Early Winter, Best Wood Stove & Favorite Jasper Photos

Well, I have always heard that the road to hell is paved with good intentions. I believe I have a well paved road. I said in my last post that I would have my Jasper National Park gallery finished in a couple of days. That was wishful thinking. I'm not even half way finished!

Winter has arrived a little early and I haven't been able to resist going out and slogging around in the foot plus of snow we already have on the ground. This will be my ninth winter here in northwest Montana and this is the most snow we've had this early in that time. I've been plowing and shoveling everyday for a week! I'm thinking this is going to be quite the winter in terms of snow fall. But, it's mighty beautiful!



The temps have been down in the teens but Koty and I stay nice and toasty burning all those blow down trees we've worked so hard to clean up. If you are ever in the market for a wood stove I highly recommend the Country Wood Stoves .  I wasn't aware until I got the link that Lennox has bought out Country. Hopefully that won't make any difference.

I heat my entire house all winter with just the wood stove. That's made more impressive when you know that we've been known to get to thirty below. I don't think you'll find a more efficient. Take it from someone who uses it for more than just a lovely room decoration. They are very nice looking too.

So back to Jasper. I love Jasper. Banff and Lake Louise are gorgeous but I really like Jasper. It's further up the road toward Edmonton but it's worth the drive. Because it's a little further afield there don't seem to be as many people around but lots of wild life and trails to hike until you can't go on.

So without further ado here are a few of my favorites so far.











You can see all the images uploaded so far at the Jasper National Park Gallery

Don't forget about the holiday sale going on. Just enter the coupon code KOTY BEAR CARES 2010 for a 15% discount on your purchase.

©Kinsey Barnard Photography

Jasper, Hibernia & Caledonia Lakes

September 13, 2007

Well, phooey, this was our last day at Jasper.

Mom worked on her photos and we FINALLY took off for Jasper. There is a trail network behind Jasper that is really cool. And, I highly recommend it when you’re in town. The trails aren’t the sort that would give serious backpackers a thrill but for people who just want to get out and see beautiful scenery these trails are great. You can walk an hour or a day through beautiful lake and forest scenery. The Friends of Jasper National Park maintains these trails, and many others, and the signing is just great. What a remarkable effort this group has made. Man, if I lived here I would drag mom down trails everyday until we dropped.

Anyway, we thought we’d try for Cabin Lake but ended up following Cabin Creek to Marjorie Lake. Just past Marjorie was a spur trail up to Hibernia Lake. We took the trail up to Hibernia and although it was anything spectacular I think mom tried to get some of her creative type photographs.

We went back down to the main trail and continued west to Caledonia Lake. Again nothing earth shaking, just nice. It’s the sort of scenery where mom often finds those special and unique situations.

All in all we wandered round for about four and a half hours. If a person was just hiking and not gawking, like mom, it would probably only take about two. We only went as far as Caledonia but if you really want a workout you can make a loop that takes you to Minnow Lake, on to Cabin Lake and back to the trailhead. That trip would probably take you all day.

So, that was it for today. Farewell, Jasper. It’s been loads of fun.

LAKOTA SUNRISE

©Kinsey Barnard

Sunwapta Falls, Buck, Osprey & Wabasso Lakes

September 12, 2007

Mom spent a couple of hours processing photos. This delayed the start of my day. You would not believe how much of my day she wastes on this activity. The plan was to go down 93A again check in at Athabasca Falls and head on down to Sunwapta Falls. After that, look for new hiking trails to explore.

Over night a storm had blown through. It was a doozie, the rivers and falls were all murky from the run off. We passed, again, on Athabasca and went on down to Sunwapta. Athabasca was crowded with tourists. At Sunwapta mom got out the old tripod.



There is a trail that takes off after the bridge over the falls. We took that for about an hour just to enjoy the sub-alpine forest. Mom loves to photograph the plants and stuff on the forest floor so it takes us forever to get anywhere.

After the Sunwapta walk we headed back north on the Icefields Parkway, aka 93. Our first stop was at the trail to Buck and Osprey Lakes. Wasn’t much of a hike and neither were the lakes was particularly pretty or interesting. But, I'll take my trail time anyway I can get it.

Back on the parkway we continued north to the Wabasso Lake trail. This was a nice little trail. It took about 40 minutes to get to Wabasso Lake, which wasn’t particularly special, but the trail was pretty and I’d do it again, like, there's any trail I wouldn't do again! If you start early enough you can take this trail all the way up to The Valley of the Five Lakes, which as I mentioned before is really pretty.

By now it was nearly five so we headed for the barn and a barbecue. Eat your hearts out my brethren. I got my own plate of BBQ'd chicken!

