Katabatic Winds:
There is always something new to learn and the world has so many interesting things to see. This week Grandpa and Grandma and Karren were able to visit the Columbia Icefields. It was quite a long day trip from Calgary but the scenery along the Banff/Jasper highway was just thrilling. The mountains in this part of the world are so high and rugged. One can certainly understand why they are called the Canadian Rockies.
The rock flour in the water made they lakes and rivers glitter bright blue. It is a color not often seen where we live and it was just beautiful. The water in the creeks entering the lakes was as clean and pure as could possibly be.
Bow Lake was simply gorgeous and there weren’t super huge crowds.
Columbia Icefields are quite the tourist attraction in Alberta for a reason. They are massive. We were impressed with the rocks that had been ground away by the glacier “icefield” and the striation on the rocks, as well as the very vigorous “Katabatic Winds” that blew off the glacier that were very cold. Grandma had to wear Karren’s extra coat. The water that was melting off the icefields was impressive. The water emptied into the North Saskatchewan River and eventually the Arctic Ocean. The North Saskatchewan River is large and winds through the mountains along this huge valley between the mountains. Thinking about the early explorers in this area makes you appreciate what hardy people they must have been. Masks were mandatory at all stops and tourists were certainly well herded in and out of any structure.
The rest of the weekend was spent trying to change the paint color in Karren’s place from dark purple and a very startling green to guess what? WHITE. The painting was quite a challenge and we all became very appreciative of professional painters. :)
Janet and Adam and Clark and Grant and Peter have been busy. They are trying to figure out how to deal with the squash that has grown through the fence and zucchini has become the perpetual harvest dilemma. What do you do with so many?
Several bottles of peaches were put up and we are all jealous of the fruit that is available in Provo. We wish we could come and get some to bottle. Hopefully next year we will be able to. Clark is starting Grade One on Monday and Grant will be starting pre-school soon. We hope there are no repercussions from everyone going back to school.
Lisa continues to work long hours at clinics and hospitals and a myriad of places in Chicago. She is piling up the miles on her car and we hope that Lisa and her car can survive the long daily commutes.
Joanie and Alec are having many adventures in Provo with Brigham and JR, including having "sleepovers" with Alec and Brigham in the basement and picking grapes in the back yard. Brigham enjoyed his time in school and JR enjoyed being home alone with Mom and Dad.
Karren has to give a talk in Sacrament meeting. Some Calgary wards have been resuming their meetings in a very limited way. Most of her Relief Society Meetings are done on Zoom.
John and Amy are busy making tasty bread and enjoying the zucchini from their garden.
Here is a website about glaciers and water. It is interesting because it talks about the familiar Grinnell Glacier in Glacier Park.
How grateful we are to know there is always something new to see and do and to know that “Katabatic Winds” are an interesting phenomenon on this earth.
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