The illusion of Lake Louise

We woke and packed our gear early this morning to watch the sunrise over Lake Louise. A very beautiful lake in these parts. It was so translucent and clear it was like an illusion. In fact, can you see it? The reflection is crisp and perfect I flipped this photo upside down!

It was a good introduction to another long day. I dropped Steve off in Banff to catch his flight back east to his wife in Ottawa. I'll miss that guy what a good one. And then I drove our gang on our last road trip together. West across the Canadian Rockies on the trans-Canada and then south into the Kootenays into British Colombia to the edge of the Purcell mountains.

We stopped in the town of Invercargill to meet up with Jeff Gailus, a great writer, grizzly expert and next instructor who will be taking over for me. Before Jeff arrived we meandered town, ate ice cream, and went swimming in the local reservoir. It is warm and finally feels like summer here. And so we lingered there by the reservoir as Jeff arrived and cooked up a big dinner of beans and tortillas before pulling in at dark to the Zendyner Ranch on the next leg of the student's journey.

It is a gorgeous place even at dark - long fields of grass under the shadows of the mountains, old barns and broken down trucks in the weeds, fireflies and the erie wails of loons singing in the darkness.

Welcome to B.C.