Billy Goats, Farmers’ Market and More Bears…

Billy Goats, Farmers’ Market and More Bears…

Happy Canada Day everyone!  There is a place called the Nordic Center in Canmore that I think may be a building that was used in the Olympics when they were in Calgary/Canmore.  Outside of the building is a beautiful big Canadian Flag that makes my heart proud every time I see it.  Hope you all have a wonderful long weekend!

Speaking of weekends, we sure got slammed last weekend with full campsites and people in overflow as well.  We had 76 camping units spread over 50 sites plus overflow (which holds about 7 campers).  It was a crazy weekend and we were sure glad to see Sunday come so we could clean up and then take a day off on Monday!  There were two company camping trips in the campground last weekend and we expected a bit of wild partying…we were right, but did manage to calm everyone down so that other campers were disturbed.  One fellow was so appreciative of our help that he gave us a $100 tip for the weekend….nice!  People started coming up on Tuesday this week to register a site for the long weekend.  What that means is that they register and pay for the week (even if they aren’t going to stay there) and then put up a tent and leave it on the site until they are ready to go camping.  It does get expensive for them but they are willing to pay the extra even if they don’t stay in the site until they come up on Friday.  We’ve got a lot of families and fishermen in the campground right now so hopefully it will be a good weekend and we won’t have too many partiers disrupting things.  It was a good weekend for recycling though…I took cans and bottles in this morning and got $245 plus change!

Tom went to Boulton for gas, water and other supplies yesterday and I decided to stay home and make cookies and clean up the fifth wheel…I should have gone with him because as he was filling the water tank a Mama Grizzly and two cubs walked out of the bush to see what he was doing.  He got a nice long look at them and then shouted “go bear” to them and away they went into the bush again.  That is what the conservation officers shout to the bears when they are trying to make them leave a site or scare them off…I guess the bears have become accustomed to hearing it and know what it means.  I wish I would have been there to take a picture of the bears…next time I’m going with him.  We also had a black bear walk past the place where we camp and then continue up the road right to the end of the campground.  Several campers saw him but he wasn’t interested in them at all.  One pair of bicyclists said he walked right by them on the road and didn’t even give them the time of day…guess he was intent on his journey south.

When we came back from town last week we saw a mountain goat on the hill out of Canmore.  People say there used to be a lot of mountain goats in the area but they all disappeared about 10 years ago.  They are now slowly making a come-back.  Not sure if they migrated to Banff for that time period or not but it is quite unusual to see one.  They seem to be much more timid than the mountain sheep that we see all over the place.  I remember seeing lots of mountain goats up near Cache Creek in BC when we were traveling through to Saskatchewan on family vacations…wonder if they are still in that area.

Now, for all you fishermen…here’s a story!  We talked with one of our campers this past weekend and he was so excited because he had pulled a 17 pound lake trout out of Spray Lake…he showed us and we took pictures (with the company phone so I don’t have them on my computer yet)…I will try to post them next time.  The fish was huge!  27 inches long and he held it like a baby in front of him…the fellow said he would fillet it and smoke it…mmmmm…

Canmore has a Farmers Market every Thursday which is fun to go to.  Fresh fruit, veggies, home made foods and lots of arts and crafts.  It is really interesting to see the goods for sale as well as the people that the market brings out.  Usually there is some kind of music being played and other activities happening.  They block off one whole street in front of the visitors center to have the market.

We’ve been visited by herons at the lake lately.  (the picture is not great because I took it at dusk)  The lake water is rising and I think there are minnows near the edges where the water is a tiny bit warmer.  The herons stand there and then suddenly stoop down and scoop up a fish or two.  Often we’ll see osprey with fish in their talons and of course the ever present ducks and geese on the lake.   There are at least one pair of loons on the lake as well.  Though they are usually fairly timid birds, these ones seem quite accustomed to people and came right up to the shore to see what we were doing the other day.  We had fishing lines in the water with smelt as bait and had to pull them in for fear the loons would dive for the smelt.  It was very nice to see them on the lake and I love to hear them at night…they have such a haunting call.

