Elbow Falls

Right where the foothills turn into the Rockies, just off the side of Highway 66 in western Alberta, lies Elbow Falls. Its majesty is not in its size, but in the pristine water and rocky shoreline that culminate at this point of the Elbow River.

On March 16, 2019, the snow was still deep on the ground and the ice still clung precariously to everything it had enveloped with its slippery touch, but the sun shone brightly and it was warm enough to leave our coats behind and take our cameras on an afternoon drive.

Playing with shutter speed... though maybe not quite to the extent I thought.

Frozen water!

Imagine how cold it is!

We weren't the only ones (or even the only photographers) at the falls that day, but it was a great day for a quick getaway and the perfect good bye to winter.

On The Rocks

Some things can be made all the better with just a little ice.
An injury.
Cream.
Tea.

And the province of Alberta.

I wanted to see a frozen waterfall. I wanted it to be close enough for a day trip, but far enough to make sure it could take the whole day. I wanted to take my camera and see something I hadn't seen before, and I wanted it to embrace the cold of the long Canadian winter.

Johnston Canyon fit all of my criteria.
This place had everything I was looking for, and then some!

Natural tunnels through mountain cliffs, frosted with a foot or two of white glitter.
Under the rocks, if you will.

(The photo on the right is taken from the opening on the other end of the tunnel pictured on the left.)

Man-made walking trails that let you take in the canyon from the cliff's edge (between the rocks?) or hop the fence and put yourself on the rocks, hiking directly on the solid ice bottom.

A fallen tree that landed on a rock to create the shape of a hockey stick... or is it just me?

Squint... do you see it yet?

How about some upside down icicles? 

Under a rock.

True story - this photo is right side up!

And of course,  frozen waterfalls.

Over the rocks!

Then...

 there was this one.

For scale (and sheer awesomeness) there are two people in the photo below.
Can you see them both?

Here's a hint for the one you're probably missing.

That's right: I clearly wasn't the only one taking advantage of the gorgeous end of winter day to do what I loved.



These people were truly on the rocks, in every sense of the phrase!
What an interesting thing to photograph!

Also, one of my favourites from near the top of the canyon:



... and directly across from me - this highly decorative ice formation!

Behind me, posing:

And then one more shot of the massive icicles in all their crystal-clear glory.

Johnston Canyon in winter is truly a spectacle. It's like a gigantic frozen palace within the rocks and among the Rockies.