Geological Wonders

As we were driving into Banff, we were fascinated by the geology of the rocks.  The first formation that totally enthralled us was the rock face at the edge of town.  It was definitely a tilted-up mountain, but glaciers had also scraped the side to make amazing formations.  The top of the tilted side looked as if it was a sharp as a knife - not something we would like to try to climb.  As the sun moved, the mountain changed in shape and beauty.  I could watch that mountain for days.

Then we came around to the other side.  The effects of the glacier were amazingly obvious.  With the craggy sides, slashes, and valleys, this very complex mountain changed with the sun, also.

Right next to our campground is a trail to the hoodoos - geologic formations that are numerous in Bryce Canyon, but occur in other settings, too . . . such as here.  The walk is on top of the ridge overlooking the Bow Valley and Bow River, and it takes the hikers to just above the hoodoos.  Depending upon the angle, the hoodoos look like a woman and her baby, a man, or a gnome.

In the valley below, the green Bow River races toward the ocean.  It is creating several oxbow lakes as we speak.  Who knows how many years it will take to seal off the bends of the oxbow, but it will happen.