

    Loving these photos and the travelogue.

    I used to live in Wyoming and there were PLENTY of moose there. I'd often get home from work to find a moose blocking the driveway or path to the front door. I'd actually have to throw snowballs at them to get them to move so I could get inside!

    Portland, Oregon Photographer Pete Springer
    website blog instagram facebook g+

  • ian408ian408 Administrators Posts: 21,905 moderator
    edited October 26, 2007
    I've come back for a second look...wow!
    Moderator Journeys/Sports/Big Picture :: Need some help with dgrin?
  • Ann McRaeAnn McRae Registered Users Posts: 4,584 Major grins
    edited October 28, 2007
    Schmoo, dogwood, ian

    Thank you! We really had a great time, got one or two good photos amongst the giggles!

    Now, can someone go and wake gluwater up - gosh, the kid only works 16 or 18 hours a day - you'd think he'd fit photoediting and posting on dgrin in there somewhere....
  • gluwatergluwater Registered Users Posts: 3,599 Major grins
    edited October 30, 2007
    Ann McRae wrote:
    Schmoo, dogwood, ian

    Thank you! We really had a great time, got one or two good photos amongst the giggles!

    Now, can someone go and wake gluwater up - gosh, the kid only works 16 or 18 hours a day - you'd think he'd fit photoediting and posting on dgrin in there somewhere....
    I've been busy shooting with Adam and now it's 5AM. Time to go to bed. Maybe I'll post tomorrow :moon. Am I this big of a PITA in person?
    Nick
    SmugMug Technical Account Manager
    Travel = good. Woo, shooting!
    nickwphoto
  • jayegirljayegirl Registered Users Posts: 276 Major grins
    edited October 30, 2007
    Wonderful pictures.
    Jaye
  • Ann McRaeAnn McRae Registered Users Posts: 4,584 Major grins
    edited October 31, 2007
    Thanks Jaye.

    Yes, Nick, you are in fact this much of a PITA...but I still luv ya.

    This thread is taking longer to finish than it took us to drive from Lousie to Claresholm!!!!!!!!!:poke :poke :poke :whip :whip :whip
  • grimacegrimace Registered Users Posts: 1,534 Major grins
    edited November 3, 2007
    gluwater wrote:
    I've been busy shooting with Adam and now it's 5AM. Time to go to bed. Maybe I'll post tomorrow :moon. Am I this big of a PITA in person?

    Sure, use me as your excuse. :D

    Nick, it was a pleasure shooting with you in Chicago Monday night. I was a little tired the next morning but it was worth it!

    I'll look for your shots of Chicago sometime near New Years. thumb.gif
  • CapturedByGraceCapturedByGrace Registered Users Posts: 29 Big grins
    edited November 5, 2007
    Dang! Awesome series of images!
    It's apparent you all had a blast.
    Gorgeous shots.
    Makes me want to be there. I'm planning a trip to
    Canada for next year, so these shots are feeding my
    anticipation.
  • gluwatergluwater Registered Users Posts: 3,599 Major grins
    edited November 8, 2007
    Stop the presses! I processed a shot from Lake Louise. Shot in IR and converted to B&W.
    218923326-L.jpg
    Nick
    SmugMug Technical Account Manager
    Travel = good. Woo, shooting!
    nickwphoto
  • PhyxiusPhyxius Registered Users Posts: 1,396 Major grins
    edited November 8, 2007
    gluwater wrote:
    Stop the presses! I processed a shot from Lake Louise. Shot in IR and converted to B&W.

    Whoa! Did you do this while you were snowed in last night? rolleyes1.gif I came on to tease you about the snow and saw that you had posted, but I still had to say something.mwink.gif

    I've discovered that I'm a big fan of visible rocks in these water shots. I like the grey in the clouds on the right, but it makes the left side look unbalanced. I can see a little texture there, maybe the screen here isn't great, but is there any way you could pull out some more detail on the left?

    Nice job, as usual!
    Christina Dale
    SmugMug Support Specialist - www.help.smugmug.com

    http://www.phyxiusphotos.com
    Equine Photography in Maryland - Dressage, Eventing, Hunters, Jumpers
  • Ann McRaeAnn McRae Registered Users Posts: 4,584 Major grins
    edited November 8, 2007
    gluwater wrote:
    Stop the presses! I processed a shot from Lake Louise. Shot in IR and converted to B&W.


