Banff

View from bridge below Sulphure mountain

A cute Squirrell

Bighorn sheep

Rain coming in

Banff Golf Course

View part way up the mountain

Gondola up Sulphure Mountain

I went to Banff on the same day and then went back a couple of weekends later to have a better look. On the day trip we just looked at the Fairmont Hotel. The Telus Skins was being played there though i didn't see any famous golfers.

When i went back for the weekend i walked up Sulphure Mountain. The hike took me 2 and a half hours and i was knackered but it was worth it in the end. The view was spectacular. I was so excited when i got to the top that i rang my Mum and Dad and woke them up at 5.00am in the morning. OOPS!!!

I have put up some of my favourite photo's from these two trips as well.


Shelley
xxx

Lake Louise

The Bow River

Naked Ski Hills

The Fairmont Hotel

Lake at Lake Louise

I went to Lake Louise on the Saturday 5th of September. I went for a day trip to Lake Louise and Banff in the same day. We didn't do much but walked around and took photo's. It is so picturesque i just stood and looked for ages. We walked though the Fairmont Palliser and then just walked around the Lake. It is so clear and the water is so blue. The snow capped mountains in the background are magical. It was hard to believe i was actually standing there looking at them.

I took heaps of photo's so i only put a few on the blog page...

Shelley
xxx

The Ranch

Joyce and a glass of wine

The cows ran away

The most beautiful sunset

Sunset over the wheat fields

Mule Deer on the side of the road


Well i was lucky enough to have met Joyce at the Stampede who was working in security with me. She was riding around on the police horses while i was inside working at the security desk. So as i do i always manage to make friends with someone and so ended up going out to stay with Joyce and Wayne out on their 'Ranch' for the night. It was so cool. I was really lucky and we had wonderful weather. I took heaps of photo's of the 'Ranch' but stupid me forgot to take one of the house. So i am gonna have to go back and visit again to take some more photo's.

So i head out there after work with Joyce, stopping at the store on the way home to get supplies and make it home in time for dinner which was good as we had Roast Beef, yorkshire pud and vegies - it was so yummy!!! It used to be one of their cowes until they chopped it up and froze it. Man was it nice. It was good to see that someone in North America knows how to make yorkshire pudding.

So then come nightfall after we have done the guided tour of the Ranch and watched the most beautiful sunset - No kidding the sky went from orange to redish, then red with purple in it, it was just amazing - we lit a fire in the backyard. (That's a small part that is surrounded by trees out the back door that looks like a backyard until you go on the other side of them and see that you are surrounded by farmland). So we are drinking wine around the campfire and we get the stuff out to make 'smoors'. Smoors are a canadian thing. They are made of Graham biscuits, and square of chocolate (we used the thin Lindt chocolate) and marshmallows. So you first toast the marshmallow and if your anything like me you let the marchmallow catch on fire and burn it until it's black and then you take a graham biscuit put a piece of chocolate on top then the burnt, melted marshmallow and then another biscuit (like a biscuit sandwich) and eat it. It's really yummy. So there we sat up and talked around the campfire until it was time for bed.

So the next day we wander around the farm again and i watch the farrier shoe the horse. One of the horses just had it's hoof trimmed and the other one had 4 shoes put on. Though we obviously have this in Oz i had never seen it from start to finish. I didn't know that they heated the horse shoe up and put it on the horse when it is hot and steam comes out everywhere. I got some great photo's of it. I spent time with Wayne in the truck as they had finished swathing (Cutting down the hay) that morning and they were then picking it up with the combine (picking it up and chopping it up and putting it in the back of the truck) and then taking it and dumping it in a pile where it is going to be covered up and kept dry for winter. It ferments under the plastic and therefore keeps itself warm so that it is nice for the cowes in winter. It's like giving them a warm breakfast. See even the farmers think of their cowes in the winter time - something warm while they live out in the snow. After the ride in the truck i spent some time in the tractor - a massive big John Deere. Man it was big and it had air conditioning in the cab.

So then come the end of the day we head back to my place and stop off at a restaurant called Joey Tomato's. I ordered the Lamb Chop Grill. It came with 2 lamb chops (which was nice to eat after so long without lamb chops) and a t-bone steak. It was the smallest t-bone steak i have ever seen. But it was nice all the same. We got home at about midnight that night and it was time for bed and up for work the next day.

It really was great to go out to the ranch and see what it's all about.

I have put photo's in the second flickr badge on the right hand side. The Blogger was playing up the day i uploaded the photo's and wouldn't post them on the site so i will try another day.