Our Rocky Mountain High - Part 1

Lured by the stories that the Canadian Rockies were some of the most pristine and beautiful scenery in the world, the Gardener and I set off to visit this snow capped wonderland and find out for ourselves if these rumors were true~~

Over the next several weeks, I would like to share with you our adventures, photos of the incredible natural beauty, and passages from my journal as we traveled about on our amazing trip to the Canadian Rockies. We took hundreds of photos and I want to share with you the best of the best. If you cannot travel to the Rockies yourself, then let me take you there in this amazing photographic journey~~

(remember you can click on any of the photos to see them enlarged~)

"We have arrived here in Calgary, home of the 1988 Winter Olympics. From the plane I could see the snow covered mountains in the breaks of the clouds. I can hardly wait to be up close to those mountains, I have heard stories that they are so beautiful."

"~~founded by pioneers and deeply proud of their frontier history - we have found the people of Calgary to be incredibly welcoming and kind. We are going to spend the next couple of days doing all the touristy things~~

the view from the TOP of the Calgary Tower

I'm trying not to look scared here - but I really am! That's as far back as I am going!!

Dinner at the top of the Calgary Tower in the revolving restaurant. Touristy - yes. Wonderful - YES!!! We sat here until the sun started to sit - almost 10 pm! The view was amazing!

The Aerospace Museum of Calgary - (when you have a husband who is also a pilot - you do not miss any aviation Museums!)

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"~~ we spent a wonderful afternoon at the Prince's Island Park - right across the river from the skyline of Calgary - such a peaceful and beautiful place to walk and picnic. A really special place - I loved it here~"

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The First settlement at Calgary - Fort Calgary. A wonderful museum - literally just minutes from our hotel and located right in the middle of the city. I love how the city continued to evolve and grow and yet this special place remained here with some of the original artifacts.

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The skyline in the distance - reflected in the windows of the museum.

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"~~ we left this Calgary this morning headed for the mountains of Banff and Lake Louise. As we were leaving - we stopped by the famous Gina Brown's yarn shop. I was so excited to spend a little time here - I have been a reader of the Gina Brown knitting blog for a while now."

"Total yarn love!!"

"~~the shop was filled with beautiful yarns and I was in sensory overload! I am coming home with some gorgeous yarns!"

That's the Gardner over there smiling - he is a good sport to go with me when I visit yarn shops! Marriage is 50/50 right - that means I go to Aviation Museums and he goes to yarn shops!

We had dinner in Calgary with relatives of one of my best friends. Meeting Molly and Austin was truly one of the highlights of our trip. Now - we feel as though we also have "family" in Calgary! "Thank you both for a wonderful evening - for the dinner and the chance to visit with you in your lovely home.. We will be thinking of you often~~"

"~~we left Calgary behind - taking with us some wonderful memories and also the joy of new friendships. When we were only about 20 minutes from the city - we began to see the snow capped mountains in the distance. "

"~~nestled in the foothills of the Rockies - only about 25 minutes from Calgary - sits the quaint and rural community of Bragg Creek. Because it is so close to Calgary - people come from the cowboy city to enjoy some crisp fresh mountain air and some absolutely stunning scenery.~~"

" ~~winding among farm pastures and rolling grasses, the Elbow River swiftly brings with it the cold waters that have traveled the distance from the snow capped mountains. We stopped in Bragg Creek for some picnic lunch supplies and headed off to nearby Elbow Falls, the place where the Elbow River collides with the rocky slopes of the mountains to form an amazing natural spectacle~~"

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"~~ we spent the entire morning at Elbow Falls - walking around on the trails, relaxing by the roaring rapids, the water was so COLD!! I could have stayed here all day~ just sitting on one of the benches beside the stream - the afternoon sun feeling so warm and wonderful on my face~~"

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"~~ by late morning we were on our way to THE mountains. I hated to leave Elbow Falls, truly it was a wonderful place and I really could have stayed there all day ~~ but the mountains are calling my name. Tonight, when I sleep they will be outside my window. In the morning when I wake up - I will see the place that I have wanted to visit for such a long time - Lake Louise. But first - we are spending the afternoon in Banff - I can hardly wait~~"

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I'll be back with Part 2 soon~~Vicki