 The other day we were putting wood in the truck to make a run through the campground selling some and a mama moose and baby came trotting by.  By the time I got my camera though, all I got was this picture of their butts going into the forest.  The baby is so funny looking with long legs and short body...only a mother could love!

We were having breakfast on Sunday morning.  Tom has mastered making pancakes over the open fire.  We suddenly heard screams coming from the other side of the lake…Tom got our binoculars to see what was happening and he watched for a while without telling me what was going on…turns out there were two girls skinny-dipping in the lake!  The water in the lake never warms to more than 5 C degrees…I’d scream too!  Tom now loves Sunday morning breakfasts!!!  (sorry guys, no pictures!)

Tour Divide and Much More…

Tour Divide and Much More…

Last Friday was the Tour Divide, a bicycle tour that travels from Banff to Antelope Wells, New Mexico. We had about a hundred bikers come through the park, most of them fairly early in the morning though there were some that started late and a few that started the next day.  The Tour is not exactly a race, though there are some bikers who do compete to see who can get there first or perhaps beat the record time, but most of them see it as a personal challenge.  There were two young people from Ohi, California who came through yesterday on their way to Mexico.  They did not want to travel with the rest of the tour but did want to challenge themselves to the bike route.  It was a horrible rainy day and the poor kids were soaked, tired and hungry by the time they got to our campground but felt better after they lit a fire and dried off a bit.  They carried on this morning hoping to do about 15-20 miles today.  

We never fail to see Rocky Mountain Sheep hanging around on the hill down to Canmore.  They are shaggy this time of year still having some of their winter coat on but are so interesting to see and watch.  They are so sure-footed it’s amazing.  The other day we saw a mama and baby and that little baby followed his mama up the steep, rocky hillside just as quick as could be.  They are pretty amazing and seem to like to pose for pictures.

This morning we went down to Boulton Creek to pick up supplies and on the way down we saw a cow moose and her calf.  They are such funny looking animals.  They disappeared into the bush so quickly I couldn’t get the camera trained on them quick enough to get a picture.  Hopefully we’ll see them again.

The lake continues to rise as and as it does it seems there are more and more birds on it.  The eagles are still hanging around and now we have a variety of ducks on the lake.  There are some that are small and colourful…they might be wood ducks though we haven’t been able to get close enough.  I think the ones in this picture are merganzers…am I right?

good weather

My friend Wilma gave me this stick for my birthday.  It is a weather stick and tells you if you’ll be having good or bad weather.  If the weather is warm and sunny, the stick points up.  If the weather is cold and rainy, the stick points down.  We’ve had both good and bad weather and the stick continues to predict it correctly….pretty interesting!

Notice that the stick is tied to the tree.  We are not allowed to put nails in any trees or disturb the vegetation in any way.  The conservation officers would give us a big fine if they saw a nail in a tree!

bad weather

This is a picture of Wilson, our mascot.  We found Wilson lying on the beach and he reminded us of his namesake, the Wilson basketball in the Tom Hanks movie, Castaway.  In the movie Tom is stranded on a deserted island with no companion except, Wilson, his basketball who he spends most of his time talking to…at least we have our campers to talk to but it’s still nice to have Wilson around!

 

Flowers are popping up all over the mountains.  These little purple ones look like some sort of lily or iris with their spotted throats.  I’m not sure of their name, but would like to know.  The Indian Paintbrush are just beginning to show colour…it won’t be long and they will be all over in the meadows and mountainsides.  Wild strawberries are crowding the grassy areas right now.  You can hardly walk in along the shore in front of our campsite without stepping on them.  I expect they will have tiny little berries and the animals will have a grand time munching on them.