Until next time ....
LAKOTA SUNRISE

©Kinsey Barnard

Pyramid, Patricia, Maligne & Plants

September 11, 2007

We had made a date with ourselves to get over to Patricia Lake first ting to try and capture the calm morning water and the sun rising on Pyramid Mountain. Mom got herself all set up and we waited and waited. Carumba! I wish mom would get another profession. Like maybe, Iditarod racer?! I don’t like waiting and this photography stuff is nothing but! And, even then, sometimes she doesn’t get anything for the wait. She tells me photography is a lot like hunting and fishing. You walk, watch and wait. And sometimes you get skunked. I think she may have caught something. Pyramid Lake at day break

From Patricia we headed for Maligne Lake. Maligne is a beautiful Lake about a half hour forty-five minutes from Jasper. It’s a big tourist attraction so there can be lots of people. Course, I don’t mind because people just make a fuss over me. I’m a star!

Anyway we took off down the path on the east side of the lake. After awhile it turns into a trail and is quite a good hike. Mom, of course was stopping every two seconds to photograph mushrooms and what have you. She has an absolute fascination with things that grow in forest. She thinks everything in nature is a work of art. Gads, she holds me up. Anyway, she photographed and I explored. At the rate we go a short hike takes hours so that was about the extent of my exploration.

On the way home we could see that it was starting to cloud up. The view of the storm clouds surrounding the Palisades was just awesome.

Later in the evening we found out just how serious those clouds were. It rained cats and frogs all night long. One time there was this flash of lightening and the thunder that followed literally rocked Clementine. I have never heard or felt anything quite like it. Let me tell you I was under the dinette for the rest of the night. We get some doozie thunder and lightening storms back home in Montana but this one took the cake.

Until next time,
LAKOTA SUNRISE

©Kinsey Barnard

Pyramid Mountain, Patricia & Pyramid Lakes, Big Horns & Elk

Before I get back to our Canadian story I have to tell you, true to her word, mom did take me for a walk along the Tobacco River and the fall colors were just awesome. The walk was a gift to both of us!



September 10, 2007

We started the day at Patricia Lake. This little lake and Pyramid Lake are very close to Jasper township. Looks to me like a place where local people would come to play, swimming and canoeing and such. But, the thing about Patricia is the view of Pyramid Mountain. Pyramid looks pretty much like its namesake. It provides an impressive backdrop for Jasper. Patricia sits smack dab in front of it. Mom could tell there was a photo op here. The mountain is reflected in the lake and early calm water could produce a stunning photograph. We were just a little too late for this day but made a date with ourselves to return first thing tomorrow morning.

From Patricia we continued on to Pyramid Lake, which is only a stones throw further down the road. There looks to be a very nice lodge on this lake, which is also pretty but does not have the same view of the mountain as Patricia.

By this time I was getting rambunctious for a walk so we went to the end of the tarmac road and took off down and a closed dirt road that ran along the lake. For no particular reason we took one of the many side trails that went down to the waters edge. While I was sniffing all the glorious odors we heard what sounded like a fish jump. But, mom thought it sounded like too heavy a splash for a fish. Course, she could have been very wrong about that because just a few minutes earlier at Patricia a fisherman had told us the rainbow trout in these parts get really big. He said the record taken from Maligne Lake was twenty-two pounds! Now, that’s a lot of trout! But mom was right, on this occasion, because as we stood there looking out over the lake a beautiful loon popped up right in front of us. Make this photograph as big as you can. What's going on with the water is very interesting.

We continued on up the road but after awhile the road turned away from the lake and we turned back. When we got back to the parking area it was just a short stroll down to where you can walk out to Pyramid Island. This is a very pretty little island that has a footbridge to reach it and very nice views. I point these things out because I think you might be interested. Personally, I could give a fig. My nose was in overdrive. There were so many incredible aromas. So many smells to chase, so little time. Soon we headed back to the RV Park for lunch and a siesta.

Late this afternoon we headed out to see if mom could get some shots of mountain goats or big horn sheep. They are known to hang on the cliffs out along highway 16 north of Jasper. We didn't find any goats but we did find some Big Horns but ewes only. On the way we stopped to wander along the Miette River and made a stop at the Palisades (pictured) interpretive site.

At Palisades we took off for a little walk and very shortly ran into a gal that said she had come across a bull elk if we cared to photograph it. Well, it was back to the car for me. Mom changed camera lenses because she assumed she would need her telephoto. As mom tells it, it turned out to be the wrong assumption. Apparently, she nearly fell over the thing as he was sitting in the shadows right along the trail. He could have cared less about her presence and wasn’t in the least inclined to move from his repose. There wasn’t much in the way of a photograph either. The shorter lens would have been just fine! Better in fact.

That pretty much took care of this day.

