[Jimby]

The best thing about living in Calgary is the proximity to the natural world,
so I thought I would do a thread showing
Calgary's great parks and abundant nature.
Then I got carried away and added what happens without a helmet,
a stolen car wreck in my fence,
the results of a downpour last June, and a few other odd shots.


"may the joy of nature inspire your direction in life"
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jet stream geese above Stanley Park (no, not THAT Stanley Park) circling the Elbow River

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Elbow river at Stanley Park March '08

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the pathway tunnel under 10 Street NW at Confederation Park

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almost midnight by the light of a full moon, Confederation Park October '07

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west bound bike path Confederation Park October '07

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city coyote, Inglewood golf course, October '07

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Inglewood golf course October '07. This golf course was underwater during the flloods of June '05. Periodic flooding is beneficial to riverine forests.


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Pierce Estate Park October '07

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the killing machine, the Bow river weir. The water was very low in October '07

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a Canadian pastime, street hockey, in Inglewood

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a skating rink cleared on the pond, Rocky Ridge NW

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Nose Hill Park. One of the largest urban parks in Canada, Nose Hill is a high point in NW Calgary. It may look boring and barren, but it harbours lots of wildlife and there are interesting ravines and valleys. The views of the city are unimpeded.

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biking in Fish Creek Provincial Park

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420 log, west end Fish Creek Provincial Park. Well that's what the grafitti said.

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Fish Creek Provincial Park was devastated by floods in June '05 that washed away pedestrian bridges and pathways. It took until October '07 for most of the work to be finished. There are now new pathways and bridges that are wider and paved.


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one of the new bridges in Fish Creek Provincial Park

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Howdy! Fish Creek Provincial Park.

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Thanksgiving dinner for 30, dining al fresco, October 14 '07

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almost frozen Bow river

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Bow river at Carburn Park SE with pedestrian bridge

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Bow river

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Carburn Park SE, a reclaimed gravel pit.

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Surprise! A cyclist going by on the pathway caused this deer to jump out of the way, but then it realized I was standing right there so it froze for a quick pic before crashing through the brush to escape.

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one of the ponds in Carburn Park

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the view from the bike path bridge over the Glenmore causeway on the reservoir

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night riders

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nothing was moving very fast except for the pick up truck who went off-road to escape

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a magpie taunting a coyote

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Riverwatch, fun on the Bow

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not a member of the golf club

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deer in the Inglewood bird sanctuary

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Inglewood bird sanctuary

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it was Nikon season

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the eagle was perched in a tree and when it launched itself, it started dropping towards me before getting some lift under its wings.

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The Sculptors' Guild of North America had a symposium in August and Way Out West Park was transformed into a sculpture park.

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Sibbald Lake, just west of the city. A family was starting a campfire at their picnic spot and my theory is that the cold air in the atmosphere pushed their campfire smoke down and onto the water giving this cool effect of smoke on the water.

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Swinging bridge over the Elbow river. If you ever saw Cool Runnings about the Jamaica bobsled team in the '88 Winter Olympics, then you might remember this bridge.

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Rotary Flames Park NW, next to the new Ronald McDonald House and Alberta Children's Hospital.
The Flames Foundation was founded by the Calgary Flames hockey team.

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The Jaipur Bridge to Prince's Island Park. Jaipur is one of Calgary's twin cities.
P.I.P. is an urban oasis in the Bow river next to downtown.

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Peacekeeper Park, to honour our soldiers and peacekeepers. 81 have died in Afghanistan,
they didn't know they would run out of room so fast to honour the fallen on a wall in this park.

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west entrance to P.I.P.

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near University Research Park in NW

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Eau Claire Plaza

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lagoon at P.I.P.

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pathway in Eau Claire

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P.I.P.

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North Glenmore Park

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Glenmore Lake at Heritage Park

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Bearspaw Dam on the Bow River NW

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Indian Oils, Sheep river

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well it is Cowtown I guess

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fields east of Calgary

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the other killing machine on the Bow river at Johnson's Island,
Wyndham Carseland Provincial Park

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where pelicans spend their summers

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the Bow river at Carseland, SE of the city

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Blackfoot Motorsport park SE of downtown

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pioneer cemetery, on the southern outskirts of the city

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The park at McDougall Centre, the Southern Alberta Government Centre.
It was a warm summer night almost midnight
and I was alone in the park with just the sound of the waterfall.

