A Very "Boris" Vacation (2007) - Calgary to Victoria
 

This summer I took a vacation ranging from Victoria and Vancouver to Toronto and Ottawa/Gatineau.

Index:
Calgary to Victoria
Victoria Part I
Victoria Part II
Victoria Part III
Vancouver Part I
Vancouver Part II
Toronto Part I
Toronto Part II
Toronto Part III
Ottawa-Gatineau Part I
Ottawa-Gatineau Part II
Ottawa-Gatineau Part III
Kingston

So to kick off what will be a multi-thread series likely posted in multiple photog subforums... let's have a look at the space between Calgary and Victoria.

I'll let the mods decide whether this should be in the General Photog. subforum or the City Photos subforum. If it looks more city-ish, please move it. It'll improved my ratings...

Commentary will be added later for the photos. For now, I'll let you guys guess the locations.

1 - Having just left Calgary an hour before, I am close to Canmore, AB, and enjoy a small pit-stop to look at the Rockies and get some drinks from the gas station
http://img515.imageshack.us/img515/6516/img5131pf9.jpg

2 - Looking southwest across the TransCanada highway at more peaks, still in Canmore
http://img515.imageshack.us/img515/4043/img5133fo5.jpg

3 - Looking back east down the TransCanada... Calgary is in that direction
http://img379.imageshack.us/img379/1628/img5134xq0.jpg

4 - A wonderful late-afternoon/sunset in Radium, B.C. I was having dinner at a country club (aka. golf course) and noticed the sun filtering through the clouds later on
http://img248.imageshack.us/img248/5836/img5146xy2.jpg

5 - As it got later, still in Radium, the moon is clearly visible and the slopes provide different shades of blue, green, and purple. There is a mountain haze at work.
http://img379.imageshack.us/img379/1029/img5157ci0.jpg

6 - Next stop was Golden, B.C. A somewhat nice town, quiet. Not a hell of a lot of streetlife though.
http://img515.imageshack.us/img515/424/img5171od5.jpg

7 - I backtracked a bit from Golden, to check out the new Kicking Horse Canyon Bridge. It opened two days later.
http://img515.imageshack.us/img515/1117/img5182ej0.jpg

8 - Looking across the Columbia River (?) in Revelstoke, B.C.
http://img515.imageshack.us/img515/2527/img5206gg4.jpg

9 - The bridge that I was standing on for the previous picture
http://img248.imageshack.us/img248/5244/img5209fc1.jpg

10 - An old building stands on a lonely corner in Kamloops, B.C.
http://img515.imageshack.us/img515/2797/img5219pj2.jpg

11 - Looking down the main street in downtown Kamloops. Some minor density, mostly in the forms of hotels and cheap-looking condos.
http://img248.imageshack.us/img248/8176/img5241mt1.jpg

12 - Still, the retail was rather nice.
http://img248.imageshack.us/img248/174/img5244dg5.jpg

13 - An alley in Kamloops provides me with some photo fun
http://img248.imageshack.us/img248/6715/img5251ft2.jpg

14 - A jumble of rooftops and hillsides marks this otherwise unidentified street in Kamloops
http://img248.imageshack.us/img248/5001/img5253we2.jpg

15 - A small moment of total randomness, but structured randomness
http://img248.imageshack.us/img248/5940/img5254lo3.jpg

16 - The Kamloops, uhhh, skyline, graces this part of the Okanogan. A small oasis inside one of Canada's hottest and most arid regions.
http://img248.imageshack.us/img248/7882/img5269me0.jpg

17 - Downtown Abbotsford. Probably the only part of the city that is walkable.
http://img515.imageshack.us/img515/8716/img5286zf5.jpg

18 - These guys were the friendliest people I saw that day... nevermind that, they were among the ONLY people I saw that day. And I must thank them for their service.
http://img379.imageshack.us/img379/4206/img5323mn4.jpg

19 - Simon Frasier University's Surrey Campus. It has a highrise tower connected to an older mall, located next to two Skytrain stations and adjacent to new condo highrises. Not bad for a suburb.
http://img248.imageshack.us/img248/5586/img5352dg9.jpg

