I don't really need to leave the area that I live in to find things to do. That's the positive to living in a wilderness area with hiking trails at three different parks within 5-15 minutes from my backdoor. That being said, I do need a mountain/camping fix a couple times a year so I went on a two day road trip.

I left home at 7:30am on Thursday and arrived at Fish Lake in David Thompson country at 11:30am. I knew the outing was going to be a good one when I caught the first glimpse of a doe and two fawns getting a drink of water from a pond. Beauty.

There were storm clouds on the horizon as I headed south but I stayed dry. In fact it was dry until I got camp set up. I snagged the last first-come first-serve site. It was meant to be. Well, there were other sites but nobody pays heed to the park regulations that state 'no saving spots'. On the way to my site, there were at least 4 if not 5 of them saved.

The camping part of the trip was a last minute decision so totally unplanned but I keep all the gear together. Well, at least I thought I did. The normal routine is to roll the poles inside the tent and store it so when I grabbed the tent, I thought the poles on top of the second tent belonged to it. Wrong. I had the tent but no poles.

That worked out okay because I rented a car with seats that could be adjusted so they fit like a glove and they were heated. Had the best camping sleep ever! Didn't hear any of the things that go bump in the night or the slamming of outhouse doors. It was drier than the tent would have been from the overnight showers and in the morning I turned on the car, cranked up the heat in the seat and was 'mosty toasty' when I crawled out to pack up the gear.

I wanted to leave early so I could capture the morning light on the mountain peaks and had hoped that the animals would still be out in search of food.

Fish Lake itself was my first stop before leaving the campground. It was cool overnight but the sun was out and steam was coming up from the water surface. The water was like glass. The only creature I saw in/on the lake itself was a dude skinny-dipping by the dock. As I left and headed west along the David Thompson highway, the first critter I spied was a hare. 

The highway heading west is a tale for another day.

For more photos visit https://www.facebook.com/outdoorrambling/

Last year I returned to my blog in October from my summer hiatus but decided that today was a good day to return for 2014.  For those that know me or have followed the blog for awhile, you are aware that summer and I don't get along very well.  I'm a winter person and can be found outside almost everyday in winter.

The heat, the pollen and the bugs of summer are my worst enemies so I tend to hibernate in the house when I'm at home or look for cooler environments to enjoy my outdoor time.  David Thompson country, west of Nordegg is one of my favorite areas and I managed to get there three times this summer to do some camping.  Each trip provided me with a first-time experience.

I left early on one trip and came across not one but three great grey owls sitting on fence posts along the roadside.  Such beautiful birds!

Another trip provided me the opportunity to see our Alberta forest firefighters in action.  A large fire started by lightning was burning out of control.  The area was due for a prescribed burn in a couple years time so the forestry department decided to let the fire burn.  The firefighters got it under control and managed it.  I was able to view the helicopters in action at the river with their big buckets.  What a treat!

The third camping trip allowed me to experience a severe hailstorm while I hid inside my tent.  The forecast said there was a possibility of a thunderstorm.  A bad hailstorm came through the area a couple weeks prior.  Who knew that a second one was going to happen.

I heard thunder and wanted to get a pot of coffee made before hunkering down inside the tent to wait out the storm.  The water wasn't even hot yet when I heard what I thought was the wind picking up across the lake.  I was wrong.  Huge raindrops began falling so I shut the stove off and ran for cover.  The zipper wasn't even done on the tent when the hail started.  It's quite the experience to be stuck in a tent while being pelted with hail the size of large marbles. 

In addition to enjoying my favorite campsite, I drove west along Highway 11 to Landslide Lake and the Mistaya River Canyon.  Parts of that highway were closed when the forest fire was burning along the roadsides.  

The south side of the highway was black and charred.  The north side of the highway had a prescribed burn go through it a number of years ago.  Now the bark is falling off the trees.  Snags are falling over.  The purple fireweed is prevalent and there are signs of rejuvenation everywhere.

Most of my outdoor time this summer was spent in my backyard. I got more landscaping done and the garden was bountiful.  I tried a couple of mini-pumpkin plants in the garden this year.  What a surprise I got when 5 of them grew and ripened on the vine.      

                                      

The garter snakes and the tiger salamanders were back which made me all the more happy about naturescaping the yard.  

The hummingbirds enjoyed the flowers in the backyard.  I saw them flit from flower to flower on many occasions.   The containers of petunias produced a massive number of blooms that spilled over the edges of the pots.  I will definitely be planting them again.  

I did get out to the trails a couple of times in the evening when the sun was not as hot.  I had to slather on the insect spray because the mosquitoes were very bad.  All in all, it was worth it.  I got some great shots of insects and garter snakes at the Cooking-Lake Blackfoot Recreation area.

I was excited yesterday when snowflakes were falling outside my window.  It doesn't matter that it was only September 8th.  The sight of snow means my favorite time of year is just around the corner.  I bought new skis/boots last spring and am ready to try them out

There is lots of work that needs to be done in the yard to get ready for winter.  I'm hoping to accomplish that over the next couple of weeks.  In addition to that, I'm hoping to get out on the trails to enjoy the beauty and smells of autumn.

I'll be posting regularly now that summer is over.  Please follow my blog and share the address with anyone that enjoys the great outdoors!

Road Trip! - Flora

The ditches along the David Thompson highway are carpeted in yellow; especially west of Nordegg.  The dandelions are creating a tasty buffet for the black bears in the area.  I must admit, the yellow blooms did look lovely against the many shades of green in the forest.  When the dandelions are in my lawn, I'm afraid I cannot say the same thing.

My first glimpse of more spring wildflowers occurred at Landslide Lake.  There were bunches of Three-flowered Avens.  The tiny pink flowers grew amidst the tall green grass. 

I found a patch of them with wild geraniums alongside the walking trail. 




 
On the north side of a large boulder, some delicate Northern Bog Violets were hiding from the sun.  The purple and bright green contrasted beautifully against the grey rock.  It is amazing how such fragile flowers can grow in that hard, rocky soil.




The wild strawberry plants were in bloom.  Field chickweed blossoms were interspersed with them.  The fireweed plants were only about 8 inches tall and still growing.  There are abundant so there will be a sea of purple when they are in finally in bloom.

 

From Landslide Lake, we traveled to the Mistaya River Canyon.  There is a bit of a downhill hike to get to the gorge.  On the mossy banks beside the trail, the Calypso Orchids were in bloom.  Numerous patches of them could be seen all the way to the bottom.  Their delicate little flowers added a punch of color to moss carpet.

A downpour forced us to shorten our stay in the canyon.  I've been there before and knew that there used to be violets growing in rock crevices; in the tiniest bits of soil.  

I guess I will use the fact that I did not see the violets as an excuse to come back again.  I will never tire of visiting this area.  The freshness, the smells, the peacefulness and the beauty draws me back each year; even if it is just a day trip.