Winter in the Rockies

I flew last year on September 11th as well but unlike last year I wasn’t at the airport for the moment of silence that all of them have. However, flying on this date is unlike any other – it is quieter, more somber (probably as it should be) – and much less busy. My flight from LA to Chicago which is normally packed is essentially empty. Sure it is a Wednesday but I typically don’t have rows around me empty as I did when I just looked to change seats. Maybe people purposely avoid flying on this date – I didn’t do it by choice – but I can’t imagine that other business travelers somehow can avoid this date completely.

Photo of the Day – Winter in the Rockies

Winter comes early in the Rockies – when I’m in Rocky Mountain National Park in November this is probably how the Dream Lake area will look. The lake may not be completely frozen yet but the tops of the mountain will be snow covered. I’m off to Glacier National Park in ten days. It will be my first trip back to Montana since I went to Yellowstone/Grand Tetons shortly after college. Admittedly, the grizzlies scare me quite a bit so I will not be hiking (solo) before sunrise like I typically do in RMNP where bear sightings are a very rare thing (and black bears at that). However, I’ll still be out at sunrise for pictures and staying out past sunset to get that beautiful light. I’ll just make sure to stay a little closer to civilization while doing it…..just in case.

First Look at Lake Moraine

When I was in Banff in March the eight mile road to Lake Moraine was closed to automobile traffic so I wasn’t able to get a look at the most photographed lake in North America. It wasn’t until this past trip that I was able to get out to Lake Moraine for a sunrise. This picture is literally the first glimpse of the lake that I got. You walk up a flight of steps to the top of a rock pile overlooking the lake – an observation deck with benches and the like sits on top of the rock pile for the throngs of other tourists that arrive in the middle of the day. As soon as I stepped foot on the observation area I took my tripod out – mounted the camera and took this picture. Over the next hour or so – as the light changed (marginally because of cloud cover) – I took a number of other shots from different angles/perspectives. Without a doubt I can see why this is considered on of the most beautiful places in the world and Lake Moraine was worth the wait.

Photo of the Day – Lake Moraine Pre-Dawn