20 - The plaza, mainly populated by people on their lunch break.
http://img379.imageshack.us/img379/9985/img5365le8.jpg

21 - One of the aforementioned Surrey highrises U/C
http://img379.imageshack.us/img379/7753/img5387na2.jpg

22 - The underbelly of the Skytrain line running through Surrey. Kinda like a thin freeway, really.
http://img248.imageshack.us/img248/4817/img5392sv8.jpg

23 - And a view of that SFU Surrey Tower, love the weird curve on the edge, though not so much the glasswork
http://img248.imageshack.us/img248/2571/img5401yh5.jpg

24 - A different take on the plaza. Theze bands are interesting to observe, as you can see here.
http://img248.imageshack.us/img248/5548/img5404df6.jpg

25 - The roof of the mall inside. The upper floors are all for SFU. I was caught by the mall security after taking this shot, after which they told me if I went up a floor I could take all the pictures I want. I declined, though.
http://img248.imageshack.us/img248/4563/img5414pq3.jpg

26 - Not bad for a shot on the automatic settings, I think. Same tower, different angle.
http://img515.imageshack.us/img515/9269/img5417do6.jpg

27 - A cargo ship loads up near the Tsawwassen ferry terminal
http://img515.imageshack.us/img515/8250/img5429ph5.jpg

28 - People look out to the Georgia Strait, waiting for their turn to come, after which they will hobble back to their vehicles and drive onto the ferry
http://img515.imageshack.us/img515/1732/img5462te2.jpg

29 - A view from the ferry, looking towards Vancouver Island (or whatever islands may be between me and it)
http://img409.imageshack.us/img409/4135/img5526tc9.jpg

30 - Enjoying the sun, the breeze, and a short walk on deck 6
http://img409.imageshack.us/img409/9763/img5532ap7.jpg

31 - Capturing the texture and impression of the water
http://img256.imageshack.us/img256/2159/img5534lt8.jpg

32 - Going the opposite direction?
http://img256.imageshack.us/img256/5378/img5538ts2.jpg

33 - Curving around one island to get past another
http://img515.imageshack.us/img515/6457/img5560we6.jpg

34 - Sailors from the small island communities. Sometimes it's nice to be rich.
http://img515.imageshack.us/img515/4303/img5570ua2.jpg

35 - One of those small islands with a small island community in sight
http://img515.imageshack.us/img515/8237/img5576gs5.jpg

36 - And some more ocean haze ahead as we approach Vancouver Island
http://img515.imageshack.us/img515/1395/img5603zi7.jpg

So, how was that for a warm-up? Still several threads to go, and over 2500 photos to choose from! :)

And when quoting, please remember to only quote the pictures you want to comment on!

These are great! I'm looking forward to seeing the rest of the pics.

Thanks much! Next set will be of Victoria itself.

I just hope I get some "Boris" back in my pseudonym by the time I do that...

Nice collection indeed. Get the rest of em up here. I want to see Ottawa and the beautiful ladies of!

Just beautiful; from the Texas Boris.

Nice pictures Boris! You've just inspired me to post pics from my trip to Europe. :)

Well, that's certainly good to know Surreal. Tell you what, you post your next set, and I'll get my ass on my Victoria pics (probably will encompass 2 or 3 part threads).

Great photos so far! I can't wait to see the Victoria photos. I had a great time there last November.

(just please don't put too many photos in one thread, it'll crash my computer and I won't be able to see them... this was the perfect amount for a thread) :)

Great!

That's right, get those Victoria photos going :whip:

I'm ever so slightly jealous

BTW, amazing photos

Great photos. The first couple are beautiful.

Beautiful.

You went to Kampoops but not Kelowna?!
I'm heartbroken over the choice.

I go to Kelowna every other year. I've just never taken pictures of it. ;)

If it makes you feel better, the cumulative time I've spent in Kamloops amounts to about 4 hours. The cumulative time I've spent in Kelowna works out to somewhere between 3 weeks to a full month.

Nice photos!