Alberta

Map of Alberta

Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump 

As we drove through northern Montana and southern Alberta we saw direction signs reading "To Buffalo Jump". I thought it must be some sought of rodeo event.
Intrigued by these signs my curiosity got the better of me so I made some inquiries.
A guy directed us to Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump , an ancient Indian site where up until the 1800's when Indians acquired rifles, was used to round up buffalo's.
Essentially the Indians would direct the herd into a corral and then create a stampede. As there are no trees on the plains the corral was crudely made of a pile of rocks supporting sticks and branches and a scary Indian shouting and dancing at spaced intervals . The corral tapered to a funnel and terminated at a cliff face. The momentum of the stampede sent the herd over the cliff and to their imminent death. Indians would be at the base of the cliff to finish off survivors of the fall and butcher the bounty.
Archaeologists have excavated the base of the cliff and found this jump has been used for 5500 years.

On the 18 mile drive out to the jump I had visions of a tourist attraction in a rustic Indian reservation with a burger shop and a casino nearby.

We were surprised to find in the middle of nowhere, a modern 6 level air conditioned building built up the side of the cliff with escalators and lifts . It had various displays on each level.

One of the exhibits.

An impression of the gruesome end.

This is the cliff where the beasts met their end. We were told it was originally a 30 metre drop and now the bottom is only 10 metre.

There are a number of known Buffalo jumps around North America but Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump is the biggest and best preserved.

Addendum: I suppose you could guess how Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump got its name but you would be wrong.

A young Indian boy wanted to see the animals close up at the base of the jump. He ventured to close and the Indians who carried the butchering of the herd found his body under a pile of dead buffalo's. His head was crushed.

They named the jump in honour of him.

Calgary

We made an effort to make the 100 anniversary of the Calgary Stampede.

Calgary was a buzz of excitement and all seem to participate in some way.

A busker in the Stampede grounds.

The city was in full colour.

We found the Indian Village interesting.

The dancing was very colourful. I suspect a lot more colourful than the traditional ancestral dress.

Despite his height this guy was right into it.

The Indian Nations are represented by the five tribes of Treaty 7, Tsuu T’ina, Piikani, Stoney, Kainai and Siksika Nations.

One of the Indian Nation,s Chiefs.

We could not buy seats to the main event so we decided to leave Calgary. Just as we were packing up a couple came over with two tickets from friends who could not make it. Bonus. So that night we went back to the Stampede for the nightly show.

Chuck Wagon races.

As the sun set the stage lit up with the entertainment.

Banff

The picturesque town of Banff

View down the main street to the mountains.

We found this interesting store called Rocks and Gems of Canada.

They had some really good specimens including this large Othorceras.

As we travel through Canada we see plenty of jewellery and other items made of this colourful stone called Ammolite. It is usually pushed as a valuable stone but we have seen huge pieces of it.

We set up camp just out of town at a forested RV park. This was a view to the "Hoodos" across from where we were camped.

The Fairmont Banff

Heres one from their Web site.

We hiked a walkway up a ravine that was anchored to the canyon wall above a furiously raging river. We wern't going to do it as it looked uninteresting from the carpark. It turned out to be the highlite of the day. 'You can't judge a book by its cover.'

Soft moss on the forest floor softened the turbulance raging below.

This section of the track terminated at a waterfall.

A few deer wandered into camp and got a bit of a fright when they saw my car.

Banff NP & Jasper NP

Another tick on the Bucket List.

I have heard about the Banff to Jasper drive. Reputably one of the worlds most scenic drives.

I must say I have to agree. It is certainly the best I have driven.

Lake Louise

Lake Louise needs little introduction. If you have never heard of it then I bet you have seen the pictures of it.

The entrance of The Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise.

Photograph from their Web site.

View from The Fairmont.

Panorama of Lake Louise.

Chris and myself on the aqua shore of the lake.

Nearby Lake Moraine.

Vista along the road.

We stopped for lunch and our rig attracted some asian tourists.

One of the many lakes we stopped at enroute.

The Indian Paintbrush flower.

The river falls into a narrow windy cravass.

The Icefields Parkway winds its way up a steep valley to this view point.

The snowmobile that takes tours onto the glacier.

Close up of Columbia Glacier.

Panorama of Columbia Icefield.

Falls on the roadside.

A raven.

Athabasca Falls

Maligne River.

Wood Lilly.

Maligne Canyon.

Wild Rose.

Elk.

The vistas on the drive were endless.