    :confused

    OMG...Nick posted something...

    and it's pretty nice too!!! Way nicer on this monitor than at work, too! Christina has a good suggestion.

    Okay, progress, lets keep em coming, guys
    :duel
  • SkippySkippy Registered Users Posts: 12,075 Major grins
    edited November 23, 2007
    Here ya go Ann thumb.gif

    A couple of shots from Patricia Lake .... Skippy :D

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    Skippy (Australia) - Moderator of "HOLY MACRO" and "OTHER COOL SHOTS"

    ALBUM http://ozzieskip.smugmug.com/

    :skippy Everyone has the right to be stupid, but some people just abuse the privilege :dgrin
  • Ann McRaeAnn McRae Registered Users Posts: 4,584 Major grins
    edited November 23, 2007
    Skippy wrote:
    Here ya go Ann thumb.gif

    .

    I love those orange Tamaracks (larch trees) against that slate. Keep em coming, guys -

    ann
  • schmooschmoo Registered Users Posts: 8,468 Major grins
    edited November 26, 2007
    Ooo somehow I missed these updates. Wonderful shots Skippy! You really found ways to accentuate the lovely foliage.
  • Ann McRaeAnn McRae Registered Users Posts: 4,584 Major grins
    edited November 26, 2007
    I just reread this from the beginning - really great memories!

    And lots of great shots, too!

    ann
  • SkippySkippy Registered Users Posts: 12,075 Major grins
    edited November 27, 2007
    schmoo wrote:
    Ooo somehow I missed these updates. Wonderful shots Skippy! You really found ways to accentuate the lovely foliage.

    Scott Kelby nod.gif that's how I did it :D .... Skippy :D
    .
    .
    Skippy (Australia) - Moderator of "HOLY MACRO" and "OTHER COOL SHOTS"

    ALBUM http://ozzieskip.smugmug.com/

    :skippy Everyone has the right to be stupid, but some people just abuse the privilege :dgrin
  • PhyxiusPhyxius Registered Users Posts: 1,396 Major grins
    edited November 27, 2007
    And time goes on...
    Well, the next day was overcast and rainy but we trudged on! Our first stop was at Head Smashed In Buffalo Jump (HSIBJ), 18km northwest of Fort Macleod. A buffalo jump was used by plains people who studied buffallo behavior and were able to kill them by chasing them over a cliff. HSIBJ is one of the oldest (used for over 5,500 years!), largest, and best preserved buffalo jumps in the world.

    HSIBJ is also a UNESCO (United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization) World Heritage Site. It's a well put together interpretive learning center.

    I'll post some pictures from there soon!

    As we continued on the back roads we were on the lookout for prong horn...rolleyes1.gif we saw none. However we did spot a couple gorgeous coyotes in the snowy fields hunting little mice-y-s. mwink.gif We passed through Pincher Creek and ended at Waterton Lakes National Park (est 1895).

    Here is our path from Claresholm to Waterton.
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    Christina Dale
    SmugMug Support Specialist - www.help.smugmug.com

    http://www.phyxiusphotos.com
    Equine Photography in Maryland - Dressage, Eventing, Hunters, Jumpers
  • ian408ian408 Administrators Posts: 21,905 moderator
    edited November 28, 2007
    You guys are a bunch of teases...yeah, that's what you are...teases rolleyes1.gif

    I love seeing your additions. Some very nice stuff too...and the routes are
    great for folks who might want to repeat.
    Moderator Journeys/Sports/Big Picture :: Need some help with dgrin?
  • Ann McRaeAnn McRae Registered Users Posts: 4,584 Major grins
    edited November 28, 2007
    ian408 wrote:
    You guys are a bunch of teases...yeah, that's what you are...teases rolleyes1.gif

    I love seeing your additions. Some very nice stuff too...and the routes are
    great for folks who might want to repeat.

