Day 119 of a 365-Day Portrait of Canada: Lake Louise and the Rocky Mountains

East Entrance To Banff National Park

Park Pass Attendant

You’d better make sure that you have a park pass while in Banff National Park. We were checked twice for a park pass by Park Wardens in the parking lots of the more popular spots, such as Lake Louise. In all my 20 years of going to Banff  National Park I have never once been asked to produce a park pass.

This is a wildlife overpass, which has saved hundreds of animals being hit on the highway in Banff National Park.

This is the only large wildlife we’ve seen so far in Banff National Park.

This little fella was quite the mooch. He hung around until someone finally fed him part of their sandwich. He was definitely a pro at begging for food. It was kind of sad though to see him so tame and seemingly dependent on hand outs. We are told that this bird is called a Clark’s Nutcracker.

On a clear day you would be staring at the Lake Louise Glacier. If you look closely half-way up the darker rocky edge, you’ll see what I think looks like a person with a backpack on heading upwards. I stood there with my lenses trained on this figure for ten minutes and it never moved, so it must be made of stone.

We talked with a long time local of Lake Louise and he said that in all his 20 years he’d never seen wind like this. It was like there was a snow tornado. Check out the snow kicking up off the lake.

Born Into The Cold – His dad was calling him a little tamale because he was wrapped up so tight. 

Banff National Park is for all ages! This mama came all the way from Poland to visit. 

Flag Of The Day

Faces Of The Day

Day 118 of a 365-Day Portrait of Canada: Heading to Alberta to Shoot the Rocky Mountains For One Week

Today we flew home to Alberta for a week to shoot a friend’s wedding in the beautiful Rocky Mountains, as well as to see family and friends after logging 118 amazing days on the road. We left Red Deer, Alberta at 4 o’clock on October 1st heading East and to-date have logged over 7500 kms and shot over 35,000 photos! We are holding up well, but life on the road can wear you down and we are looking very forward to sleeping in our own bed.

For interest sake I thought I’d test out Ottawa’s airport security by stashing a nearly full tube of toothpaste in my camera bag. Well, the two camera bodies and four hard drives may have thrown them off because the tube of toothpaste went undetected. Not only that, but I managed to board the plane with not one lighter, but two lighters (to light the camp stove) in my winter coat, even after security went though my coat by hand. I took this photo of them without anyone noticing. I will add that security was friendly and smiled easily.

De-icing in Ottawa

40,000 feet above Canada

Calgary with the Rocky Mountains in the background.

Calgary’s Deerfoot Trail

Keeping the Airport Traffic Moving

Westjet 737 cockpit

Gate 50 in Calgary

The Calgary International airport is one of the nicer airports in Canada with comfort leather chairs and artwork everywhere.

Flag Of The Day

Faces Of The Day

 

 

 

Day 117 of a 365-Day Portrait of Canada: Winter Roads in Ottawa

Winter Road on the Way into Hull, Quebec

Plowing highway 5; so far this we’ve been in five major snow blizzards. We purchased snow tires which has saved us many times over.

The weather in Canada shapes us. Take a look at this mother with her child lending into the wind while crossing a icy overpass.

With the transit strike in its 50th day, the citizens of Ottawa are very upset with the city and the union for not being able to reach an agreement. The traffic was three times as busy as it was the last time we were in Ottawa.

Walking Home From Work

Bus Stop

Commute home from Ottawa to Hull, Quebec. The Quebec bus drivers did not go on strike.

Tree in Front of the Supreme Court of Canada

Flag of the Day

Day 116 of a 365-Day Portrait of Canada: Wakefield, Quebec.

Wakefield is a village on the western shore of the Gatineau River, at the confluence of the La Peche River in the Ouatouais region of Quebec. It was founded in 1830 by Irish, Scottish and English immigrants. It is about a 30 minute drive from Ottawa.

Wakefield’s primary industry is tourism. It is also known for having the highest bungee jump in the Americas at 200 feet.

The village has developed a reputation for a somewhat bohemian (or hippee) lifestyle and boasts a number of small cafes, pubs and galleries. Many artists live in the surrounding mountains and valleys. We were charmed by Wakefield in an instant.

Many of the buildings are painted up in bright, cheery colors which adds to the town’s bohemian charm.

Kaffe 1870 is a popular place for live music in Wakefield, and it is a fantastic gathering spot for tourists and members of the community.

Lunch at Kaffe 1870 – they serve a delicious mushroom soup and many yummy sandwiches.

Taking a moment out of a busy day to read the paper.

The Black Sheep (or the Auberge Mouton Noir) is another popular spot and a venue for live music in Wakefield.

Jamboree is one of the stores that caters to tourists. It is loaded with all sorts of great home decorations and knick-knacks. I spotted many things that I wanted, but we can’t really find room for anymore stuff in the van.

Like in any Canadian town, when the snow piles up, the shovels come out!

Anyone can fill their water bottles for free at the spring. We tried the water, and it was so clean and fresh-tasting!

