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"You and I have memories
Longer than the road that stretches out ahead
…
On our way back home
We're on our way home
We're on our way home
We're going home",

"Two of Us", Lennon–McCartney, 1969

Ron's Shadow on the Dempster Highway, NWT

There is nothing like getting home after a few months away. I sleep so deeply, so contently. I’m slowly going through the images. It will take a while. It never seems like I’m getting anything worthwhile during the trip. I’m always driven to find that illusive image, that trip defining moment that is a touchstone. As I pick the best images, my “keepers”, I’m finding a few surprises, images I didn’t think much of at the time. There will be a few photos that emerge as trip defining. I don’t think many will be more rewarding than the Aurora Borealis images from the Yukon

Northern Lights, Yukon

As hard as these trips are, traveling this way has been very productive. We keep trying to come up with a new way to do this. So far this is the best way for us. I’m not sure where our next trip will be. But I’m not in a hurry to be on a 3-month road trip again.

Old Church Saskatchewan

Peter Lougheed Provincial Park, AB

Rainbow in Yukon

Train Tracks, Saskatchewan

Tangle Creek, Jasper, AB

Larson Homestead, Grasslands, SK

Alberta

Think I'll go out to Alberta, weather's good there in the fall
I got some friends that I could go to working for…

Ian Tyson "Four Strong Winds", 1962

Mount Edith Cavell, Jasper National Park, Alberta

After driving right through without shooting in August, it was fun to spend some time in Jasper and Banff after the crowds had thinned a bit. It was still very busy but we didn’t have any trouble getting a campsite.

Bull Elk

Hoary Marmots

We met up with Adrien Veczan and Julia Wong for hiking and photography. We really enjoyed our time with them in Jasper.

We also met up with Aidan Ramos in Banff where he is working for the summer. Aidan shared some of his photography from his time in Banff. It was great to visit with him as well.

Moraine Lake, Banff National Park, AB

We ended our time in Alberta at our friend Bruce Whaley’s place. Bruce displayed his paintings at the Strathearn Art Walk. We helped him set up and spent the day in Edmonton. It gave us a different perspective of the city. We enjoyed our time with Bruce and his family.

Edmonton, Alberta

Our Own Bed

We are finally home. This has been one of the best summer trips we have ever had. However, it feels great to be home after travelling almost 27,000 km. I get to a point where I’m creatively spent and no longer productive. I wish I could just stop and rest along the way but it is so hard to not shoot when you are travelling in Canada.

Tombstone Territorial Park, YT - Click for larger

I thought it would be interesting to share my 5 favorite and least favorite moments of the trip. Let’s start with the negative so we can end this on an up note.

5 Least favorite things about our trip:

• Missing my mom’s surprise 85th birthday party. Sorry mom!
• Lori and I getting sick on the road. It’s never fun to be sick but when travelling it is especially hard.
• Problems and worries about the van. I worried everyday something would give out. It finally did resulting in a $700 repair bill and 2 nights in a motel.
• No decent photos of Grizzlies or northern lights.
• The incredibly long days of driving. Mind numbing really.

5 Favorite moments:

• The moment I photographed the barren land caribou north of the Arctic Circle. A dream come true.

Porcupine Caribou - Click for larger

• Celebrating our 30th anniversary in Jasper with friends.

American Pika - Click for larger

• Camping in Grasslands National Park during a thunderstorm. The light was fantastic and I howled and the coyotes answered!

Grasslands National Park - Click for larger

• Standing above the Salmon Glacier in BC.

Viewing the Salmon Glacier, BC - Click for larger

• Witnessing Bull Elk in rut in Jasper.

Bull Elk Bugling - Click for larger

As we rest up for our next adventure, we will work our way through the many thousands of new images. I will continue to share as we go.

In a Rut

Maligne Lake Historic Boathouse Jasper, AB - Click for larger

Without a doubt, Jasper is one of the most spectacular places in Canada. We have returned to the national park during the height of the elk rut. These guys really are scary monsters. We found out just how scary one evening when we returned to our campsite to cook dinner. There were female elk all around us. We photographed them all the while looking out for the Bull. All of a sudden, there he was with bloody murder in his eye. Lori and I made a hasty retreat to the van. After a while they all wandered off and we continued with our dinner. We have had many good opportunities to photo these big guys.

Bull Elk - Click for larger

Bull Elk Bugling- Click for larger

We have had a lot of sunshine and lots of different animals to work. The Maligne Lake Road was quite productive for us. We saw Pika, Coyotes, Bear and Moose.

Pika - Click for larger

Black Bear - Click for larger

I had photographed the boathouse at the lake one evening. The light didn’t last long enough for me to get all the shots I wanted so we headed back the next night. I waited and waited for the sun to peak out from the clouds. Lori went back to the car to get us something to eat. While she was gone, the light finally was there. I shot my landscape after waiting an hour and a half. As soon as I was done, a cow and calf moose walked out of the woods and down to the lake right in front of me closely followed by a bull!

Bull Moose - Click for larger

The moose had walked by Lori in the parking lot. She grabbed my 70-200mm lens and brought it to me. She then went back and grabbed my 500mm lens so we had all of our options for shooting.

Jasper is difficult to leave! I think this will definitely be one of the many highlights of our trip this year. We are heading south tomorrow to Lake Louise and Banff. Then we will finally turn east toward home.

The Colin Range, Jasper, AB - Click for larger

Pyramid Mountain, Jasper, AB - Click for larger

Golden-Mantled Ground Squirrel - Click for larger

Fun in the Rockies!

We left the prairies behind and headed for the hills. Lori and I have had good luck with weather and have had some great light for photography.

Mount Chephren and Waterfowl Lake - Click for larger

We started in Waterton National Park and then made our way north to Banff and then on to Jasper where we met up with our friends from Ontario - Robert and Olga McCaw and Scott Fairbairn. It was fun to do a bit of visiting and photography together.

Mount Edith Cavell - Click for larger

We have hiked a few trails and had lots to see and photograph. I prefer Jasper to all of the other Rocky Mountain National Parks.

Mount Edith Cavell - Click for larger

Hiking the Cavell Meadows trail on Mount Edith Cavell we found many Hoary Marmots and Pikas willing to pose.

Hoary Marmot - Click for larger

Hoary Marmot - Click for larger

American Pika - Click for larger

American Pika - Click for larger

Lori heard a noise outside one evening and went to investigate. It was a Great Horned Owl right beside our cabin! I grabbed a camera and it stayed long enough for me to get this shot.

Great Horned Owl - Click for larger

We will head north from here to the Yukon and Alaska.