©Kinsey Barnard

Pocahontas, Miette Hot Springs, Big Horn Sheep & Happy Birthday to Me!

Ok, before I get started with this day of our trip I would like to make an announcement. It's my birthday today and I am eight years young! So, altogether now "HAPPY BIRTHDAY LAKOTA SUNRISE!" Mom says; I get treats today without doing anything special, I get a walk along the Tobacco River and I get ice cream. Golly how I love ice cream.

Now on with our story

September 09, 2002

This was the first really nice day since we got to Alberta. The plan was to go to Pocahontas and Miette Hot Springs. It’s a very nice drive north on 16.

On the way we stopped to photograph some big horn sheep and mountain goats. Boy, those guys really live on the edge!

At Pocahontas we stopped for a hike at the mining site. We saw a sign that said Punchbowl Falls and followed it. We wandered all over the place looking for the falls because after the first sign there were no others. Canadian Forest Service signs seem to be a lot the Americans; they never quite give you the information you need to actually find anything.

After awhile we ran into some hikers and asked about the falls. The silly thing is we were quite near and easy access to them is right on the road to Miette Hot Springs. Course, I didn’t mind just meant more out of the car time for me. Water was pretty low and the falls weren’t much to write home about.

We continued on up the road to the springs. Made the walk up to the source and ways beyond. Pretty much of a yawner. After that we walked over to the Sulfur Ridge trail. On the way up mom did get a shot of a grouse. And, she almost got one of a really pretty butterfly but while she was jockeying for position she fell over the side of the trail. Fortunately, it wasn’t real steep at this particular spot so she didn’t go far. Needless to say there was no picture of the butterfly. I wish she wouldn’t do these things cuz you know who’s going to get pulled in after her!

We walked about half way to the ridge. Our trail book said it wasn’t much but the people coming down were telling us it was a great view. Unfortunately, great views don’t always translate into great photographs so we decided not to make the whole trip. Chatty Kathy (aka “mom”) stopped and talked to some guys and before you know it she had a dinner date. So, guess where I spent the evening. Stuck in Shadow outside the Fiddle River Restaurant.

On the way back to Jasper we stopped again to watch the big horn sheep. There was a mom and baby that made for a very nice photograph. That was pretty much it for this day. Except for the part where I got stuck in the car while mom dined on baked halibut. Darn her anyway. She knows fish is my favorite! Course, I like mine sushi!


Jasper Slideshow

Until next time ...

©Kinsey Barnard

JASPER, ATHABASCA & THE VALLEY OF THE FIVE LAKES

September 7, 2007

Well, we finally had a morning without mishap. The only problem was it was raining and the mountains were shrouded in clouds. We took off at 7:00 am anyway. Our first idea was to go to Edith Clavell Meadow. Unfortunately, the higher we went the more rain and clouds we ran into. We went as far as the hostel, turned around and went back down the mountain. Turns out dogs can’t go there right now anyway as they are doing some kind of Caribou reclamation project. They didn’t want my kind disturbing them. It seems wolves are caribou natural predators and dogs remind them of wolves. That being the case, imagine the impression I would make! That’s ok. We respect that sort of thing totally.

We headed on down 93A and came across a big bull elk fording the
Athabasca River. Thanks to poor lighting conditions, and me, mom didn’t get any keeper photographs. She misses more shots thanks to my irrational exuberance. As soon as she rolled down the window I tried to jump out while making a pretty impressive racket. I don’t mean to do it. I just can’t seem to control myself when I see wildlife. I just want to get after it and completely forget my manners.

A little farther down the road the same thing happened again only this time it was a pair of wolves, one tawny and one black. The tawny was huge and wore a radio collar. The black was much smaller and I couldn’t tell if it had a collar or not. Anyway, I repeated my performance trying to jump out the window and screeching my lungs out. I thought mom was going to strangle me. The thing is, I’m usually in a crate but Shadow is too small so I’m just in the backseat. As soon as a window goes down I’m there. I know mom’s windmill of a mind is working overtime on a solution. I hope it isn’t too awful. I really am sorry but I seriously can’t help myself. Anyway, I thought these guys might be cousins or something. I wanted to get their attention!

We continued on down 93A. Mom was not a happy camper. We stopped at Athabasca Falls. The place was crawling with tourists and it was raining. I got left in the car while mom went to check it out. Bummer.



We then headed back north on the Icefields Parkway (93) and stopped at a spot where they launch white water rafts on the Athabasca River. We walked along the riverbank for about an hour. Mom took some photos of mushrooms and stuff and a little animal mom later identified it as a pine marten. After that we called it a morning. Went back to the campground, ate lunch and took a siesta.