Le Moulin or the Wakefield Mill Inn is a country inn that is surrounded by scenic Gatineau Park. Back in 1838, William Fairbairn began construction of the stone mill for the purpose of milling local grains into flour for the farm families of the Gatineau and LaPeche River valleys. He later sold the mill to James McLaren who expanded the operations to include a sawmill, woolen mill and a general store.

In order to get to see the McLaren cemetery and to see Lester B. Pearson’s burial site. He was Prime Minister of Canada from 1963 to 1968, and interestingly enough, he introduced the Maple Leaf flag to Canada.

Flag Of The Day: At Lester B. Pearson’s Gravesite

Day 115 of a 365-Day Portrait of Canada: Kingston to Ottawa to Wakefield, Quebec.

Wolfe Islander Ferry departing Kingston for Wolfe Island through icy waters.

 

The Tugboats push the Barge (which is used for oversized vehicles and loads) back and forth to Wolfe Island. 

The Tugboats also break the ice to clear the Harbour for the barge and ferry. 

Super Cold Day in Ottawa

Everything is frozen today in Ottawa.

Small Bus strike on the hill, the Ottawa transit strike is in its 48th day.

Bus Strike Protesters on Front Steps of Parliament in Ottawa

42 Faces from the end the transit strike rally on Parliament Hill, Ottawa

Wakefield Nestled Between the Gatineau Hills and the Gatineau River

The Covered Bridge in Wakefield was built in 1915 (it burnt in a fire) and was restored in 1997. 

This stunning landmark bridge took thousands of volunteers and $600 000 to restore.

Wakefield is a buzzing tourist hot spot in the summer, but it slows down a bit in the winter months. 

Gatineau River

A Quiet Moment Before Sunset

Day 114 of a 365-Day Portrait of Canada: Picton, Napanee to Kingston, Ontario

Sandbanks Provincial Park…In the Winter

Stop light on the Bay of Quinte, near Bath.

Hydro electric power station, near Bath.

Historical Cairn marking the first steamship on Lake Ontario, near Bath.

Woodsman near Picton

Old Farm Yard

Drying Corn near Picton

Tobogganing in Napanee

Walking Up the Hill

Three Boys Stacked Tobagganing

A real Canadian moment: enjoying some Timmy’s on the hill.

Fashions on the hill – Napanee

Father and Daughter Tobogganing Team 

Proud to be Canadian!

Leah Loves to Toboggan!

Father and Son Tobogganing Team 

Heading into Kingston

Mexican Mural, Kingston

Plenty of people of all ages were at the outdoor hockey and skating rink in Kingston.

Ferry In Kingston

Kingston City Skyline

St. Mary’s Cathedral

Entrance to the Church

Prayer Votives in the Church

Interior of St. Mary’s

Delicate Stained Glass

Priest Dan pauses for a portrait. He was very cooperative and told us a lot about the church. 

Day 113 of a 365-Day Portrait of Canada: The Town of Picton and area, Ontario

Crushed Ice From the Glenora Ferry 

We took the Ferry across the Bay of Quinte to The County and drove from there to Picton. 

Trajectory of the Glenora Ferry – it made a great scraping sound on the ice as it ran into chunks of ice while making its way across. 

The Grist Mill and other historic buildings at Glenora. Someone told us that John A. MacDonald lived down there (as he practiced law in Picton) but we never had a chance to confirm this for sure. 

The Regent Theatre is a rare example of an Edwardian opera house. Its stage is equal in size to that of The Royal Alexandra Theatre in Toronto. The Regent opened its doors in 1922 with the Canadian war comedy Mademoiselle from Armentiers. It has presented both film and live shows through the years. 

We met this lovely family while walking through downtown Picton. They are both local musicians, and they introduced us to their sweet daughter, Anna Sophia. 

Johnny, who has been a firefighter for 30 years, was kind enough to give us a tour of the Picton Fire Hall. Someone is always there 24-7 to respond to emergencies, and there are others on call if necessary. 

Eleanor At the Local Thrift Store 

Terry The Artist With His Birdhouse

Rosemary

David, Mary and Nicholas 

We met David at the Loaf and Ale Pub in Napanee where he was setting up for an evening of wine-tasting. A few years ago he started Bergeron Estate Wineries with his brother, and they have won best wine in the region their red wine. David was kind enough to invite us over and we shared a lovely evening with his family. 

War Memorial in Picton and  the Top of a Church Steeple

Fosterholm Farms

Cliff Foster’s father started making maple syrup in 1924 at Home Farm near Sandbanks. He spent everything he had to buy 75 acres, and at first he lived in the barn because the farm had no house. But it had a sugarbush, and he used to tap the trees and hang 375 sap buckets. He worked hard, built a house and eventually bought Outlet Farm that had another good sugarbush. So he bought another 325 buckets.

Now Cliff runs Fosterholm Farms with his son Dean and with help from his two grandsons. Each year they tap 7,000 trees. But Cliff and Dean don’t hang buckets – they collect sap by running lines to each tree. Taps and lines go in in January and come out in April.