Mid-February blues? In Alberta the third weekend is a long one with a Monday " Family Day ". 

For the first time in about 3-4 years got to go up to Jasper Alberta and joined several families in the annual x-c ski weekend in the Rockies...a tradition of almost 30 years. Our group which included at least 12 children  stayed at Athabasca Youth hostel and the other more adventurous group went to Beauty Creek further down the highway 93 south of Jasper. Dorm style cabins and outdoor johns and lots of fluffy snow made for a good adventure for all...one dad here adjusting the bindings for his pre-schooler... Short skis up the — at Athabasca Falls road or Geraldine Creek, slippery walk up  Maligne Canyon Jasper. ...( it was just above freezing...note the snowballs ) and swimming in Jasper town site with day trips. Reading books, lounging in long johns, board games, & shared meals all made a perfect getaway from the city .

Instead of giving out Halloween candy, took advantage of last few days of car rental last weekend & a good 2-day road trip to sister in law's farm in Calgary and day hike in Grotto Valley Canyon, near Canmore and Ekshaw.

The dogs, were scrunched in the back, but thought they died and went to heaven running both on the farm rolling in smelly stuff, investigating the ducks and  up the canyon...

Leased together most of the time I let them go on the narrower trails.

The canyon comes to a T with waterfall on one branch and dry creek bed on the other, and I liked the 2 PM light that produced this shadow portrait.

The holds here on the side walls for rock climbing reminded me of the daughter and her many adventures

Dressing in layers was definitely the order of the day as you can see by the snow on the spruce and juniper berries where I stopped for lunch.

The valley is noted as a spiritual place and has several places of petrogliffs from the original Indian groups, 10-14,000 years ago. I could only find these rather faint red markings, but there appears to be both a person in the upper one and animal, possibly bison or elk in the lower shape.

The only down point on Sunday after my hike was an anticipated soak in Banff Hot Springs pool found closed for renovations, so went for beer and pizza at Banff Springs Hotel.

Monday morning after enjoying a leisurely breakfast and watching the pine siskas in feeder outside the window drive back was given instructions to take a new ring road that one would avoid going into Calgary...

this was fine until it suddenly ended in construction not yet connected with highway #2 north. Fortunately I was not the only one heading in that direction and ended up via some back roads just north of Calgary via a small town called Balzac.

These are some of the shots of that detour, including small church and collection of old farm items in one yard near the highway.  

The day was clear and one could see the Rockies in the distance, and those wonderful open prairie skies.