by Kay Hinkle

Those of us who most enjoy the seasons that allow for planting and harvesting are finding creative ways to spend our time this winter. Some of us are perusing seed catalogs and putting together orders in anticipation of the soil’s warming. Others are redecorating our indoor landscape; some are planning summer vacations. I, for one, am still organizing the many photos reminiscent of last year’s family vacation in the Canadian Rockies

We started planning in December of 2003 for our July 2004 departure. Our journey began in Calgary, Canada where my husband and I met up with our out-of-state children and their spouses and significant others. From there we traveled westward by motor coach, train, ferryboat, taxi and high-speed catamaran for 6 days of some of the most beautiful scenery that North America has to offer.

As an avid gardener and general fan of the outdoors, this trip was perfect. We covered hundreds of miles by lakes and along snaking rivers, across amazing mountain peaks and through the desert – a surprise to us all as we never envisioned the dry, barren mountain peaks of the Rocky Mountain desert

The wildlife was of great interest – from a mother moose with her calf to a big brown bear not easily identifiable from a distance as a grizzly or a cinnamon brown bear. Being too far away to identify the exact species was the right distance away for me! In addition, we saw bald eagles and ospreys nesting in numbers too numerous to count, not to mention bull elk and Rocky Mountain sheep.

A wide variety of environments is associated with the various climatic zones across the Rockies from Calgary to the West Coast. Calgary, located in the foothills east of the Rocky Mountains, has an average of just 112 frost-free days each year and yet is in climatic zone 6. In spite of the short growing season, the large hanging baskets in each city we visited were just beautiful. Calgary’s average annual snowfall is 6 feet; it is known as Canada’s sunniest city.

We traveled a few hours from Calgary to Banff by motor coach and had a good view of the ski lifts on the mountainsides that are remnants of the 1988 Olympics. Fields of canola lined the highway; canola oil is used not only for cooking but in the manufacture of cosmetics. Quaking aspens dotted fields and farmlands with cattle grazing on the open range.

In Banff, the altitude was higher and the growing season shorter, but the baskets and window boxes were even more prolific than those we enjoyed in Calgary thanks to the miracle of starting plants in a greenhouse environment. Some of the most beautiful gardens in Banff featured bright pink peonies and brilliant blue delphiniums – an interesting combination of blooms – normal for the Rockies but an unusual combination for us here in the Eastern United States.

The first leg of our journey by train began in Banff (located in Glacier National Park) and ended about 300 miles away in the town of Kamloops. The beauty of nature was exquisite as the train tracks ascended the peaks of the first mountain ranges that followed the Kicking Horse River. This area of the Rockies is about 4500 feet above sea level and gets an average annual snowfall of 25 feet.

The greenery was lush from Banff to Kamloops. Most of the Rocky Mountain forests were comprised of thick stands of lodge pole pines, Scotch and white pines, along with blue and Norway spruces. Profuse seas of pink wildflowers similar in appearance to our lupine lined the tracks. Areas of these remote mountains made one ponder the age-old question, “In the forest, when a tree falls, does it really make a noise if there is no one to hear it?” Or, when the train whistle blows…….

Departing from Kamloops the next day, we found that there were several hundred miles of desert to cross. With the train tracks located on the banks of the river, the only sign of green vegetation was on the flatland that bordered the river, and only there with the help of irrigation. As we crossed the Continental Divide, we were at 5300 feet above sea level.

As the train neared the city of Vancouver, we descended from rocky peaks to fertile flatlands dotted with dairy farms and cranberry fields. This area, just at sea level, is in climatic zone 8. From Vancouver to Victoria by ferry on the final day of Canadian travel, we entered another world called Victoria. The harbor was dotted with sailboats and seaplanes. Here, in the capital of British Columbia, the Butchart Gardens showcase the fertile soil and ideal growing conditions of Vancouver Island.

Two more perfect days in Seattle, and we were again back home. And now, the real challenge is upon us – how to arrange the hundreds of photos that we took in a way that represents the spectacular sights we witnessed as a family in the Canadian Rockies.

Kay Hinkle is a Penn State Master Gardener from Adams County Penn State in Adams County is located at 670 Old Harrisburg Road, Gettysburg, PA 17325, phone 334-6271 or 1-888-472-0261. Penn State is committed to affirmative action, equal opportunity, and the diversity of its workforce.