Home from two weeks in Western Alberta, where the weather was gorgeous, making fleece pullovers and borrowed rain jacket useless baggage flown across the Rockies and understandable the rolled eyes when we purchased gloves at the West Edmonton Mall mountain shop. We were just following all Canadian Rockies websites that advised being prepared for every kind of weather in the mountains, even in July!
From Edmonton to Jasper to Lake Louise and many stops in between to Calgary, we were awestruck by the grandeur of this region. So much open space! In the mountains, clean, clear, fresh air, and pristine-looking forests and lakes. Snow and glaciers. Abundant wildlife - the first week, we saw mountain sheep, elk, two different species of deer, black bear, mountain goats, and innumerable wildflowers.
On the other hand, everyone (even a friend of the employee of the Best Western Inn who transported us to the airport this morning) was commenting on the job and building boom in Alberta. In downtown Calgary, everywhere you looked you could see a giant hole in the ground or a crane raising up steel beams or streets closed for construction.
I shot 400 pictures with Thomas's digital camera and will post some of them shortly. That way, you can get a glimpse of our travels from San Diego to Alberta.
Stand by for more.
On the last full day in Alberta after checking out the zoo, we walked through temperature-controlled 'hallways' downtown that allow people to move between buildings without going outdoors. The raised glass passageways are quite impressive extending for many blocks in all directions. Here is a reflection of Mickey and me inside one of the passages above 3rd Avenue perhaps.
