A Most Peaceful Place

Is this a slice of heaven or what?

Opapiskaw Rapids

on the Winnipeg River near Lac du Bonnet, MB  (the locals say lac du bonny)

The river was higher than usual, so the rapids were fairly submerged.

Common Yarrow (Achillea millefolium) 

So very peaceful.

I think this is Alumroot (Heuchera richardsonii). 

Did I say it was a most peaceful, still evening....??? 

 
And what Canadian lake, river or stream is complete without our national animal Castor canadensis

A storm advancing?  Yes, this is part of the storm system that caused flooding in Alberta, dumped a lot of rain over Southern Saskatchewan and Manitoba....with more to come.  But, I didn't know about all that.  I'd been in the woods for a few days, completely oblivious of what was going on in the rest of the world.  Switched off and tuned out.  So nice.

A Canadian Tiger Swallowtail (Papilio canadensis) also enjoying the simple and very natural life.

This particular bit of serenity was courtesy of Opapiskaw Campground in Manitoba's Whiteshell Provincial Park.

Thanks, Manitoba.  I'll be back.

Where is it?

A Mountain-Climbing Dream

Whew, I woke up from a dream wherein I was about to climb Mount Rundle at Banff.  One moment I was gazing at the mountain, the next I was geared up to start climbing the steep face.  I don't do mountain climbing.  I'm not afraid of heights but I do have a big fear of falling.  This was a bit of a nightmare!  At least I didn't wake up clinging to a rock wall unable to make myself take the next step....

It is a beauty, though, isn't it.  The classic thrust-fault Rocky Mountain.  I took this photo in October on my way home from the coast.

From MountainNature.com

The smooth sloping face of Mount Rundle has formed the focal point for millions of photographs over the past 100 years. However, as countless visitors snap their shutters at this picturesque peak, few appreciate the summits role as a perfect representative of Front Range mountain structure. Few peaks show the dramatic impact of thrust faulting like Mount Rundle. The Mount Rundle Thrust Fault, found at the base of Rundle’s steep eastern slope, allowed massive layers to be pushed eastward several kilometres. Cascade Mountain and the Three Sisters are part of the same thrust sheet.

The lower slopes are composed of steep, sheer cliffs of Palliser limestone. These hard rocks were formed near ancient coral reefs where lime rich muds were deposited to incredible depths. Similar conditions can be found in the Caribbean today. Moving above these cliffs, the mid-slopes of the mountain take on a softer, more crumbly nature. These soft layers are characteristic of the Banff Shales which form the middle of this three layer sandwich. Dark, and rich in organic matter, the Banff Shales may be 1,200 m thick. Were the hard limestone summit of Mount Rundle to erode away, these shales would quickly follow. Soft and easily eroded, they offer little resistance to the persistent forces of erosion and weathering.

The sheer summit of Mount Rundle is composed largely of ancient marine shell fragments now stranded more than 3,000 m above the nearest ocean. These limestones are part of the Livingstone Formation of the Rundle Group