Despite its official arrival almost four weeks ago, signs of spring remain elusive. But for careful observers, there are compelling clues that spring is creeping over the Calgary landscape: fluffy catkins, pale green leaves poking through, patches of open water on Glenmore Reservoir, and prairie crocus blossoms - the most convincing sign of spring!
Water! Here in Calgary, we open the nearest tap for instant access to unlimited, safe drinking water at a cost of roughly half a cent per litre. Inexpensive, ready access to clean water is easy to take for granted. And that's reflected in my photos - water as an abundant, natural element. Part of what makes water amazing is that we can observe it all three states - gas, liquid, solid - within the temperature range that humans can tolerate. The fact that October is the month for the water theme means the timing is just right to photograph water in all of those natural states.
Another weekend in Calgary, another bike ride on city pathways. Our previous ride took in sections of the Bow River Pathway, so this time around we opted to ride on shared streets towards Glenmore Reservoir, planning to ride all the way around. Our plans changed part way around - twice! But we still got in a decent ride, found a handful of geocaches and enjoyed watching a large colony of Cliff Swallows nesting under the pedestrian bridge across the Elbow River down in the Weaselhead.
One easy and scenic riding option in Calgary is circumnavigating the Glenmore Reservoir, a route that runs 15 or 16 km. The city's extensive pathway system makes it easy to extend the distance. Mr. GeoK and I covered 31 km riding from home, around the Reservoir, and back. Heritage Park, sailboats, and the view of the Canadian Rockies to the west add visual interest to the ride. If you're lucky (and alert) you might even spot some water birds, a deer or a coyote.