Forgot to mention, the Tulips are in full bloom! 

Oh, man, what a day. Went to Butchart Gardens and just could not believe how beautiful the place is. It's been a pretty tiring day (we took well over 150 photos) so I'll hold off on publishing the slideshow until Saturday or Sunday. This photo is a shot of the "Sunken Garden." 

When is 410 kilometers equal to 410 miles? When it's a two lane mountain road between Kamloops and Victoria, BC. It's been a long, long day on a long and winding road. You can check out today's slideshow at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/delos/sets/281189/show/ ... Enjoy! 

Another day on the road. We are off to Vancouver and Victoria, today. Since it's about 4 hours to drive and 1.5 hr. ferry ride to Victoria, don't expect much (as if!) from the Blog, today. 

Okay, Kamloops, BC. We stopped by the "Visitor Center" and asked about things to do here. The poor lady scratched her head and suggested only the "Wildlife Park" about 15 minutes East of town. We declined. We then asked about "photo opportunities." I believe this was the first time she had been asked that question. We then asked her how to get to some interesting erosion out near the wildlife park. Ahh ha! She didn't know exactly how to get there but her co-worker used to live out that way...So...we went out front and took a picture of ourselves in front of a big fish. The eroded hillside photos can be viewed as a slideshow here: http://flickr.com/photos/31922387@N00/sets/277791/show/ Enjoy (but don't get too excited about the scenery). 

Just posted a new slideshow at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/31922387@N00/sets/277208/show/ All of these were taken on the first day in (and around) Banff. Hope you like, em. I will be adding a few additional slides to this set, later tonight. 

Just posted a slideshow of Infrared images at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/31922387@N00/sets/275579/show/ These images are NOT perfect (a little on the dark side) and will be tweaked after the vacation. I'll try to get a few more 'slideshows' up and running, this afternoon.  

Not much to report, today. Lots of travel, very few photos. Traveling the Trans Canada Highway from Banff to Kamloops is absolutely beautiful. Including Banff, we passed through 4 national parks. We crossed the continental divide, went from the rocky ridges of Banff to the lakes and wooded hills (very much like the White Mountains of New Hampshire), to some incredibly eroded hills around Kamloops. We will explore this place, tomorrow. Until then, adieu. 

We're "mountain drunk" after today's excursions. Drove up to Lake Louise but were disappointed because the lake was frozen and not very photogenic. Then things got really, really good. We took the scenic route back to Banff (about 30 miles). It took hours because we could not go a mile without stopping for pictures. After lunch, we took a gondola to the top of Sulphur Mountain (color photo). Will try to catch up on the posting of the photos in the next two days. Wednesday is a travel day, an Thursday looks like it will be fairly quiet. Stay tuned. 

Some larger images can be found here: http://photobucket.com/albums/v194/Delos/Canada 2005/ I will add more as the days go on. 

This the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel. We are not staying there. I'll try to get more pictures posted in a while. Comments and suggestions are always welcome. 

So, after arriving in Banff, we started to explore. We immediately noticed a sign directing us to Bow Falls. This picture is the Spray River. The photo was taken at about 7 p.m. Bow Falls, by the way, is out of the picture to the extreme left. I'll be posting larger size images to another URL and will provide a link once it's done. 

First of all, sorry for the "D"lay in getting these posted. Tried to find the energy, last night, but decided sleep was more important. This is one of the first photos we took after leaving Calgary. A very friendly and helpful customs officer suggested we take the "old" Transcanada Highway rather than the new one, and, boy was he right. Beautiful drive once we were away from Calgary. This lake is about 1/2 hour from Banff. 

We made it to Banff...here's how...Out of bed before 3 a.m., 10 past 4, out the door. Outside air temp: 39 degrees. Flight to Cincinnati. Snow on the ground. Close connection. No breakfast, non-stop to airplane. Flight to Salt Lake City, 3 1/2 hours. B'fast = cheese crackers, bottle of water. Another close connection at SLC (they were paging us for the flight as we entered the commuter terminal. Mad dash to plane (located a furtherest point in terminal: Gate 34). Arrive in Calgary. Correction, WE arrived in Calgary. Our luggage was still in SLC. Pictures will be posted when the luggage arrives, later tonight. Cranky, grumpy, tired. It's been a while since 3 a.m. CDT. More later... 

Twenty-two hours to go and Barb has been in high gear since yesterday. Recheck of the WX shows improving conditions, whew, eh? Today's itinerary includes finishing the yard work, renting a car for tomorrow's trip to the airport (cheaper than a taxi), packing, finalizing animal arrangements (thank goodness for great neighbors), dinner out, Ambien, and an early bedtime. Up at 3 a.m. and out the door at 4 a.m., tomorrow. 

As usual, the weather is not looking so great for the first part of the trip. Light rain, 58/34 degrees on Sunday, Scattered showers, 65/35 on Monday, and Tuesday (go figure) just as we are leaving, Partly cloudy, 63/37.  

Okay, this is Canada 2003 (Nova Scotia, actually), just an example of the dynamic and stunning photography that will soon be appearing in this blog. The tall guy is Glooscap. (native Canadian for eh...) 

Looks like we're off to Canada again this year, eh. This time its Lake Louise, the Canadian Rockies, Vancouver, Victoria, and a cruise to Alaska. Neat, eh? Well, just stay tuned to this page for all the exciting action from the trip. That's all for now...hey, honey, where's my touk?