At an elevation of 2206 metres, Highwood Pass is the highest point in Canada which may be reached by paved highway. There are a number of good reasons to pause at the top of the pass, one of which is to enjoy the view to the north that, although somewhat restricted, features the distant peaks of the Kananaskis Range  and some very interesting and instructive geology.

Highway 40 follows the valley of Pocaterra Creek as it descends towards Kananaskis Lakes. To the left of this valley is Pocaterra Ridge, brilliantly green in early summer and featuring some classic avalanche slopes.

Highway 40 closes to traffic at the beginning of December and re-opens in May allowing the animals some R + R away from humans and at the same time protecting humans from the avalanche threats that exist in the steep sided neve basins (snow bowls).

This was Zofia’s first time at Highwood Pass as Bill has visited on a number of occasions to hike, with our hiking group, and also to take part in photo shoots.  In summer moose and bears frequent the area; so they take priority when raising young.  This is truly a beautiful spot in winter as you can snow shoe into the meadows and watch back country skiers glide down steep snow covered slopes.  On the other side of the road is a short snowshoe up to Ptarmigan Cirque.

Snow was abundant and the car park full, everyone taking advantage of a little sunshine and a snow pack deep enough to enjoy winter sports.  The wind however was biting and it was a pleasure to dip out of it in the forestry.  Up high there was not that much wind but it was chilly once you stopped to take in the views or have a refreshment break; our hot chocolate went down a treat.

Our first snowshoe of the season up to the meadows beneath Pocaterra Ridge provided us with magical snow covered vistas ….. as the advert for Alberta says “remember to breath”.

A Few Days in Sin City

Recently we took a trip to Las Vegas, mostly due to the fact that Bill bought Zofia tickets to see Rod Stewart at the Coliseum at Caesar’s Palace as her birthday present.  It seemed obvious that we would take a few days to explore Vegas and its environs as we had only ever driven through the place in a torrential downpour many, many years ago!  Fortunately for us our trip coincided with minus 19C temperatures in Calgary and so we enjoyed plus 15C in a sunny, but somewhat windy Las Vegas.

Las Vegas is one of the most populous cities in the state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County. It is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city calls itself as “the Entertainment Capital of the World”, and is famous for its casinos.

Established in 1905, Las Vegas officially became a city in 1911. The city's tolerance for various forms of adult entertainment earned it the title of “Sin City”, and this image has made Las Vegas a popular setting for films and television programs.

Las Vegas is situated in an arid basiin on the desert floor, surrounded by dry mountains. The Spring Mountains lie to the west. Much of the landscape is rocky and dusty; the environment is dominated by desert vegetation and some wildlife, and the area is subject to torrential flash floods. The elevation is around 2,030 ft (620 m) above sea level.

We stayed off the Strip and drove in and enjoyed the lights, the shows and free displays in and around the hotels.  We particularly enjoyed the water fountains at the Bellagio and the volcanic eruption at Treasure Island was interesting.  We didn’t enjoy the smoky atmospheres of some of the casinos, Bill thought the smoke was meant to add to the gambling experience – if this was the case we made a very quick exit from these places!  Although the casinos at the Bellagio and Caesar’s Palace were almost smoke free as the smoke wafted upwards rather than around.  We watched people at the slot machines and also those at the black jack and craps tables, not many looked happy and some were practicing their gambling ‘faces’ (giving nothing away).  We enjoyed the M & M store – especially the coconut and almond M&Ms – it was hard not to buy (and eat) too much.

Rod Stewart; what a performance …. We were shocked to hear the old rocker announce that Maggie May was 40 years old, needless to say Zofia quickly added that she was a babe in arms when Maggie May hit the charts and Rod and the Faces performed at the Sundowner in Brixton!   A great performance with brilliant support from the band and the singers, two and a half hours just whizzed by.

As a break from the Strip; the lights and the crowds, we headed out to Red Rock Canyon, certainly a place to revisit and hike.  The rocks were red in places and the vistas were stunning.  We also went shopping but didn’t really buy much just a couple of pairs of jeans although many Canadians were buying as much as they could!

We rounded off our trip with the Phantom of the Opera which was performed in a specially designed theatre, which was small and somewhat intimate.  The costumes and performers were good and the scenery certainly was multi-functional – an enjoyable evening.    As we departed the Venetian we entered the winter festival (not kidding) with people dressed up as snowflakes and other wintry characters, a little odd for us as Calgary already had snow on the ground and of course it was much colder!

We would certainly return to Vegas for the shows, we just missed Sting and his ‘back to bass’ one nighter at the Coliseum, and also to further explore the environs beyond the busy Strip.