
Of all the marvelous sights I saw this day, Moraine Lake touched my soul the most. — Wikimedia photo

But the beauty of Lake Louise, with its grand hotel and ski runs visible in the background, was still appreciated. — Wikimedia photo
“In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous.” – Aristotle
“Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.” – Albert Einstein
2001 Memories of a Non-Wandering Wanderer
It was a day of lakes, glaciers, waterfalls, glades of scarlet fireweed, birds – and beauty that stirred the soul everywhere.
` The first stop of the day was the Vermillion Lakes just outside of Banff, where the first bird of the day was a bald eagle. It doesn’t get much better for a birder – but it did. I got a lifer, a common loon. I was excited at seeing this bird for the first time, but later learned I didn’t have to go so far away from home to see them. Common loons could be seen in winter on Causey Lake in Ogden Valley, Utah, just minutes away from my home.
Also on the lakes were mallards with baby chicks, always a treat to see, as were the darting killdeer that were running around near the shorelines.
A red-breasted nuthatch showed itself at Cascade Pond; barn swallows swarmed around a bridge; lots of prairie dogs stood sentry along the route; and at Two-Jack Lake, I got another lifer, a red-breasted merganser.
And the day was just getting started.
At Lake Louise, the next stop of the day, I did a bit of hiking, ate lunch, and marveled at a flock of Clark’s Nutcrackers, another lifer, and one that seemed to be everywhere around the lake. Although not nearly as crowded as the town of Banff, the lake resort, and its Chateau Lake Louis, are also quite popular Canadian attractions.
The turquoise/emerald color of Lake Louise, which pleasantly aroused my sense of sight, is the result of rock flour carried into it by glacier melt. The lake was named after Princess Louise Caroline Alberta, daughter of Queen Victoria and the wife of the marquess of Lorne, who was the governor-general of Canada from 1878 to 1883.
But as awesome as Lake Louise was to my sight-seeing day, it was the nearby smaller Lake Moraine that stole my heart. The isolation and serenity of the scene before me stirred a longing in me to visit again n the future — when I could stay awhile. Doing so is still on my bucket list.
My day ended in Jasper, where I found a place to do laundry and ate a steak dinner. It was the last day of July – and Alaska still lay ahead. .
Bean Pat: 20 Minutes a Day http://tinyurl.com/z9vcrwq Comfort food. Len is a dear friend, one who teaches writers, and whose major thesis is that all writers should write for at least 20 minutes a day. I adhere to her philosophy. She and I are in the same Story Circle Network online writing group. SCN is the best writing support I’ve had in my life. It’s helped me find the personal voice I needed to replace the journalism voice I used for 37 years. The circle is for women only. If you’re interested, check it out at: http://www.storycircle.org/frmjoinscn.php
Beautiful! We have a camp on a lake in Maine, where we have the privilege of seeing loons and a bald eagle regularly. I love the haunting call of the loon first thing in the morning, when it’s still misty out. 🙂
I loved Maine, and its lakes and ocean-front landscapes when I visited there in 2006. And I, too, love the call of a loon. Thanks for commenting Kate.
Awesome pictures, but then, with your colourful description, I wouldn’t have needed any pictures: just read your text, close my eyes, and I see everything in my mind.
Thanks,
Pit
What a kind, beautiful compliment for a writer. Thank you Pit.. Many of the pictures I’m using for my Alaska blog, since I didn’t take many photographs along the way, are from Wikimedia. I was still working when I took the trip (first time I took 30 days off in a row) and I didn’t have a digital camera, which today makes taking photos so much less expensive. And by the way, imagining things in one’s mind, is what makes reading, at least for me, superior to movies.
You’re welcome, Pat. I agree with you on reading being superior to watching movies. Well, sometimes I like good documentaries a lot. As to digital cameras: I agree again. You can just snap away and later delete what you don’t like – at no cost at all. Suits me fine as this way I maybe get one or two good pictures out of a couple of hundred. 😉