Cabo Wabo

I heart Mexico. Well, at least the resort destinations. Well, at least the Mayan, Huatulco, Cabo and maybe Puerto Escondido. Well at least the areas between the edge of the hotels and shoulder deep into the Ocean. Everything else in Mexico doesn’t really matter does it? Well, maybe just the Pacifico Brewery. Is there anything else in Mexico? Well, who cares.

Seriously though, it grinds my gears when people tee off on Mexico from their fancy Ikea chairs in Canada. Oh, it's sooo dangerous, and I’m sooo safe in Canada. Have you been to Edmonton? Look at the stats, you're more likely to get murdered at home in Victoria (or pretty much any Canadian city for that matter) than as a tourist in Mexico! It really stuns me how easily people are tranquilized by fear mongering in the media. If you're looking for trouble, you're gonna find it. Mexico or Montreal. Cabo or Calgary. Skepticism and intelligent evaluation of information seem difficult tasks for too many people. Scary.

This day begins at the Barcelo Los Cabos pool to capture the reflected skylight before meandering down the beach for sunrise. I need a 3 stop reverse ND filter in my kit to bring back the blown out highlights on the left horizon. On a related note, I LOVE Singh Ray filters. P.S. great stocking stuffers for the photo nut on your list!
A pelican skims a wave in search of some breakfast that may come a bit too close the the surface.
The sunrise illuminates the surf that breaks VERY close to shore on this peninsula.
The only other early birds on this a.m. The paparazzi turns to capture their silhouettes as they head towards the fire.
Back at the pool for the afternoon. This shot might be a bit blurry as it was hard to hold my 5D and my pina colada at the same time.
Jigga what? Is this Maui? Some Hibiscus on steroids flourish on the well maintained grounds of the Barcelo Los Cabos

 And, departing, leave behind us footprints on the sands of time

Big Apple B-Day

A few sleepless nights of planning and a few more dollars later, I surprised Rav on the evening before her 30th B-day at the airport with an action packed visit to the Big Apple. She thought we were going to Edmonton (sucka!) until I played my cover of "Empire State of Mind" to her recorded on my cell phone. Step back from the mic Jay-Z, there's a new kid in town.

A google earth screen capture of my ambitious plans for us on the trip. Although we were only there for 4 days and photography clearly wasn't the priority, I was able to sneak my tank of a camera into my carry-on and catch some interesting visuals in our birthday blitz of the Big Apple.

Gotham city as seen by everyone to ever visit the city. Yes I know, you should go to the Top-of-the-Rock at sunset. But it's been done a jillion times before. Still, this image speaks as it appears highrise buildings cover the entire surface of the earth.
Ravi plots her shopping assault on NYC. It never stood a chance.
The contrast of life and decay as the late evening light awakens this little tree defiantly thriving against an abandoned building in Brooklyn.
The only affordable real estate in Manhattan
Vespa... itching to hit the streets near Union Square.
Not sure what to take from Times Square... other than this is pretty much how I remember it. A bright ass blur. Don't judge the non-rounded 8 diaphragm blades of my 50 1.4. I can't afford the 1.2 ok. TAXI!
A window sill in the Upper West Side proudly presents it's spring colors.
I heart Greenwich. Here I tried to capture the contrasting colors of each unit. In Calgary, we certainly don't pay architectural attention to each and every window, let alone preserve old fire escapes. Gentrified certainly, but beautiful anyways from an outsiders perspective.
Loved the little stores, pubs and coffee shops in Greenwich.
Insert two quarters and all will become clear.
Late night scenester/celebrity hot spot on the lower east side. I doubt the scene inside at night was as interesting as the when the afternoon sun brings to life the colors of the neighborhood.
2012 or 1875?
Uptown sits over the twisted steel of the Brooklyn Bridge
Although it was Sunday, Grand Central still bustles as a world unto it's own.
Everyone's favorite NYC dinner. Do go there. Don't loose your ticket. Bring Pepto Bismal, and your Lipitor.
DUMBO view of Manhattan. Cliche of course, but still a great view for perspective.
Juxtaposed ideologies: dull, archaic, rigid. Young, vibrant, dynamic. Monotheism vs Pantheism perhaps? Probably just a church and a tree.
Left: The Empire state building nestled between the legs of the Manhattan Bridge. Right: What's in a name?
Left: Some tulips and the Flatiron sprout up in early spring. Right: what you don't see is the 5 shopping bags she was carrying back to the hotel. What's worse: they were filled with all my new shoes!

