Banff

The scenery around Banff is spectacular. We made a short visit to Banff in the Rocky Mountains National Park in Aug '01. We played golf at Banff Springs Golf Club, saw Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep, moose, chipmunks, but no bears. Lake Louise is what one usually hears about, but Lake Moraine — only a few miles away — is much more beautiful and much less spoiled (i.e., no big Marriott hotel). Photographic conditions were not ideal as there was controlled burning taking place somewhere and the air was very hazy.

Rocky Mountaineer

These images were all taken during a rail trip from Banff to Vancouver on 14-15 Aug '01. My wife and I went on the Rocky Mountaineer; it was a fabulous trip. We were "GoldLeaf" passengers, which meant we travelled in a double-decker domed carriage. The upper deck provided an almost unrestricted view of the beautiful scenery. Breakfast and lunch were silver-service affairs served on the lower deck by the excellent and friendly staff. I would recommend this trip to anyone, although, by all accounts, the loop to Jasper has even better views.

I spent most of my time on the platform at the end of the car. This meant I could take pictures without interference from toughened glass, but I was filthy with diesel smuts at the end of the day — took four washes to get my hair properly clean!

All images were taken with a Canon EOS D30 using a Sigma EX 28-70mm f/2.8 lens. The train, while slow-moving most of the time — around 30-35 mph — hardly ever stopped completely. I hadn't had the D30 very long, and  I wasn't entirely sure what the effect the vibrations would have. So I used the Sigma, which is my fastest lens, set aperture-priority at f/2.8 and just fired away. Many of the images have a hazy skyline. This is because, somewhere in the Rocky Mountain National Park, there were controlled forest fires being burnt to reduce the undergrowth. The smoke travels a huge distance and the result is that aggravating haziness.

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21 August 2009, originally published November 2001