Canada Day Long Weekend

[245dlc]

So since it takes so long to get home I needed to find something to do this past weekend so on Saturday I went exploring down a Forestry Trunk Road that runs parallel with the Rockies through the foothills. The scenery was pretty amazing and the road was really nice and windy and in some places pretty narrow as it just barely clings to the side of the hill which for a flatlander like me is pretty amazing. Saw lots of campers and tents setup near the many little rivers and creeks and people fishing and enjoying the lovely weather we had this past weekend. I took lots of pictures for you guys to enjoy. I got right up to a beautiful waterfall called Ram Falls I'll let the pictures talk for themselves.

[245dlc]

On Sunday I went for another drive but stuck with pavement and went down the David Thompson Highway right into the Rocky Mountains and the weather was even better and the scenery spectacular!

[Stock]

Spectacular...........

[Muz]

Theres no denying .. some of those pics are easily some of the best landscapes in the world wonderful pics ... here in the west of Scotland we do a good follow up ., and with a few surprises of our own

But I'm a sucker for fantastic lanscapes like that ... thanks for sticking them up here fella.

I have some old Canadian friends who were amazed at how we only have to go a few miles out of Glasgow to see and climb fantastic mountains in Scotland, whilst they must travel for miles to do the same thing... all said and done I think we all share beauty in our surroundings as long as we make sure we look after it (and no, I'm not on a joint ..... .. I'm a family dad very anti drugs ) .. I just love my nation, thats all and every one should look after theirs

[245dlc]

Thanks for the comments guys, Stock you would of loved driving the back roads with your Defender/s. My dad has travelled the main forestry trunk road from the Crowsnest Pass in the southern part of the province to the northern part of the province by Grande Cache back in the late sixties or early seventies with my Grandpa and some relatives. That part of the country was still quite wild back then he said and for the most part still is from what I saw. But there is a fair bit of oil and gas drilling/exploration in parts which sadly does open it up despite the claims from the oil companies saying they are doing 'minimum impact' on the environment. However the Rockies themselves are off limit to mining, drilling, and any other development until you get into the Province of British Columbia almost next door.

[ianoz]

Beautiful country side there Bert .

[jackpreacher]

..likewise - thanks Bert.

The colour of that lake reminded me of the mountains around Andermatt in the Swiss Alps......pure, clean water straight off the mountains full of oxygen...and bloomin' freezing...

[245dlc]

My dad use to take us camping in the National Parks when we were kids and we stopped at one of the lakes when it was really hot out and yeah that water couldn't much more than freezing temperature so we sure cooled off in a hurry. Those glaciers and lakes and rivers are largely responsible for keeping the Prairies hydrated too several of them flow right across the Alberta, Saskatchewan, and end in Manitoba either in Lake Winnipeg or Hudson bay at the Northern end of the province. On a different not my wife and I have long talked about venturing across the pond to Europe and some day Australia it is however nice to know we friends in both places.

[JMB]

Fabulous scenery and pics.

My wife and I along with another couple were very fortunate to travel to Canada last year. Starting in Ontario and then flying to Calagary then through the Rockies and onewards via car / train to Vancouver.

On flying over the Prairies, I was amazed at the amount of lakes you have and of course the scenery - Wow!! It truely is a vast and beautiful country and very friendly locals.


Muz mentions how on leaving Glasgow in a very short time you are in stunning scenery and I would certainly agree, Scotland is great. Here on the Isle of Man we are blessed with beautiful scenery albeit on a small scale to Scotland .. and a drop in the ocean compared to Canada.

[245dlc]

It's a shame you just flew over the Prairies I think some of the best scenery is driving across them or if you can afford it go by rail and especially when you get into the rolling hills and deep river valleys. I was watching a t.v. show recently called Coast that went all along the coast of the U.K., Scotland, and the 'Ireland's'. lol My wife and I would love it if we could afford a trip over there.

[JMB]

On hindsight we should have stopped off in the Prairies; but there is only so much time and more importantly so much money!


I know you guys like big machinery, so check out the attached Youtube clip of the Laxey Wheel - the "Lady Isabella" a very large water wheel situated in Laxey, Isle of Man about 7 miles away from me. The logo on the wheel housing is the Three Legs of Man; our national flag. We are not part of the United Kingdom (U.K.) but are British.The Isle of Man has its own Government - the oldest continuous democratic government in the world. This water wheel was built in 1854 to pump water out of the mines. These privately owned mines would extract Lead;Zinz;Copper and Silver and the mines themselves went for considerable distances including under the Irish Sea. The ores would then be transported to Laxey harbour about a mile and a half away and shipped around the world. These privately owned mines closed due to it becoming uneconomic to extract the ores and the mines /Wheel fell into disrepair.

Fortunately the Isle of Man Government decided to buy the site and spent a considerable amount of our money (well spent in my opinion) in renovating the wheel a some associated workings, but the mines themselves are capped off, well, most of them!!

Enjoy!

John

More info. on the wheel etc. on Youtube/Google

[245dlc]

Yeah money and time are always a big thing. My wife and I wanted to go to PEI when we went to Nova Scotia a couple years ago but we were short on time and money too. That wheel is fantastic especially considering how old it is.