As I sat at the kitchen table this morning, I watched the first rays of the morning sun stream through the tree branches at the back of the yard.  I could hear the chickadees in the tree by the window.  It was then that I decided that it was a good day for a spontaneous trip to Elk Island National Park.  So at 7:30am I threw the camera gear and a backpack into my vehicle and hit the road.

The bison were out along the fence line, grazing on the last blades of green grass.  Ducks and geese were swimming in the little ponds.  There was one thing for sure, there would not be too many people at the park at that hour.

It takes only 10 minutes to get to the park gate.  The sun was a little higher in the sky; illuminating the beautiful autumn colors.  Inside the park, bison grazed along the ditches.  They are so used to the traffic that they didn't bother looking up.

I stopped at each of the ponds along the park way so I could watch the ducks and the geese.  When the window was rolled down, I could hear them calling to each other.  Such beautiful sounds in the morning!

I drove to the Astotin Lake parking lot to see what was happening at the lake.  The sun was warming the air which in turn created a low fog over a grassy meadow.  I watched as the fog moved along the top of the tall grasses.

My hike took place on the Amisk Wuche trail.  The trail itself was covered with a leaf carpet.  The dew from last night made the leaves damp.  I could smell the decaying leaves and the ripe berries on the bushes alongside the trail.

Blue jays squawked in the tree tops.  Robins ducked and dived through the tree limbs.  Ducks swam on the ponds.  The water surface was as smooth as glass.  Photographs could not do the morning scene justice.  You would have to be there in person to take in the beauty and tranquility of the perfect Alberta autumn morning.

As I made my way around the trail, the spider webs shone in the sunlight.  They looked like someone had laser beams across the trail.  It could feel them on

my face as I forged ahead.  The dragon and damsel flies flitted from twig to twig; resting now and again in the warm sunshine.

I stopped at my favorite bench that provides a view of the larger pond.  As I moved to an open area to get a better view of the waterfowl, a couple of them flew up from the reeds; scaring the rest of them into flight.

What usually is a 45 minute hike, took more than 2 hours today.  I wanted to take advantage of the morning.  The sights were colorful, the sounds were tranquil, the smells reminded me that Mother Nature is preparing for a long winter nap.  The outing was perfect.