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south Glenmore park, SW

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Fish Creek park bridge construction, July '07

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bunny caught in the headlights

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Sick of the city? Kananaskis Country is an hour away or less.
Biking the Terrace Trail with my buddy the Mudrider.

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This lady walking her dog stopped because the dog was doing its business
and she got soaked! She was glaring at me so I didn't take any pictures
of her "distress" and I was trying not to laugh.
Oh well it was only water and it was a warm July night.
Parkland SE.
The Mudrider is the cyclist on the path up ahead.

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downtown bunny

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down by the Bow

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just after a hailstorm, Elbow Drive SW, June '07

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moo noir

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A stolen car hit our new fence that the City had just built as part of the
GE5 Glenmore-Elbow-5 street interchange/road widening.
The jd's in the car walked away before the police got there.

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the lady in the dark glasses witnessed the whole incident from her balcony.
She phoned 911 and since the police helicopter was grounded,
she was able to track the kids as they strolled through
the neighbourhood hopping fences.
They didn't catch any of them.
The engine was still running as no one had a screwdriver handy to turn it off.

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I went on a Land Rover adventure at Mclean Creek just west of Calgary

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June 5 '07 we had a huge downpour.
There were many areas worse off than my neighbourhood but this is what I saw.
There was construction going on at this intersection which is
why there are so many floating orange pylons.

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it was hard to hold an umbrella and take pictures, so they are a little blurry

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Glenmore last May

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mountain sheep, Sheep river valley

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beaver

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what spring is like in Calgary sometimes because of the elevation and the Rocky Mountains

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Lake Sikome, Fish Creek Provincial Park. Sikome is a fake lake for swimming in the park.
It was closed for the summer of 2007 but should be open again this summer.

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horse country

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the lake at Coral Springs NE April '07

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near Bowness and Bowmont Parks NW

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Kids always wear your helmet. I came across this scene at the bottom
of "Rollerblade Suicide Hill" at the entrance to the Weaselhead in South Glenmore Park.

The paramedics tried to get there from North Glenmore Park which was impossible,
so we had to wait for another ambulance to approach from the south on 90 Ave.
They had to walk in with the stretcher since there was no room for a helicopter
to land and the path was too narrow for an ambulance.
Matt said he was the "Poster Child for protective head gear".
He is lucky he didn't suffer any brain damage, but he lost some hearing
in one ear for several weeks and ended up dropping out of school
as he recovered.
I know I am exploiting Matt by showing these 2 pics,
but if it shocks you into wearing a brain bucket then it is all good.

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Bayview, South Glenmore Park SW

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Quan Yin , goddess of compassion and mercy looking out towards the Rockies

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Thanks for having a look at my pics!

[Calgarian]

Another fantastic photo tour Living, props. Shows a side of Calgary most people never see.

[Innersoul1]

AWESOME PICTURES MAN!!! Geez~ You are my hero!

[Wooster]

Excellent pictures. I've always felt that Calgary is exceptionally well connected to its natural assets. The riverfront pathway system is excellent (and getting much better with the $40 million Riverwalk project), there are fabulous natural environment parks such as Nose Hill, Edworthy, Weaslehead, Fish Creek, Bowmont flats, Inglewood Bird Sanctuary, and great urban parks like Prince's Island, Riley and Millennium parks. The connection to the city's surroundings is also so ingrained in the culture of the city. Calgary has a fantastic outdoorsy culture I enjoy a lot.

Sometimes, living here in Toronto, I get the sense that if Lake Ontario suddenly disappeared it wouldn't make a lick of difference to the city - it is just so disconnected from everyday city life (especially downtown).

[Ayreonaut]

I definately have to explore the parks in the city, which I have never done.

[Sekkle]

Lots of really great photos in here. Fantastic job!

[artvandelay]

Great photos living, especially that one with the eagle!

[vanman]

Damn, that was alot nicer than I would've ever expected. Tons of wildlife too, nice job!

[korzym]

Where that guy got injured rollerblading, I also had a little accident there. I came in hot on my bike coming down that hill, partially lost control and ran into that metal railing, my chest and knee took the grunt of it. I'm a little more cautious there, but it would be great if they did something to that area: its too steep a hill and too sharp of a turn

Great pics, I found more appreciation for the city's beauty once I started biking along all the rivers, this thread shows many of those kinds of areas

[Stephen Ave]

Outstanding pictures! What's amazing is that all of your pictures are either in the city or are within 30 minutes, such as the Sibbald flats or Sheep river pictures.

