The best thing about living in Calgary is the proximity to the natural world,
so I thought I would do a thread showing
Calgary's great parks and abundant nature.
Then I got carried away and added what happens without a helmet,
a stolen car wreck in my fence,
the results of a downpour last June, and a few other odd shots.
"may the joy of nature inspire your direction in life"
jet stream geese above Stanley Park (no, not THAT Stanley Park) circling the Elbow River
Elbow river at Stanley Park March '08
the pathway tunnel under 10 Street NW at Confederation Park
almost midnight by the light of a full moon, Confederation Park October '07
west bound bike path Confederation Park October '07
city coyote, Inglewood golf course, October '07
Inglewood golf course October '07. This golf course was underwater during the flloods of June '05. Periodic flooding is beneficial to riverine forests.
Pierce Estate Park October '07
the killing machine, the Bow river weir. The water was very low in October '07
a Canadian pastime, street hockey, in Inglewood
a skating rink cleared on the pond, Rocky Ridge NW
Nose Hill Park. One of the largest urban parks in Canada, Nose Hill is a high point in NW Calgary. It may look boring and barren, but it harbours lots of wildlife and there are interesting ravines and valleys. The views of the city are unimpeded.
biking in Fish Creek Provincial Park
420 log, west end Fish Creek Provincial Park. Well that's what the grafitti said.
Fish Creek Provincial Park was devastated by floods in June '05 that washed away pedestrian bridges and pathways. It took until October '07 for most of the work to be finished. There are now new pathways and bridges that are wider and paved.
one of the new bridges in Fish Creek Provincial Park
Howdy! Fish Creek Provincial Park.
Thanksgiving dinner for 30, dining al fresco, October 14 '07
almost frozen Bow river
Bow river at Carburn Park SE with pedestrian bridge
Bow river
Carburn Park SE, a reclaimed gravel pit.
Surprise! A cyclist going by on the pathway caused this deer to jump out of the way, but then it realized I was standing right there so it froze for a quick pic before crashing through the brush to escape.
one of the ponds in Carburn Park
the view from the bike path bridge over the Glenmore causeway on the reservoir
night riders
nothing was moving very fast except for the pick up truck who went off-road to escape
a magpie taunting a coyote
Riverwatch, fun on the Bow
not a member of the golf club
deer in the Inglewood bird sanctuary
Inglewood bird sanctuary
it was Nikon season
the eagle was perched in a tree and when it launched itself, it started dropping towards me before getting some lift under its wings.
The Sculptors' Guild of North America had a symposium in August and Way Out West Park was transformed into a sculpture park.
Sibbald Lake, just west of the city. A family was starting a campfire at their picnic spot and my theory is that the cold air in the atmosphere pushed their campfire smoke down and onto the water giving this cool effect of smoke on the water.
Swinging bridge over the Elbow river. If you ever saw Cool Runnings about the Jamaica bobsled team in the '88 Winter Olympics, then you might remember this bridge.
Rotary Flames Park NW, next to the new Ronald McDonald House and Alberta Children's Hospital.
The Flames Foundation was founded by the Calgary Flames hockey team.
The Jaipur Bridge to Prince's Island Park. Jaipur is one of Calgary's twin cities.
P.I.P. is an urban oasis in the Bow river next to downtown.
Peacekeeper Park, to honour our soldiers and peacekeepers. 81 have died in Afghanistan,
they didn't know they would run out of room so fast to honour the fallen on a wall in this park.
west entrance to P.I.P.
near University Research Park in NW
Eau Claire Plaza
lagoon at P.I.P.
pathway in Eau Claire
P.I.P.
North Glenmore Park
Glenmore Lake at Heritage Park
Bearspaw Dam on the Bow River NW
Indian Oils, Sheep river
well it is Cowtown I guess
fields east of Calgary
the other killing machine on the Bow river at Johnson's Island,
Wyndham Carseland Provincial Park
where pelicans spend their summers
the Bow river at Carseland, SE of the city
Blackfoot Motorsport park SE of downtown
pioneer cemetery, on the southern outskirts of the city
The park at McDougall Centre, the Southern Alberta Government Centre.
It was a warm summer night almost midnight
and I was alone in the park with just the sound of the waterfall.
south Glenmore park, SW
Fish Creek park bridge construction, July '07
bunny caught in the headlights
Sick of the city? Kananaskis Country is an hour away or less.
Biking the Terrace Trail with my buddy the Mudrider.
This lady walking her dog stopped because the dog was doing its business
and she got soaked! She was glaring at me so I didn't take any pictures
of her "distress" and I was trying not to laugh.
Oh well it was only water and it was a warm July night.
Parkland SE.
The Mudrider is the cyclist on the path up ahead.
downtown bunny
down by the Bow
just after a hailstorm, Elbow Drive SW, June '07
moo noir
A stolen car hit our new fence that the City had just built as part of the
GE5 Glenmore-Elbow-5 street interchange/road widening.
The jd's in the car walked away before the police got there.
the lady in the dark glasses witnessed the whole incident from her balcony.
She phoned 911 and since the police helicopter was grounded,
she was able to track the kids as they strolled through
the neighbourhood hopping fences.
They didn't catch any of them.
The engine was still running as no one had a screwdriver handy to turn it off.
I went on a Land Rover adventure at Mclean Creek just west of Calgary
June 5 '07 we had a huge downpour.
There were many areas worse off than my neighbourhood but this is what I saw.
There was construction going on at this intersection which is
why there are so many floating orange pylons.
it was hard to hold an umbrella and take pictures, so they are a little blurry
Glenmore last May
mountain sheep, Sheep river valley
beaver
what spring is like in Calgary sometimes because of the elevation and the Rocky Mountains
Lake Sikome, Fish Creek Provincial Park. Sikome is a fake lake for swimming in the park.
It was closed for the summer of 2007 but should be open again this summer.
horse country
the lake at Coral Springs NE April '07
near Bowness and Bowmont Parks NW
Kids always wear your helmet. I came across this scene at the bottom
of "Rollerblade Suicide Hill" at the entrance to the Weaselhead in South Glenmore Park.
The paramedics tried to get there from North Glenmore Park which was impossible,
so we had to wait for another ambulance to approach from the south on 90 Ave.
They had to walk in with the stretcher since there was no room for a helicopter
to land and the path was too narrow for an ambulance.
Matt said he was the "Poster Child for protective head gear".
He is lucky he didn't suffer any brain damage, but he lost some hearing
in one ear for several weeks and ended up dropping out of school
as he recovered.
I know I am exploiting Matt by showing these 2 pics,
but if it shocks you into wearing a brain bucket then it is all good.
Bayview, South Glenmore Park SW
Quan Yin , goddess of compassion and mercy looking out towards the Rockies
Thanks for having a look at my pics!
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