This past trip has had me thinking about change. For someone who's had the same sandwich for lunch everyday for the past 4 years, I think I enjoy change. (As for the lunch and consistent, scheduled-to-the-minute morning routines, you have to factor in efficiencies gained by redundancy to understand.) I enjoy jobs and tasks that vary, provide unexpected excitement and bring me new challenges. Some of you despise change, yet everything around us is changing. People change (size, shape, values, hair color, etc.), laws change, scientific theories change, the media focus changes, season's change, weather changes, time changes and even the National Parks we saw these past two weeks are changing! Glaciers are receding, arches are falling, new arches are forming, hoodoos are eroding and fires are changing landscapes. Is there anything that doesn't change?
"In the beginning, O Lord, you laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. They will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like a garment. You will roll them up like a robe; like a garment they will be changed. But you remain the same, and your years will never end." -Hebrews 1:10-12
"Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever." -Hebrews 13:8
For us and our world, change is inevitable. But our God is changeless, steadfast and unaltered. Is your hope placed in something that will change with time, or the absolute changeless God?
Now are you ready for more pictures? Well wait no longer - these should keep you occupied for a little while.
We started our trip with a spin through Glacier National Park. In my last post, you saw a picture near our campsite off Lake McDonald. Following the Going-to-the-Sun Road, this is Avalanche Gorge. Do you see the ghost?
Joy and Mom trying to catch a few rays to warm up.
The road through the park is an engineering marvel that rides the edge of the mountains. This is a view through a tunnel bored out of the mountain side.
Joy and I trying to keep warm in the shade of Logan Pass.
To quote my Mom (before it got scared), "Oh, these are tame ones, nothing to be worried about..."
...so while my Mom snapped pictures, I got in the car.
The view while walking the trail to Hidden Lake.
Yup, we made it across the snowfields and found it!
This is one of those pictures I just snapped without thinking, and wish I had stopped to focus it a little better as we ran back down the trail.
Jackson Glacier - the only glacier you can see in the park from the road.
So while my Mom was taking flower pictures, I was doing handstands.
Joy looks out over Saint Mary Lake.
Now that's a great picture!
Simply gorgeous!
After Glacier, we camped out near Calgary, Alberta for the night. Before heading into Banff National Park, we spent the morning at Heritage Park, where they've staged a number of old Western buildings and working artifacts. You'll notice that "old" out West is only ~120 years ago.
I picked out my truck.
Not sure how this one got into the museum - there's one of these behind every barn in Idaho!
I picked out my truck.
Not sure how this one got into the museum - there's one of these behind every barn in Idaho!
While the train conductor dressed in his olden days garb wasn't looking... I was attempting to add a little excitement to the history lessons. Although, it was exciting to walk into some of the old houses and try to figure out if the woman sleeping in the corner chair was real or fake. Of course, when she startled awake, I'm not sure who jumped more - her or us.
This old steam engine was giving rides around the park.
Looking at this patients expression, going to the dentist was just as despised as it is today.
These guys are making deliveries around the park.
This guy is getting paid to act stupid. Hopefully he's not getting paid to much because all the kids that were watching are long since gone.
This old steam engine was giving rides around the park.
Looking at this patients expression, going to the dentist was just as despised as it is today.
These guys are making deliveries around the park.
This guy is getting paid to act stupid. Hopefully he's not getting paid to much because all the kids that were watching are long since gone.From Calgary, we headed into Banff National Park to see the Canadian Rockies!
"Home" for the weekend. "Joe, it's awfully drafty in your tent." was the last thing I remember my Mom saying before burying myself inside my mummy bag for the night. The next thing I heard wafting through the crisp morning air as I poked my head out of my bag to get a time check was, "I froze last night." Huh.
"Home" for the weekend. "Joe, it's awfully drafty in your tent." was the last thing I remember my Mom saying before burying myself inside my mummy bag for the night. The next thing I heard wafting through the crisp morning air as I poked my head out of my bag to get a time check was, "I froze last night." Huh.
An elk crossing the road on our way up to Jasper National Park.
A beautiful view near Glacier Lake.
As we pulled into Icefield Centre, a fast moving storm came through putting the mountains in the clouds and robbing us of our motivation to go further.
Here's a few pictures as the storm barrelled through.
One last look at the glaciers before they are enveloped by the clouds.
The pinnacle of this mountain reminds me of a cathedral.
For some amount of Canadian money, you can get a ride out to this glacier.
A beautiful view near Glacier Lake.
As we pulled into Icefield Centre, a fast moving storm came through putting the mountains in the clouds and robbing us of our motivation to go further.
