Skolai Images

Hey Folks

Well, here we are in Montana, the Big Sky. Right now it’s a big cloudy snowy wet sky. But it’s awesome. My parents (whom I now refer to as “you pair”) had a good, albeit brief, time in Glacier National Park.Much of the park was closed, including Going to the Sun Road, which I really wanted to show them, but (more…)

Hey Folks

Well here we are. Not quite in the US. We drove most of the day, through Kananaskis Country, just west of Calgary, and on down south to the US border. Apparently there are no vacancies in the US this evening, as the border is closed, like it’s full. I guess that’s one solution to the illegal immigration issue, just close the borders. 7:30 in the afternoon, still light, and the border’s closed. (more…)

Hey Folks

I didn’t get to post anything yesterday, because we didn’t get anywhere that had wi-fi. So today I’ll make up for that by uploading 2 posts, the first one I had intended to upload yesterday but didn’t get a chance. This one is fresh out of the box.

Now we’re in the Canmore area, just south of Banff. Today I took my parents up to Lake Louise, Moraine Lake, and also drove the Minnewanka Loop, a sweet drive. The weather wasn’t the best, but could’ve been worse. Moraine Lake is a treat in any weather, so that was fun. Lake Louise is, in my opinion, really hard to enjoy unless you have the time to walk up the trail and leave the pandemonium of the Lodge and crowds behind. Even my poor old dad noted the irony (more…)

Hey Folks

Well, here I am in Banff. I’m still riding around the countryside with my parents, who give new meaning to the word “doddering”. We’ve visited nearly every public toilet in western Canada, which has been a real treat. So far, I haven’t had to unleash any violence, but I may resort to that medium of regulation sometime in the near future. My patience has been the mainstay of what stability we’ve managed to clutch. Dad doesn’t listen, and mum mumbles; a potent combination.

Actually, they’re doing OK, and I’m really enjoying showing them some of my favorite parts of the world. (more…)

Hey Folks

Here’s the latest from the road! I shot this saturday evening, just before dark. I had long been looking to forward to bringing my parents thru the Canadian Rockies one fall, Jasper National Park in particular. I knew they’d love watching the elk in rut, hearing the bugles and feeling the energy of the place. We had an awesome day, and visited Maligne Lake where we hiked out for a mile or so along the shore, and enjoyed some quiet of the forest and nearby mountains, before walking back and having lunch down the road by Medicine Lake. A quick run into town for a milk shake, some email and shopping (my mother is a certified shopaholic) and we were back out in the park looking for elk. just before dark we found this bull and his harem. I grabbed my camera and tried to get some slow shutter speed images, blurring the motion of the elk as they moved about. I was really hoping I’d got this series right when it happened, as the bull looked awesome through the viewfinder. After dinner this evening, I browsed through the images from today and was glad to see this was pretty close to what I was hoping for. A nice bull elk image, conveying the frenetic energy of the rut, and the intensity of the great animals.

Photographing elk is an addiction, I’m the first to admit. The rut is so different to other ungulates because of the setting (majestic mountains ranges such as the Rockies), the crisp fall air, fall colors, and the bugling. That bugling is such an amazing sound. my mum asked my why the elk bulls bugle, and I wasn’t sure. Some say it’s an expression of dominance, a challenge to other bulls, or a call to females. It could well be an expression of the sheer exuberance of being alive and a part of this incredible experience. I think if I could bugle like that as the mist settles down on the pine forest in the Canadian Rockies, I probably would too!

Cheers

Carl

Hey Folks

Welcome back to the journal. I apologize for such a lengthy delay between posts. It’s been a lot of time in the backcountry, and very little time at the computer - which is just how I like it. I’m still traveling, in Jasper National Park, Alberta, Canada, at the moment, riding ’round with my parents for a few weeks, before I return to Alaska.

I won’t go thru all the details of my travels for this last few months, other than to say it’s been awesome. The weather has been very nice this summer, for the most part, and the hiking second to none.

This photo is of a bear we call “Evander”, because he lost an ear in a fight a few years back. He’s one of the largest bears I’ve seen, and here he is in his prime, fat and ready for the winter. I’ve been fortunate to photograph him a number of times now, and every time I’ve run across him it’s been an awesome experience for me. Thanks Evander, for being such a cool bear!

I’ll try to write some more along the way here, and add some updates of my trips during the summer, and a few notes about what I’m up to.

Thanks folks

Cheers

Carl