    I'm glad the route maps are appreciated. If I'd have been able to, we wouldn't have left HWY 22 on the trip south - most gorgeous scenery there. It runs along the porcupine hills, with the mountain range to the west, and ranchland all the way.
    But, I couldn't get a room on Hwy 22 so we had to get over to Hwy 2 for a few km. Crossed from 22 to 2 just south of Longview, on a paved road at dusk - little beady eyes in the ditch and a close encounter with a skunk, just to make life interesting. Arrived in Claresholm after dark, and headed out the next morning in fog so thick it was impossible to see the fields let alone the foothills.

    Looking forward to Christina and Skippys shots from HSI. I left the camera in the car, so will wait for the grand arrival in Waterton in the snow shots.

    ann
  • schmooschmoo Registered Users Posts: 8,468 Major grins
    edited November 28, 2007
    I agree, the maps are awesome and very helpful putting things into context.

    Head Smashed In, eh? That sounds very graphic. Want pics, you guys! :D
  • PhyxiusPhyxius Registered Users Posts: 1,396 Major grins
    edited November 28, 2007
    schmoo wrote:
    I agree, the maps are awesome and very helpful putting things into context.

    Head Smashed In, eh? That sounds very graphic. Want pics, you guys! :D

    Haha, I told Ann, Skippy, and Nick that I would post some pictures last night...but I have to admit my guilty pleasure... I love watching "Dancing With The Stars". And, I got my new D300 and had to play a little. But, I will...I will...I will post a couple tonight. deal.gif
    Christina Dale
    SmugMug Support Specialist - www.help.smugmug.com

    http://www.phyxiusphotos.com
    Equine Photography in Maryland - Dressage, Eventing, Hunters, Jumpers
  • PhyxiusPhyxius Registered Users Posts: 1,396 Major grins
    edited November 28, 2007
    Head Smashed In Buffalo Jump -

    These buffalo bones were painted on one side and used to play a game of chance.

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    Buffalo skins were used as journals or archives by drawing pictograms in a circular fashion. Each symbol has a meaning and many years could be contained on one skin. Here Skippy takes a shot of one such skin.

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    If you saw my computer while we were in Glacier you may have noticed that this next image is my desktop. It's just an closer shot of a specific image on the buffalo skin above. This symbol means that white man came and the buffalo left. I liked it because of the horse...

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    The tribe would "chase" the buffalo over the cliff and they had many people who had to play specific roles in order to be successful. Prior to a hunt they would set up drive lanes. The drive lanes were very similar to runways for planes. The indians would use small fires to create a chute for the buffalos to run between. Runners would get close to the buffalo and cause a stampede by pretending to be a baby buffalo or a predator, like a coyote or wolf. The would wear the skins of the above mentioned animals to be able to approach and influence the herd. The would scare the herd and start a stampede. The buffalo would run between the drive lanes and end up jumping over the cliff with the momentum of the subsequent herd pushing them over.
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    In the 1800s the bone piles were mined and sent east via railway to be processed into industrial carbon and fertilizer.
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    The center also has numerous stuffed animals including buffalo, badgers, owls, mongoose/mink type critters, beavers, and coyotes.
    226636066-M.jpg
    Christina Dale
    SmugMug Support Specialist - www.help.smugmug.com

    http://www.phyxiusphotos.com
    Equine Photography in Maryland - Dressage, Eventing, Hunters, Jumpers
  • Ann McRaeAnn McRae Registered Users Posts: 4,584 Major grins
    edited November 29, 2007
    clap.gifclap.gifclap.gif

    Yay! Chrsitina.

    Head Smashed In is a 'museum' or interpretive center that I go to every time I am in the vicinity. The day we were there it was totally miserable outside so we could not explore the exterior exhibits, but took our time inside.

    The center does a fabulous job explaining the process used by 'pre-European arrival' plains peoples (i.e those without guns to hunt buffalo) and the process used to do the mass hunt. It continues through time to show the changes that the arrival of guns(and other things) brought to the buffalo and to the plains people. If you have the opportunity to visit, I strongly recommend you do so.

    Nearby, north on Highway 22, is another interpretive center called the Bar U Ranch. Another little gem, depicting early ranching life. We didn't leave ourselves time to visit it, but it also is a recommended stop.

