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Weekend In Calgary

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Mike's House Warming and New Years 2000


You know - it's not that crazy cold.  I wouldn't want to be walking around without my jacket on, but properly attired it's not so bad.  All six of us (Jer, Mike, Sean, Mark, Jesse and myself) piled into the white Impala and drove from the airport north towards Novatel.  Mike's work place is a short trip from the airport and Mike parked his car (which brought back many memories) in the free parking lot.  Unfortunately we couldn't get a tour, but it's a nice building!

Rocks on PathNovatel

We then drove to Mike's house.  Mike lives in the North West of Calgary - roughly where 90th street would be.  His new home is in a very modern, planned neighborhood on the outskirts of development.  While small (a starter home), it easily accommodated his 6 guests (Eric arrived a few hours later) for our 5 day stay.  The interior is painted white with oak trim (Jer and Mike did much of the painting).

Front of Mike's HouseBack of the House

Mike's Neighborhood is on the edge of the city - walk past the end of the block and you are in open field.  I went out one morning (they have lovely long sunrises) and looked at the construction already under way.  The division starts with 7 show homes (varying design layouts and facades), and the evidence of long term planning (play area's, street layouts) are around (if buried in snow.)

House Being BuiltSuper Mail BoxConstruction

After a day of acclimatizing (and Mike getting over his cold) we (Jesse, Eric, Mike and Myself) went for a hike in Johnson Canyon - a very well developed trail in Banff National Park.  The Drive from Calgary (along the 1A) was a scenic hour and a half as we watched the mountains come closer and then surround us.  The hike itself was quite busy in spite of the cold weather.

Trees in Johnson CanyonMike in Johnson CanyonIce FallsLower Falls of Johnson Canyon

The first thing that really jumped out at me was the trees - they aren't what you find on the West Coast.  The second was the ice - again, not often found on the West Coast..  It seems there are two types of ice - slow flow and fast covers.  Where water was seeping out of the ground, or perhaps the smallest of surface water, large cascading, sky blue ice sheets formed.  Faster water such as in the stream would be bridged or covered over, but without a source of water, the ice would stop thickening.  As we walked up to the upper falls we were quite surprised to find a group climbing the falls!

Ice Climbing at Upper Johnson FallsIce Climbing the Side of Upper Johnson Falls

Ice Climbing at Upper Johnson FallsIce Climbing the Front of Upper Johnson Falls

These aren't the river falls themselves - these are slow seeps that have covered the rock faces on the far side of the river.  The river itself was still running fast and had only a thin layer of ice over it.  We suspected that most of the climbers on the wall were on a British tour package but we didn't stop to ask - we continued walking up to the paint pots.  After some carefully considered hiking (and watching the time) we decided to return short of our goal.  And we wanted to be back for new years!

Eric at the Upper Falls

New years come and gone (owe my head!) on the last day of our trip we took a walk in Nose Hill Park in Calgary.  This large park is on one of the rises in the North West of the city.  There is a few patches of trees, but for the most part it is open field. The city is sometimes visible in the far distance, but for the most part, it's you, the grass, the wind and that snowball that Eric just threw!

Boys Being BoysRocks on PathThree Throwing Snow

Thanks for having us over Mike!




Ice Climbing the Side of Upper Johnson Falls
Tags: climbing, ice, Rocky Mountains
House Being Built
Tags: construction, house
Ice Climbing the Front of Upper Johnson Falls
Tags: climbing, ice
Three Throwing Snow
Person: Eric, Jesse, Sean
Tags: snowball
Rocks on Path
Tags: car, snow
Mike in Johnson Canyon
Person: Michael
Front of Mike's House
Location: Go To...
Ice Climbing at Upper Johnson Falls
Tags: climbing, ice, Rocky Mountains, waterfall
Construction
Tags: snow
Lower Falls of Johnson Canyon
Tags: snow, waterfall
Super Mail Box
Tags: snow, sunset
Boys Being Boys
Person: Eric, Jeremy, Jesse
Eric at the Upper Falls
Person: Eric
Back of the House
Tags: house, snow
Ice Climbing at Upper Johnson Falls
Tags: climbing, ice, Rocky Mountains
Novatel
Tags: building, snow
Ice Falls
Tags: ice, Rocky Mountains, waterfall
Rocks on Path
Tags: cairn, rock
Trees in Johnson Canyon
Tags: forest, Rocky Mountains
Tags: snow(6), Rocky Mountains(5), ice(5), Do Not Tag(4), climbing(4), waterfall(3)
People: Eric(3), Jesse(2), Michael(1), Jeremy(1), Sean(1)

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Last Modified Saturday, January 21st, 2023 at 23:40:13 Edit
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