Yesterday was officially the first day of autumn in the Northern Hemisphere, a time referred to as the Autumnal Equinox. An equinox occurs about March 20 and about September 22. On this date, day and night are each about 12 hours long. This is an approximation because it depends on where you are on the planet.
The word equinox comes from the Latin aequus (equal) and nox (night).
To celebrate the equinox, and just because we wanted to, we spent the day in Banff.
After all the snow we had in the second week of September, the Indian Summer is beautiful. Nights are cool, days are warm, there is no wind and the sky has that haziness of autumn. We drove the hour and a half to Banff townsite and parked by Central Park. Walking along the trail by the Bow River, we passed the canoe docks.
boat house beside the Bow River in Banff
At this time of year, all the silt has dropped out of the river and the waters are green and sparkling.
The path links with the Fenland Trail, a 2 Km loop that winds through a forest of white spruce along Forty Mile Creek.
Forty Mile Creek
Forty Mile Creek
Vermillion Lakes, Banff
When we reached the creek, we crossed over and followed Vermillion Lakes Drive to the dock.
Vermillion Lakes, Banff
Perfect weather. Not too hot, not too cool. No bugs, since we are past the first frost.
Here I am, at the Vermillion Lakes
We relaxed, watched the ducks getting ready to migrate and enjoyed the sun and sparkling water.
Returning the way we came, we finished off the Fenland Loop.
We completed the day with a stroll along Banff Avenue, had a salad at McDonald’s and then—to make it a balanced diet—we had ice cream at Cow’s, Canada’s best ice cream. They make it in Prince Edward Island and my current favourite flavour is Moo Henry.
I love Banff any day, but on a Monday, it is relatively quiet. There are still lots of tourists, but no crowds for the in between seasons of Summertime and Skiing.
Bow River by Banff townsite
Today, I am back at my desk, refreshed and renewed, and ready to open the Work in Progress.
Thanks for posting such great photos. I especially enjoyed the red leaves and the sparkles on the water. Sounds like you had a great day. My Hubby celebrated the fall equinox by buying me a Valentine Cherry Tree.
A Valentine Cherry Tree is lovely way to celebrate!
love your photo’s; it look so peaceful looking; glad you had a relaxing day.
The mountains do it for me every single time. So happy I am only 1 1/2 hours away. 🙂
Lovely post, Suzanne. Beautiful pictures. Alberta is stunning at this time of year.
Thanks Diana. I wish Alberta had a much longer autumn . . . oh well, we remember it with photos.
Beautiful pictures Suzzane
Thanks Donna. When you return, I bet you’ll have some great pix to show us of Italy!
I visited Banff years ago and loved it. What a lovely place to have on your doorstep.
. . . and sometimes we don’t appreciate it enough. I need to make time to visit more often.
So pretty! What a fantastic day for a hike.
We did have the perfect day – can’t ask for more. 🙂