Here's a few pictures as the storm barrelled through.
One last look at the glaciers before they are enveloped by the clouds.
The pinnacle of this mountain reminds me of a cathedral.
For some amount of Canadian money, you can get a ride out to this glacier.
The storm takes over. Thinking there was nothing left worth seeing in the pouring rain, we turned around and headed back towards our camp. About 5 miles down the road a ray of sunshine bounced off my rear view mirror as the sky opened back up and the storm clouds rolled away! With a renewed sense of beauty, we turned back around and continued on to Jasper...
...stopping to see a few more waterfalls and mountains along the way.
This picture does not adequately convey the force and speed of the water as it's forced into a narrow gorge.
Yet another view of the mountains along the way. Since we were on the edge of the time zone and further north, we continued taking pictures until 10:30PM! Unfortunately, we didn't get back to camp until 1AM, but we had plenty of time the next day to continue around the parks.
Starting out the next morning, we took the scenic route to Johnston Canyon and hiked into lower falls.
The view through an arch bored out of the canyon wall.
Upper Falls.
Just out of view is a priceless expression of a lady wondering what in the world I was doing as I prayed the railing would hold me.
Not to be mistaken for the waters of the Caribbean, this is a view of Castle Mountain above a river.
Proof that we were all there.
Next, we meandered over to Yoho National Park and a view of the 254 meter Takakkaw Falls (at least the Canadians are smart enough to switch to metric units).
...stopping to see a few more waterfalls and mountains along the way.
This picture does not adequately convey the force and speed of the water as it's forced into a narrow gorge.
Yet another view of the mountains along the way. Since we were on the edge of the time zone and further north, we continued taking pictures until 10:30PM! Unfortunately, we didn't get back to camp until 1AM, but we had plenty of time the next day to continue around the parks.
Starting out the next morning, we took the scenic route to Johnston Canyon and hiked into lower falls.
The view through an arch bored out of the canyon wall.
Upper Falls.
Just out of view is a priceless expression of a lady wondering what in the world I was doing as I prayed the railing would hold me.
Not to be mistaken for the waters of the Caribbean, this is a view of Castle Mountain above a river.
Proof that we were all there.
Next, we meandered over to Yoho National Park and a view of the 254 meter Takakkaw Falls (at least the Canadians are smart enough to switch to metric units).
As you would expect.
I'm not sure how it got it's name, but they call this Emerald Lake. Actually, the lovely blue/green color comes from fine particles of rock suspended in the water. Oh, and as inviting as the water looks, how's 39 degrees Fahrenheit sound?
Haven't figured out how to get the up-close flowers in focus, but this made for a great picture.
Looking the other direction.
Photo-op while being entertained by guy who had clearly never rowed a rowboat before. He got an "A" for effort, but a "D" for efficiency as he pushed (rather then pulled) the paddles through the water. After about 50 yards of over-exertion, he turned around and headed back.
If you look close, you'll notice a long freight train that seems to double over itself. After years of train wrecks, runaway trains and the need for extra engines to pull trains over the steep mountain, they built two spiral tunnels into the mountain side to ease the grade. This is Lower Spiral Tunnel and the most visible section of train is exiting the tunnel while the less visible section is going into the mountain.
Sunset on Moraine Lake.
I'm not sure how it got it's name, but they call this Emerald Lake. Actually, the lovely blue/green color comes from fine particles of rock suspended in the water. Oh, and as inviting as the water looks, how's 39 degrees Fahrenheit sound?
Haven't figured out how to get the up-close flowers in focus, but this made for a great picture.
Looking the other direction.
Photo-op while being entertained by guy who had clearly never rowed a rowboat before. He got an "A" for effort, but a "D" for efficiency as he pushed (rather then pulled) the paddles through the water. After about 50 yards of over-exertion, he turned around and headed back.
If you look close, you'll notice a long freight train that seems to double over itself. After years of train wrecks, runaway trains and the need for extra engines to pull trains over the steep mountain, they built two spiral tunnels into the mountain side to ease the grade. This is Lower Spiral Tunnel and the most visible section of train is exiting the tunnel while the less visible section is going into the mountain.
Sunset on Moraine Lake.Believe it or not, in an attempt to limit the number of pictures, I've left out a number of large waterfalls we saw and the well known Lake Louise. However, I couldn't bypass this... 
...Canada really does have a National Park called "Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump" to celebrate it's Blackfoot Indian history...eh?!?
...Canada really does have a National Park called "Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump" to celebrate it's Blackfoot Indian history...eh?!?
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