    There, that's my pitch for the 'Cowboy Trail' as Hwy 22 is known, rather than speeding along Hwy 2 with the big rigs. Not to mention that the scenery of the foothills is spectacular.

    ann
  • Ann McRaeAnn McRae Registered Users Posts: 4,584 Major grins
    edited November 30, 2007
    We took the back roads from HSI to Pincher Creek, through ranchland and on gravel roads. Did I mention that it was very cloudy and visibility sucked?

    The area around Pincher Creek is incredibly windy, and has recently been harvested for wind power on a commercial basis, so these huge windmills dominate the fields. If it weren't so cloudy, there would be mountains as back drops, but, well, it was:
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    We arrived at Waterton in the early afternoon, to several inches of wet, cold snow ( not like the snow that fell this week - damn stuff was like styrofoam it was so dry - still cold however!).

    The mule deer were helping themselves to the flower baskets on the hotel porch - we actually walked right by them without noticing!

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    We had a great lunch at Zum's, asked where to find bears ( talk about a mama grizzly and twin cubs had been overheard - and then one guy told us his daughter had hiked some trail and counted 14 bears along the way ne_nau.gif ).

    We drove through the campground, which was littered with wet mule deer:
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    before driving out to the buffalo paddock - to say it was underwhelming would be an understatement, drove along the red rock road in search of bear, and then we stumbled upon the meadow with the rutting elk!
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    Still no bear, nor racoon for that matter (another critter on skippy's wish list).

    We ended our first day in Waterton watching NFL Football in a bar.:D

    ann
  • gluwatergluwater Registered Users Posts: 3,599 Major grins
    edited November 30, 2007
    Ann McRae wrote:
    We ended our first day in Waterton watching NFL Football in a bar.:D

    ann
    Isn't that how you would end every day if you could iloveyou.gif?

    You two did a great job with Head Smashed In. I'll mention one more thing about it. The building itself was very interesting. It is 5 stories tall and all concrete but it just looks like part of the hillside. It is built into the hillside. I found it pretty interesting architectually and on the way out noticed a couple awards the building had won although I cannot remember what they were. Hopefully if you go you'll have better weather than we did and will be able to venture outside.
    Nick
    SmugMug Technical Account Manager
    Travel = good. Woo, shooting!
    nickwphoto
  • gluwatergluwater Registered Users Posts: 3,599 Major grins
    edited November 30, 2007
    Here's my offering from the way to Waterton and at Waterton. I really liked Waterton, the landscape and the wildlife was really spectacular in my opinion.

    On the way there, here's Skippy shooting some cows and windmills.
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    One of the coyotes Christine mentioned earlier.
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    The Prince of Wales Hotel at Waterton.
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    Nick
    SmugMug Technical Account Manager
    Travel = good. Woo, shooting!
    nickwphoto
  • SkippySkippy Registered Users Posts: 12,075 Major grins
    edited November 30, 2007
    The Prince of Wales Hotel at Waterton was quite an amazing site to see.
    When we arrived in Waterton it was Snowing whoohoo!! :ivar
    Loved it....... sept it was wet and cold rolleyes1.gif

    I messed up my snow shot, but we returned another day and I took
    a shot minus the snow as Nick managed to Capture.

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    A Beautiful Pink Sunrise at Waterton.

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    Skippy (Australia) - Moderator of "HOLY MACRO" and "OTHER COOL SHOTS"

    ALBUM http://ozzieskip.smugmug.com/

    :skippy Everyone has the right to be stupid, but some people just abuse the privilege :dgrin
  • SkippySkippy Registered Users Posts: 12,075 Major grins
    edited November 30, 2007
    The day we went to HeadSmashed In, it was raining raining and it kept on raining.

    The Museum is beautifully set out inside.

    Christina and I basically took the same shots.
    Here is my version of the Buffalo Skulls .... Skippy :D


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    .
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    Skippy (Australia) - Moderator of "HOLY MACRO" and "OTHER COOL SHOTS"

    ALBUM http://ozzieskip.smugmug.com/

    :skippy Everyone has the right to be stupid, but some people just abuse the privilege :dgrin
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