CR-2010: Canmore

A big hello to the readers of Another Side of This Life. It's been a month since I posted, a very busy month. 

For example, we had three ash trees at the edge of our yard treated to eliminate and prevent infestation from the emerald ash borer. It's too expensive to treat every ash tree, but these were close enough to the house that it would be unsightly, and dangerous, to allow them to die in a few years. (The ash borer has now been found in every county in Ohio.) A new product, "tree-äge," or emamectin benzoate, is available and is injected into the tree every two years.

Alternately, you can start with one treatment of tree-äge, and follow up with annual soil drenches of an older chemical. The emamectin benzoate is better at zapping any borers that are already there, and the less expensive soil drench is fine as a preventive measure. The treatment must be done by a professional, not by the homeowner. Here is a closeup of one tree getting its shot.

Fortunately, there is much more interesting material from September for me to report. Joan and I spent about 2½ weeks in the Canadian Rockies (yet again), visiting new places and "old" favorites. Hence the title of the post, "CR-2010," short form for "Canadian Rockies 2010."

First, we flew into Calgary on the Saturday of the Labor Day weekend (also observed in Canada). When the ground crew in Calgary connected the jetway, one of them got on the plane's intercom and said, "Those of you who are returning to the United States should check in at the airport three hours before your scheduled departure because of security delays." Or something to that effect. Last year was the first year we had experienced any unusual delays getting through customs and immigration (which take place in Calgary, not in the US), when the line backed up all the way into the departure hall. This would be a demanding schedule because, going back, we had an 8:30am departure and a rental car to drop off.

But that's 16 days away. We made it through Canadian customs and went to Budget for our reserved full-size rental car. It wasn't quite what we expected. Does a bright red Ford Mustang GT convertible with a 5.0-liter V8 and a vestigial back seat (a apt turn of phrase from Car and Driver) and modest trunk sound like a full size car? Another surprise was the $10/day charge for taking the car into British Columbia, because Joan had specifically researched that charge on the Internet and Budget's web site did not mention it. On taking possession of the car, we discovered that, yet again, there was no owner's manual. It took us a day to figure out that the whooshing noise at highway speeds came from a loose latch on the convertible top. Still, the Mustang gave us good service on the trip, even if the largest duffle had to ride in the back seat (it would not fit in the trunk, even by itself).

After a long day that started in Columbus we arrived in Canmore. Originally a dirty, gritty coal mining town, Canmore began to reinvent itself after the mines closed in 1979. The construction of the Nordic Center for the 1988 Winter Olympics was a big boost to the town, which is now a year-round destination. While its neighbor, Banff, is inside Banff National Park and thus has its development circumscribed by Parks Canada, Canmore has been free to sprawl for recent decades. With its scenic location in the Bow River Valley, Canmore is in a major wildlife migration corridor, and thus there are ongoing difficulties with grizzly bears, cougars, elk, and such. It's a classic example of the tension between development, popularity, and wildlife.

We were originally to stay at a B&B called "Hogs and Quiches," but when the proprietors sold the property we were referred to Canadian Artisans B&B. Bob and Valerie were wonderful hosts, and the property, built by them over the years, really must be seen  to be appreciated. There are two suites, one above the other, in a mini-tower that attaches to the residential building by a small, sunlit hallway, or patio, or breakfast nook, depending on how you use it. The location is perfect. It's a short walk to the downtown and to the trail system on either side of the Bow River.

The next morning started off drizzly and damp, establishing a theme that would dominate our two weeks. Later Joan and I would decide that 2010 was in 2nd place to 2004 as our wettest visit, but more hospitable than 2004 in that the showers were generally lighter and briefer -- no steady day-long rains. Here is a look at downtown Canmore after we finished our Sunday morning loop.

This bridge is left over from the mining days, and carries only foot and bicycle traffic. It's only a couple of minutes from Canadian Artisans, by trail.

In the afternoon the skies improved and we walked several trails on the other side of the river, including along a bluff that gave a good view of Canmore. It is very illustrative; in the bottom right is the end of the spillway from a hydro-power generator. At far-left halfway up is downtown, and to the right of that is the large white tent for the Highland Games, a one-day event on Labor Day Sunday. We could periodically hear the muffled sound of the distance PA system announcing caber-toss results, and kilt-wearers were spotted in town. Beyond, on the far side of the Trans-Canada highway, are ranks and ranks of townhomes, condos, and timeshares.

Here's a zoom-in on downtown.

On this walk we spent a few minutes observing this unidentified flycatcher.

In our walks downtown we came across this mural. Obviously we were meant to be in Canmore for two nights, to be able to enjoy this for the first time. Such good taste!

That night we had to repack for Talus Lodge, a backcountry lodge accessible only by helicopter. Theoretically, there was a 30-lb. limit for each person's baggage, and not being certain how strictly this was enforced, we reorganized into two duffels carrying only the items we wanted to have at the lodge. As it turns out, weight was not an issue on this flight. If the baggage had been heavy enough to appear glued to the floor, perhaps, but I don't think we even exceeded the 30-lb. limit. The gear we left behind was in two other duffels, which Valerie at Canadian Artisans graciously agreed to store for the four days we would be at Talus.

It was a bracing morning, with clouds scattered through the air at different altitudes, when we arrived at the Canmore heliport. Alpine Helicopters, which does sightseeing flights, charters, mountain rescue, you name it, has quite a few machines based there.

I took a clip of our takeoff from Canmore. Whether arriving or departing, the chopper first maneuvers to a central point in the field -- you can see a painted circle in the photo above -- and then finishes the takeoff or landing. Also, at the beginning, note how the RPM of the helicopter blades interacts with the video frame rate to produce an illusion of slow rotation!


It would take us longer than expected to reach Talus Lodge, which I'll explain in the next post.