We haven’t seen any bears this week but continue to keep our eyes open for them.  They are out there, most likely sticking their tongues out at us as we pass by them in our vehicles.  I would love to see a mama and cubs and get some pictures of them.  Down near Peter Lougheed Mountain, about 15 miles from here, there are quite a few reports of grizzly bears.  We have been asked to attend a meeting on Friday morning with Conservation Officers and other Campground Managers so everyone knows what to do if there are bears in the campground.  We always tell our campers there are bears around (even if there are no reports of them) so that they keep their campsites clean…it helps keeps animals away and I think the campers are kind of excited to hear there are bears in the area…so much for little white lies!

Do Bears Poop in the Woods???

Do Bears Poop in the Woods???

Now that’s a question that’s been asked very often and we have the answer…yes, they do!  We found their outhouse while out on a walk through the forest!  If there is any doubt though, we could ask this guy whose picture was taken just across the dam from our campsite….he’s a beauty!  First grizzly we’ve seen up near Spray Lake, though I’m sure there are many, many more out there.

 

(I’m not sure why I don’t look happier about catching these fish!!!)

So we tried fishing again and this time with some great success.  We fished the same location as last time and were there for about an hour and a half before I caught the first fish.  It was about 15” long and was a nice lake trout…almost immediately after that, Tom got one.  His was a HUGE lake trout measuring 22”…what a beautiful fish! And they taste so good fresh out of that cold mountain water.  We barbequed the big one and Tom tried smoking the little one…mmmmmmm…..

 

Tom was busy this week moving picnic tables …we’ve got new ones throughout the campsite and it sure does look nice.  We clean up the sites after people have left and so far our campers have been really considerate and left nice clean campsites.  They tend to leave firewood behind if they don’t burn it all but that’s fine with us cuz we then stockpile it and  burn it on our own campfire!  We had a really busy weekend then it’s been pretty quiet through the week so far.  I imagine things will pick up tonight and we’ll have a busy father’s day weekend!

The lake level is still coming  up and for now there’s plenty of beach to enjoy.

Our weather has been pretty good here, though it’s not the least bit hot…we tend to run in the 15-16 degrees through the day…sometimes a bit more.  We did have a couple rainy days though and Oso did NOT like to wear his raincoat!  The only reason I put it on him is so that we don’t end up with a wet-dog smell in the fifth wheel.  Yesterday was a nice sunny day and he actually decided to go swimming in the lake…what a goof…we had to dry him off really well before he was allowed in!

Coming back from Boulton Creek the other day we saw this scrawny looking moose by the side of the road…poor thing was pretty skinny but I think maybe she was also a young cow…I imagine a week or so of feeding on the nice green grass though will fatten her up nicely. 

 

We are looking forward to this weekend and the Tour Divide which is a bicycle race that starts in Banff, AB and goes to Antelope Wells, New Mexico.  The race is supposed to take about 21 days and runs 2745 miles (which is insane!) and will run right through our campsite the first day.  The bikers come up a trail from Banff to the campsite then head south for a long, long way!  More power to them!  Pictures next week!

We finally took our recycling in to Canmore this morning and got a grand total of $174.25 for it…pretty good for a few weeks of picking up cans and bottles.  I still can’t believe how much people throw away when they could easily recycle it…kind of a shame, especially in such a beautiful pristine setting as the Spray Lake Valley.  Oh well, their loss is our gain.

We found some strange looking mushrooms out in the forest…I’m not sure what they are but they seem to grow quite nicely in certain places.  Anyone out there have any ideas???  They look kind of like bear poop…perhaps there’s more evidence that bears do poop in the woods!!!

Week Four…Campers, Recycling and Odd Skates

Week Four…Campers, Recycling and Odd Skates

This has been an interesting and busy week at Spray Lake.  The weather has been pretty good although the wind is sure whipping things up as I write this.  It seems to come out of nowhere…it can be as quiet and sunny as can be and suddenly the wind is blowing hard.  The tarps outside the fifth wheel are dancing in the wind right now…scares Oso half to death!  

