Pictures from my trip to Canada

Here are some pictures from my recent trip to Canada.

Abraham Lake

A vintage Chrysler. (Most people had nice new cars actually, I just liked the way this one looked.)

The view from East Glacier Lodge. You can't tell how windy it was in this picture, but it was really a blow.

Cycling in Red Deer Alberta

I finally got to cycle in Red Deer Alberta with Queenie which is something I've been wanting to do for some time now. It's the farthest north I've ever cycled, and we had very warm weather for September almost 29 degrees, (whatever that is...?) There are lots of bike paths that are part of the Trans Canada Trail System, and they are really beautiful this time of year with the leaves changing. I was really impressed with quality and quantity the trails.

Here's a picture of Queenie at McKenzie Trails. I got her into cycling and now she's hooked! She might as well be as Red Deer is a very bike friendly city. You can get a map of the trails at Kerrywood Nature Center, and if you come to Red Deer, bring your bike!

Wild Horse Island in Flathead Lake

Not very many sailboats spending the night in Skeeko Bay these days as summer comes to an end on Flathead Lake. I anchored my boat and went for a hike on Wild Horse Island in Flathead Lake as the sun went down.

I sat up on the top and enjoyed the cool wind and clear air for a change. Other people can have summer. Spring and Fall are my favorite times of year.

I retain all rights to my photos.  Please do not use any of my photos without permission.

Coffee's hot and the beer's cold

I thought the pattern on grandpa's old chair matched the curves on my mandolin as the sun peeked into the cabin. Corned beef hash and eggs for breakfast with plenty of hot sauce. Fall seems to have found its way into Montana now. Might be a good day to just sit around and play the darn thing. It's not quite cold enough for me to want a fire, but maybe later. Coffee's hot and the beer's cold..

Hey, that would be a good title for a song..

Coffee's hot and the beer's cold,
I just wish I'd never get old..

Um,.. well something like that..

Chief Cliff and Flathead Lake

Here's a picture of Chief Cliff above Flathead Lake in Montana. I only say all of that because someone might see this and not know what they are looking at. Anyway, I have this bad habit of taking pictures when there isn't enough light, but I thought the sky was interesting that night.

Summer has gone by all too quickly. Soon I'll drain the water pumps and winterize the cabin so the pipes won't freeze and get into the plumbing mind of my old man. I don't remember too many hot days at Flathead Lake when I was a kid. I don't remember the lake being warm very often either. Most of the warmth came from inside the cabin. Maybe that's why I long for cool weather anyway.

Soon all of the McMansions that now line the shores of Flathead Lake will stand vacant. I doubt very many of them will be winterized. I bet most of them will be heated all winter for no other reason than to keep their pipes from freezing.

I retain all rights to my photos.  Please do not use any of my photos without permission.

The Purcell Trench

When I go north to Canada I drive through the Purcell Trench which is a vast valley going north and south in the Idaho Panhandle. It's pretty amazing and these pictures don't really do it justice. Today there was a forest fire burning just to the west and it was creating a lot of forest fire smoke that was filling the valley.

The picture above is looking north into British Columbia, and the picture below is looking south into Idaho. That is forest fire smoke in the lower picture, not clouds. I had to drive into that and I'm getting over a cold. You should have heard me coughing! To get the full effect you can click on the pictures to make them bigger, but they still don't do that valley justice.

Wild Horse Island Juniper

This is the view from our recent hike on Wild Horse Island. We sat in the shade of the ubiquitous juniper tree at the top of the west side of the island.

And I recently had an encounter with the newest little wild horse on Wild Horse Island. They transplanted a mare on the island that was pregnant and this is the result. I think Juniper would be a good name for it.