Alberta (AB)
Moraine Lake is a glacially fed lake in Banff National Park, 8.7 miles outside the Village of Lake Louise, Alberta, Canada. It is situated in the Valley of the Ten Peaks (of which tree are shown on the left), at an elevation of approximately 6,183 feet. The lake has a surface area of 120 acres and a maximum depth is approximately 46 feet.
The completion in 1885 of a transcontinental line on the Canadian Pacific Railway route, along with the construction in 1890 of the first commercial accommodation at Lake Louise, attracted increasing number of visitors. The Lake Louise area became an international destination.
Although not clearly seen on this photo, Lake Louise is well known for its emerald colour which originates from rock flour carried into the lake by melt-water from the glaciers that overlook the lake.
Named for a Cree expression of awe and wonder, the Yoho National Park was created on October 10, 1886 following a trip by Prime Minister John A. Macdonald and his wife Agnes through the Rockies on the newly completed Transcontinental Railway. Yoho lies on the western slopes of the Canadian Rocky Mountains
The Canadian Rockies
On the Alberta flag, the St George cross signifies Alberta's links to Britain as the cross is the flag of England. The scene depicts the landscape of the province.
The Canadian Rockies comprise the Canadian segment of the North American Rocky Mountains, lying between the Interior Plains of Alberta and Northeastern British Columbia.
Facts & Figures
Admission to Confederation: 1905-09-01 (11th Province)
Size: 250,000 sq.mi
Capital City: Edmonton
'Alberta': Named after Princess Louise Caroline Alberta (sixth child and fourth daughter of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert.) after whom Lake Louise (see below) has been named as well.
In the section of the Kicking Horse River close to Field the river is actively cutting down its bed. The main processes involved in this area are solution of the limestone in the river water and abrasion by sand and gravel being carried by the water. Both these processes were involved in the formation of the Natural Bridge and will continue to do so over numerous years to come.
Info: Alberta
Moraine Lake
Lake Louise
Yoho National Park / Natural Bridge
The Canadian Rockies have numerous high peaks and ranges, such as Mount Robson (12,972 ft) and Mount Columbia (12,293 ft).
It's a region of alpine lakes and diverse wildlife.
The fast streaming rivers are excellent sound mufflers if you are an unskilled guitar player.
Facts & Figures
Netherlands: 16,040 sq.mi
England: 50,301 sq.mi
Alberta's landscape encompasses mountains, prairies, desert badlands and vast coniferous forests. It has more than 600 lakes. In the west, the Canadian Rocky Mountains have glaciers in the Columbia Icefields.
I have been treated by Jenny and Michael on several trips to get a taste of this wonderful landscape we know so little of in the Netherlands.
An absolutely gorgeous drive from Calgary to Revelstoke during which at times we were the single users of the highway.
Canadian Pacific Railway 'Spiral Tunnels'
The essential problem is that the railway has to ascend 1,070 feet along a distance of 10 miles from Field at 4,267 feet climbing to the top of the Continental Divide at 5,340 feet.
Trains of considerable length are able to have the locomotive to pass under the train it is pulling.
The Canadian Rockies are composed of shale and limestone. Much of the range is protected by national and provincial parks, several of which collectively comprise a World Heritage Site.
Info: Banff & Lake Louise
Info: Spiral Tunnels
Info: Yoho National Park
Nowadays known as Lake Louise, previously the body of water was called Ho-run-num-nay, the “Lake of the Little Fishes” by the Stoney Indian people and lies in a valley close to some of the higher peaks in the Canadian Rockies at an elevation of 5,740 ft. The first non-native to behold it was Tom Wilson, who – led by a Stoney guide – reached its eastern shore in 1882.
Although Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) replaced the 'Big Hill' track near Field by the Spiral Tunnels in 1909, the area has long been a challenge to the operation of trains and remains so to this day.