 Our little Oso has been waking us up at night lately too…not sure what he smells or hears, but suddenly he’ll start growling and then barking his head off.  He runs to the back of the couch and looks out the window but it’s so dark at night there isn’t really anything to see.  It’s probably moose or deer moving through the area…or maybe coyotes.  We’ve seen trace of all of these animals close to our campsite.  The coyote in this picture was on the road down to Canmore…he sure looks nice and healthy!

There was a young couple through the campsite early this week.  They were from Holland and had flown into Calgary where they purchased very fancy mountain bikes.  They had begun their journey in Banff and we were the first stop on their trip along the Great Divide Trail.  At the end of August, they planned to have gone as far as Chihuahua, Mexico.  The bike trail from Banff to our campsite is all uphill and these kids were pretty tired.  They managed to make some dinner and then crawled into their tent.  Hopefully, the next couple days would not be quite as strenuous for them as it wouldn’t be such a steep climb.  Imagine traveling by bicycle all the way from Banff Alberta to Chihuahua Mexico…amazing!  Bet they’ll have great big strong legs by the time they get there!

Oddly enough we had another visitor from Holland.  He was a wildlife photographer and had been in BC and Alberta for about three weeks…he and his wife had two more days before heading back to Holland.  They stopped in to see if we could recommend a place where they’d be sure to see animals.  We told him about Mt. Engadine, our favourite moose watching place, and about Interlakes where two bear cubs who had lost their mother over the winter were often seen out on the ice on the lake fishing.  He got quite excited about the possibility of seeing the cubs and off he went with his two-foot-long telescopic lenses and his fancy cameras.  I never hear whether he saw the bears, but hope that he was able to find them and get some pictures. 

The moose that frequent the area around Mt. Engadine are slowly coming back  There is something in the soil, salt or some kind of mineral, right in front of the lodge that the moose like.   They create a big muddy spot there and you are very likely to see them there early in the morning.  I got some amazing pictures of them last time we were here in 2011 and hope to get some more this year.

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So….we went fishing…and we got skunked!  It was a beautiful day and we decided that since we’d bought some bait we might as well go try it out.  The lake is very low at this end, but at the south end of the campsite there’s still some nice water for the fish.  We hiked quite a ways down through the bush and out onto a little peninsula in the lake.  We fished for a couple hours and though we didn’t catch any fish, we saw them.  The little rascals would follow your bait into shore but wouldn’t take it.  I cast out time and time again right where I could see the fish and they would again follow the bait to shore…guess they just weren’t hungry! There are wonderful lake trout here and the best bait is smelt.  The conservation officers are very, very strict on what can and can’t be used in the lake.  Using minnows is a big no-no since they don’t want any other kind of fish introduced to the lake.  They are strict about your hooks and other fishing equipment.  You are not allowed to use barbed hooks…the CO’s will actually take a ball of cotton and run it down the hook and if it catches on anything, you could get a fine.  Pretty serious about the rules aren’t they!

Yesterday morning we finally sorted our recycling.  We’ve got about $150 worth of cans and bottles so far…not bad for the first three weeks of camping.  Once it gets busier and especially after a long weekend we will make quite a bit more.  When we were here in 2011, we made $1200 just in recycling…nice little bonus!

The girl in this picture must truly be a dedicated athlete!  I’ve seen several people doing this and I think they are practicing or keeping in shape for cross country skiing.  Or perhaps it is just a way for them to keep in shape.  They wear these odd looking roller skates that are about two feet long and use cross country ski poles to push themselves along.  In any event, it looks like a very strenuous sport, especially when you see them going uphill…sorry, it’s not for me!  Since we are about 5500’ in elevation there are lots of winter sports here and I expect people like to keep in shape for them throughout the year.

The other day we went for a walk in the forest to the north.   We walked off the trail and through the bush…the moss on the ground was absolutely amazing…it must have been four or five inches thick.  It was so soft and felt so good to sink your feet down into it.  Everything is starting to grow now…the new grass is greening up the place and the leaves are finally out on most of the trees.  I even saw the very first wild strawberry blossoms of the season just this morning...maybe spring has sprung in the Rocky Mountains!