Category Archives: Travel

A Tale of Two Tea Houses

In early July I did some hiking in the Lake Louise area. I started at the Chateau Lake Louise and hiked up to Mirror Lake, then Lake Agnes, and its European-styled tea house. There were too many people so I didn’t stop and hiked around Lake Agnes to the switchbacks that lead to the top of the Big Beehive. Here you’re rewarded with a stunning panorama of Lake Louise. From there I descended on the Highline trail which had lots of big rocks, roots, and stumps. I was glad I had my hiking poles. Eventually you join the Plain of Six Glaciers trail which leads to another tea house. I pressed on to the Plain of Six Glaciers viewpoint and ate my lunch underneath the hanging glacier of Mount Victoria. What a great day. Click on any photo in the gallery to see a larger version.

Posted in Alberta, Hiking, Mountains, Summer, Travel | Leave a comment

Yellow and Green

The weather forecast wasn’t very promising, but I was determined to spend the day taking photos of the Fall colours. Timing peak colours each Fall is an imperfect science, and the ideal time and place one year can turn out to be a disappointment the next. The reason leaves change is because of a decrease in photosynthetic activity as the days get shorter in the Fall. I like this photo because of the vibrant colours and how the trees lead the viewer into the photo, creating a sense of depth. Click on the image to see a larger version with a black background.

Posted in Autumn, British Columbia, Mountains, Travel, West Coast | Leave a comment

Haida Gwaii – Islands of the People

Approximately 45 to 60 kilometres off the west coast of British Columbia are 150 islands that form the archipelago of Haida Gwaii. The climate produces lush vegetation, abundant wildlife and the area is nicknamed Canada’s Galapagos. It’s the heart of the Haida nation and they’ve lived on the islands for 13,000 years. There is more than 500 archeological sites, a few containing totem poles and longhouse remains. Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve is located in the southern islands and is accessible only by boat or seaplane. I just returned from a 10 day trip in this area exploring the dramatic landscapes, moss-covered rainforest and ancient village sites with my camera. I’m now sorting through my images and looking forward to sharing them soon on my website.

Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve

Posted in British Columbia, Historical, Summer, Travel, West Coast, Wildlife | Leave a comment

Beautiful B.C.

The province of British Columbia contains so much natural beauty. I used my drone to create this video. In the lower right hand corner is a button that allows you to view the video full screen. There is another icon in the lower right hand corner that looks like a ‘gear’. Here you can select the resolution and 720p seems to work best. There is also music which makes the video more enjoyable to watch. Comments are always welcome.

Posted in Autumn, British Columbia, Drone, Inspiring, Travel, Waterfalls, West Coast, Wildlife | Leave a comment

A Fog bow

I just returned from a week of exploring a remote area of Vancouver Island and came home with a greater appreciation for the natural beauty of British Columbia. There was an abundance of marine life to photograph which included humpback whales, killer whales, minke whales, pacific white-sided dolphins, dall’s porpoise, steller sea lions, harbour seals, sea otters, river otters, bald eagles, black turnstones, pelagic cormorants, common murres, rhinoceros auklets and kingfishers. Each morning there was coastal fog and one morning, as it began to burn off, it created this beautiful fog bow. At first I couldn’t understand the faint vertical line that appears in the middle of the photo shown below, but I think this is the shadow of the mast of the ketch I was on. To see more of my images visit The Salish Sea gallery and click on ‘View Slideshow’.

Posted in Birds, British Columbia, Science, Summer, Travel, West Coast, Wildlife | Leave a comment

A Distinctive Shade of Blue

A rainy day is a great time to look at images I’ve taken a few years ago. Recently, I came across this image I took early one morning at Moraine Lake. On my computer I spent some time post processing the image. Perhaps, some clouds in the sky would have created a stronger image, but still a nice photo of an iconic mountain location.

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Summer Days

The Johnstone Strait area gets over 150 cm’s of annual rainfall. It creates a very lush and green environment. This photo was taken in the village of Alert Bay on Cormorant Island which is the home of the U’mista Cultural Centre and museum. It has an amazing collection of First Nations potlatch artifacts. Click on the image to see a larger version.

Posted in British Columbia, Historical, Summer, Travel, West Coast | Leave a comment

Relax, This Isn’t The Mainland

The way of life on Vancouver Island is a little bit more laid-back then the hectic pace of the lower mainland. I just returned from a few days on the island and the weather in March is generally wet, overcast and cold, but I was fortunate to see some sunshine. It’s a beautiful place and you can purchase a home, with an ocean view for a reasonable price. In a few months campers and fisherman will be using the campgrounds and marinas, but right now this area is very quiet. In the city, when you sleep at night you often hear cars, taxis, trucks, people, dogs, helicopters and planes. There is also a considerable amount of light pollution from other buildings. When I went to sleep on Vancouver Island it was pitch-black and you couldn’t hear another sound. I’ve never slept so peacefully…

To see the photos click on the first image and then use the left and right arrow keys to scroll through the gallery. Prints are available on my website.

Posted in British Columbia, Inspiring, Spring, Travel, West Coast | Leave a comment

The Bond Between Mare and Foal

I spent some time revisiting my images from Iceland and I came across this photo of a mare with its foal. The foal was very shy, skitterish and suspicious of the human with a camera. The foal was always within close proximity of the mare. Originally the photo was larger and horizontal, I cropped it closer and I’m happier with the new composition. Click on the image to see a larger version. To purchase this fine art print see here.

Posted in Iceland, Summer, Travel | Leave a comment

Happy Thanksgiving

Vancouver Island is a great place to visit and live. Island life is more laid-back when compared to the hectic pace of the Vancouver lower mainland. I was fortunate to experience some sunny weather when I was exploring with my camera. One of the things I noticed was at night when I was sleeping it was pitch dark and eerily quiet, you couldn’t hear another sound. In the lower mainland you experience noise and light pollution 24 hours a day and seven days a week. Some of the communities on Vancouver Island seem to be struggling like many small towns in Canada. Click on the image to see a larger version.

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Posted in Autumn, British Columbia, Historical, Holidays, Inspiring, Travel, West Coast | Leave a comment