Day 2: Lake Louise and Banff

Chances are pretty good you’re already seen Lake Louise as any simple internet search of Banff National Park will pull up pictures of the lake. Best known for its searingly turquoise/blue watercolor Lake Louise is 1.2 miles long and has a max depth of 230 feet. While you technically can swim in the water the temperature rarely breaks 39C …so it probably wouldn’t be for very long. Obviously, our trip caught the tail end of the winter freeze, and as such most of the lake was frozen, although there were some spots where water could be seen seeping through. The incredible color of the water comes from the fine rock dust (produced by glaciers rubbing against bedrock) suspended in the water that reflects the sunlight. A brief discussion about our trust issues with the ice, the numerous signs warning of thin ice, and our ability to manage hypothermia kept us off the lake although there were probably 50 people standing out on the ice when we arrived. The views from the lake are incredible and speak for themselves.

The lake serves as host to the incredible Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise hotel. The hotel opened on June 1, 1888, and was designed by the owner, Canadian Pacific Railway, as a vacation getaway. Originally intended for summer use only the entire facility was winterized in 1982. The hotel boasts 539 rooms and 36000 square feet of meeting and event space.

The city of Banff sits at 4537’ and has a residential population of about 7800 people. We found the city to be clearly geared toward tourism, but clean, friendly, and with no end to the mountain views.

Location: 51°25'0.966" N 116°12'59.058" W , 51°10'40.854" N 115°34'14.988" W

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Phon D Sunset

I made a last-minute decision to head out toward the Phon D Sutton Recreation area and ended up paying the price by having to nearly run up a nearby hill to get set up for the last colors of sunset. Situated along the banks of the Lower Salt River the area is an oasis for canoes, tubing and fishing.

Location:33° 32' 48.528" N 111° 39' 40.332" W

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The Tree

A tree grows out of the rocky ground, framing Cathedral Rock in Sedona, Arizona.

Location: 34°50'33.708" N 111°49'32.46" W

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Barrel Cactus

A Barrel Cactus sits in the deserts the sun sets over the nearby mountain peaks. Barrel Cactuses are capable of sprouting flowers from the top of their dome but the dry conditions have thus far prevented such growth on this one.

Location: 33°27'15.366" N 111°30'30.114" W

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Boyce Thompson Milky Way

We have at least three significant wildfires burning east and northeast of Phoenix. Record drought and unusually hot weather have made these fires extremely difficult to contain. After spending a day taking some pictures at South Mountain I had the idea to try and get a time-lapse of the fires from an area well away from the firefighting operations. Photos posted by others showed visible flames from Apache Junction and East Mesa so at midnight I decided to drive out to a parking area across from Boyce Thompson Arboretum. Whether the fires had died down a bit by that point or I just didn’t have a good vantage point the end result was that I couldn’t even see a glow from my vantage point. My location was well outside of Phoenix and about 3.5 miles outside of Superior, AZ. As such there was very little light pollution and while a view of the fire was not to be seen I had an amazing view of the stars and the Milky Way.

Location: 33°16'58.89" N 111°9'56.2" W

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Picacho Road

Picacho is a small rural town outside of Phoenix as you head south toward Tucson. The area is a bit of an anomaly as it is home to miles and miles of farmland in the middle of our generally barren desert. I had driven out there to fly my drone and ended up staying for the sunset.

Location: 32°43'9.978" N 111°32'14.046" W

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Red Mountain

Mount McDowell, aka Red Mountain, towers above the lower end of the Salt River and the valley to the west with prominent peaks such as Camelback Mountain in the background.

Location: 33°32'10.8014" N 111°41'50.7148" W

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Lost Dutchman Stars

This is another shot off Highway 88, although this time I was just outside of Lost Dutchman State Park. Living this close to the desert wilderness, it doesn’t take long at all to get away from light pollution and capture photos of the stars. I was parked on a rise just off the highway and had a largely unobstructed view of the mountain two miles away.

Location: 33°27'9.798" N 111°29'38.94" W

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Marcos De Niza Trail

A friend and I decided to find a less-traveled trail of the offerings on South Mountain. The Marcos De Niza Trail starts at the trailhead off of 48th street, climbs quickly and runs along the ridgeline on South Mountain until meeting up with the National Trail. This picture was taken at the terminal point of our hike but the trail continues on for another 1.5miles before meeting the National Trail at the Buena Vista overlook. The day also highlighted the challenge that is dressing for hikes in Arizona during the winter months. The temperature dropped from near 80 at the start to mid 50’s by the time we made it back to the car.

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Homecoming Weekend at Luther College

I flew back to the Midwest for my 20th year reunion at Luther College. The weather forecast was for rain (and so far this morning it hasn't disappointed) so when I saw a little sunshine peaking through the clouds on the drive down yesterday, I decided to take advantage and grab a couple quick pics.

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Tonto Nights

The stars and Milky Way rise over a mountain near Saguaro Lake in the Tonto National Forest. Many thanks to my friend Sam for driving out to the middle of nowhere with me to hang out and watch the stars.

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