Around two thirty we hit 93 South again. It was still mostly cloudy. We headed for The Valley of the Five Lakes. This is a really neat place to hike. We got rained on some but we also had some sunny moments. The trail is well traveled but since we were there later in the day there were not very many people around. The five lakes, which apparently don’t have names just numbers, are crystal clear and some have that incredible green/blue/turquoise color. We spent about three hours hiking around these lakes and I think mom may have gotten one or two photographs that met her standards. This was especially good, as she gets a little cranky when she doesn’t get any photos that light her candle, so to speak. ☺

That’s about it for this day. Hope the weather is better tomorrow.

Until next time ...

Lakota Sunrise

©Kinsey Barnard

LAKE LOUISE TO JASPER

Bow Lake

September 06, 2007

We got up bright and early to be on our way to Jasper. But, Shadow did it to us again. This time the battery was dead. At first, mom thought it was because she had left the key in the unlocked position, even though she had disconnected everything else. We looked all over the park for help but no one was awake. We finally found one big bus with some lights on and knocked. A lady appeared in her robe. We were very sorry to disturb her. In the brief conversation it dawned on mom that there was nothing wrong with Clementine so we could drive to a gas station, which we did. Only problem was they didn’t do anything but sell gas. They sent us off to an auto mechanic but when we got there we found it had gone out of business. We spied some kind of Canadian government office and went in. They weren’t allowed to jump batteries but let us use the phone to call AAA. The nearest tow company was in Banff so we waited around for an hour and a half. It took the guy exactly 20 seconds to start Shadow with a portable battery charger. Sheesh! We should have one of those things. We were finally off at 10:30. That little adventure cost us about two hours.

After mom got done beating herself up for being so stupid she realized that probably the reason the battery went dead was because we hadn’t driven Shadow for several weeks and then we hooked that braking thing up and it just sapped what was left of the juice. It may explain the trouble we had yesterday. The battery was just giving up.

It’s a beautiful drive up the up the Ice Fields Parkway to Jasper. Many say it's the most beautiful drive in the world and I certainly wouldn't argue. But, it was cloudy and rainy most all of the way. We made a quick stop at Bow Lake and an even quicker stop at the Columbia Ice Fields. That old glacier is getting very tired looking and is not the least bit photogenic. We stopped long enough to start Shadow and let her run ten minutes just in case.


We pulled in to the Whistler campground in Jasper at about 2:30 pm. Thank goodness we had reservations because the place was sold out except for dry camping sites. We got a really nice spot. Mom got us all set up in about an hour and we took off for a hike. We drove up 16 to the Maligne Lake turnoff and went to the “sixth bridge” trail which is at the confluence of the Athabasca and Maligne rivers. There are number of pretty little trails to follow in this general area. We took #7, which follows the Maligne.

After a couple of hours of walking we called it a day. Before going to our campsite we went to check out the other side of the campground and found a great big old bull elk and a couple of cows. Mom, naturally, pulled out her trusty Nikon and fired off a few shots!

That was our day, this day. Looking forward to tomorrow. I know I’m going to get to hike!

Until next time….

Lakota Sunrise

©KinseyBarnard

BANFF, JASPER, YOHO, KOOTENAY, THE CANADIAN ROCKIES

WE ARE BACK! And, what a cool adventure we had. We hiked in Jasper, Banff, Kootenay and Yoho National Parks. We made new friends all along the way. Mom held me up with her photography the whole time but I'll bet she got some great photographs for you to see and the photography IS what it's all about. But, crikey, she gets wound up in it. I've never seen anyone get so lost behind a little black box. I'd best be counting my blessings. If it weren't for her obsession I wouldn't get to see nearly as much. :)

As promised I kept a daily journal so I could tell you about our journey. Starting tomorrow I will be posting those entries probably about one every other day. I like to be able to link you to photographs of the things I'm talking about. You know what they say, "A picture's worth a thousand words". Mom has her work cut out for her. I'm pretty sure she took at least a kajillion.

Until tomorrow ......

©Kinsey Barnard

BON VOYAGE CANADA HERE WE COME!

Hey, hey, hey! We are on our way!

Our next big adventure begins in just a couple of hours. Clementine is packed, Shadow is attached and mom is racing around like a banchee!

I'm not really sure how long we will be away. Mom always has a definite launch date but the returns are kinda iffy. My guess is that we will be gone around two weeks. Since we won't have internet access in Canada I won't be posting again until our return. But, not to worry. I will be keeping a daily diary and will regale you with tales from the road upon our return. :)

Scott our friend and neighbor will be looking after things here at the ranch. That's him in the photo with me. Thank you Scott!

Well, I'm just too excited to sit here another minute! I'm gonna go get under mom's feet. She always loves that when she's trying to get ready for a departure. :)

Until next time.......

©Kinsey Barnard