Sparrowhawk

Headed down the Smith-Dorian and forged trail up Sparrowhawk Creek en route to Sparrowhawk Tarns. Lots of thigh deep snow lead to plenty of route finding on this afternoon. Thankfully, I had great company in Barkley and of course Cy. After 2.5hrs of climbing, we reached the Tarns and basked in the 25 Celsius heat (and this is February?!) as the sun reflected off the snow and cooked us in this sheltered oasis. If our Sherpa would have shown up with some beach chairs and case of Corona, I'm sure we could have sun bathed there for the day.

Here, these building sized boulders guard the valley that house the Tarns. We were surely the first bipedals to lay eyes on the Tarns this year, as all tracks had signaled defeat far back down the valley.


Left: Alpenland looks so much better and feels more rewarding in the dead of winter without a purchasing a lift ticket. Right: This chute we rode down from the Tarns was my highlight of the trip. A combination of running, bounding and rolling got us down 500ft within minutes without setting off any major avalanches.


Barkley looks majestic as he guards the entrance to the Tarns. Actually, he's looking back down the valley waiting for Cy to catch up and bust out some food.




Always herding his flock.


Left: Barkley readies himself to charge down the valley. Right: Somebody's getting pissed of being buried shoulder deep in snow. Poor neglected poochie!

Lookout!

Another day at the office. Plenty of fresh white stuff (not the REALLY fun kind :) covered all discernible track-setting over the previous couple of days so a few cheeseburgers were burnt off on this trek. The view from the summit of Lookout trail over The Kananaskis Lakes.


Left: The trees break to reveal the familiar slopes of Mt. Indefatigeable in the distance on our way up Lookout Trail. Right: Just a guess, but probably no new mail.


After my plane exploded in mid-air and I fell 30,000ft, I walked away unscathed due to my pillowy soft landing!

The clouds break and the angels sing as Cy breaks trail. Nope, this is what heaven looks like.

2011 Reflection

I've been reflecting on 2011 and the incredible adventures I've been on over the past 12 months. After cross country skiing virtually every weekend until spring, the warmer weather allowed me to tackle a few peaks and adventures. Here is a tally of my journeys over the past 12 months:

- Prairie Mountain: 5 summits
- Heart Mountain: 5 summits
- Powderface ridge: 3 summits
- Yamnuska: 3 summits
- Moose Mountain: 3 summits
- Mount Allan: 2 summits
- Fairview Mountain Summit
- Grotto Mountain Summit
- Lady MacDonald Summit
- Ha Ling Summit
- Mount Collembola Summit
- Northover Ridge Route
- Lake O'hara Alpine Routes (all in 1 day)
- Victoria Marathon
- Maroma Beach to Puerto Adventuras Mexican Beach Running Marathon
- Devi'ls Thumb
- Lake Minnewanka to Warden's Cabin + Alymer Pass
- Rawson Lake 2 visits
- Cox Hill
- Jumpinpound Ridge
- Three Isle Lake
- Burstall Pass
- Bourgeau Lake
- Calgary to Cochrane & Return
- 20-25 x-country ski days

So many miles on the ol' truck. So many mental (and physical!) snap shots. Although Northover ridge was insane, my day in the Lake O'hara valley was hands down one of the best days of my life.

Trips on my bucket list for the year:
- Healy Pass to Eohippus/ Talc/ Egypt Lakes
- Bryant Creek to Lake Magog
- Mystic Pass
- Haige Glacier/ Turbine Canyon
- Circumnavigate the Iceline

Bring on 2012!

Moose

One of our many trips up Moose Mountain this season on a beautiful late October day. A quick drive out from the city, and a rewarding summit that overlooks Calgary to the east and as seen here the Elbow range as Barkley and I pose for photographers.

Victoria

Packed up the Toyota and took off to the coast for a little run (Victoria Marathon). Forgot how beautiful Victoria was. Just a couple of shots from Vancouver and Victoria as autumn made it's way to the coast.