It blows me away to think that this picture is of an area 70% surrounded by city.


Glenmore last May

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[Ayreonaut]

Fucking Sheep River, always up in my bidness.

Well, I guess up in my basement is more accurate.

[DFW LUV]

Fantastic shots! :worship:

[entheosfog]

Stunning! Sometimes I forget all the natural areas that Calgary has to offer.
Nice set!

[Surrealplaces]

Simply outstanding! You've really shown the nice wilderness parks and areas around the city.

[freeweed]

AMAZING shots. That's a ton of wildlife you've captured. I see the coyotes and deer and bunnies all the time, but never get a chance to get such great shots. There's a bald eagle pair that was nesting around the zoo last year, they may return if anyone wants some easy pics.

Where are these "Indian Oils"? Looks like a nice place for a dip!

[Rusty van Reddick]

Wasn't "indian oils" where the guy broke his neck in FUBAR?

[jodelli]

Nice pics. I'll bring my bike next time I go out there.

jodelli

[frinkprof]

Wow, great shots LFTC. I must say that I'm guilty of not frequenting many of Calgary's neighbourhood parks, and have barely ventured into Fish Creek Provincial Park, Nose Hill Park, or even Prince's Island Park. I think I will endeavour to do so a little more.

[Riise]

Absolutely stunning photography! So, pretty much the usual with LFTC.

[Deepstar]

Outstanding pictures Living. :tup:

[Jimby]

Thanks everyone for your comments.
Josh - when I lived in Toronto, I don't remember ever seeing Lake Ontario! I lived in Downsview, it was a major expedition to get downtown by bus and subway so I never got out to the Islands or anywhere else on the Lakeshore for that matter.
Korzym - it is a dangerous hill but there are warning signs at the top. The sharp left turn at the base of the hill onto the bridge is stupid. If you can believe it, there is a new even steeper, longer, and more dangerous paved pathway in the west end of Fish Creek Park.
Freeweed - Indian Oils is west of Turner Valley before Sheep Falls. Icy cold water, forget about swimming unless you like hypothermia!

[Ayreonaut]

Ah hell, I've jumped into water like that, not there, but Ram Falls. I don't know where it is, but it was autumn and in the mountains, it's probably a 20 foot cliff I jumped off of, which I've done other times, just not into water that cold.

[freeweed]

That's odd, one of the few things I've done repeatedly when visiting Toronto is gone down to the beach west of downtown. They have all sorts of restaurants there, and beach volleyball going on all spring/summer/fall. Of course, there are more often than not signs warning you that the water is not safe for swimming...

Now that you guys mention it though, for a city of 5 million people it does seem a bit deserted there. Calgary likely sees more people around PIP during the day than I've ever seen at the beach in Toronto. Maybe something most locals just don't know/care about.

[WhipperSnapper]

I live in the Toronto's Beach neighbourhood and the water is safe for swimming at least three quarters of the time. The west end has seen major improvement as well since the stormwater holding tanks came online a few years ago. The water though is bitter cold compared to the abundant lakes up in cottage country. Harbourfront is a sea of people during the summer months from all the weekly festivals and the new urban beach a huge success.

[Stephen Ave]

I live in the Toronto's Beach neighbourhood and the water is safe for swimming at least three quarters of the time. The west end has seen major improvement as well since the stormwater holding tanks came online a few years ago. The water though is bitter cold compared to the abundant lakes up in cottage country. Harbourfront is a sea of people during the summer months from all the weekly festivals and the new urban beach a huge success.

Yeah, the beach front is quite nice. The water is cold, but like many other places, most people like to just hang out on the beach.

[Western Spaghetti]

Beautiful pictures Living. A side of Calgary we don't see much on the forum :tup:

[WhipperSnapper]

The water is cold, but like many other places, most people like to just hang out on the beach.

I somewhat disagree. Hangin' out on the beach is a lot less fun without the beer googles on.

[Ayreonaut]

and as a result, the water is less cold.

[SteveP]

Nice pictures :tup: Usually we see pictures of Calgary's skyline, and we forget how close to nature Calgary is.

[denveraztec]

Wonderful nature pics!

[flar]

Great nature pics! I like the colourful fields and the animal ones, you were lucky to catch that eagle so clearly.