All Canadian Banff National Park

BLOG # 1474

In the Time of Covid

Hello and welcome to another rendition of GemsWorldPostcards. This time it is an all Canadian special and we are not talking pizzia, burgers or donuts here. We are talking all Canadian postcards from an all Canadian place - Banff National Park. A short time ago My Lovely Teena and I journeyed out to Banff to celebrate our 46th wedding anniversary.  Banff should not feel it was a fallback destination because of the times we are in. Banff can stand on its own at any time as one of the most spectacular places on the globe. 

Our intent was to celebrate in the town of Banff and later in Lake Louise, and that is exactly what we did. As always when we travel or visit any place, My Lovely Teena always picks up a few cards and posts them back home to me. This trip was no exception. The cards she sent are the cards we will see today.  

First up is a card from Banff showing a poster image of a Bison. There is an interesting story here of course. Although there are lots of bison in Canada and in Alberta, there have been none in Banff National Park for over one hundred years. Well now there are some. In July 2018 ,  31 bison were reintroduced to the park. As of this month there are now 36 and we expect 300 or so by 2031. So after an absence of over a century, the return of wild plains bison to Banff National Park is a historic, ecological and cultural triumph.  

Banff Post Office provided a nice pictoral cancel on the card. The stamp is 1 of 2 issued this year commemorating the 100th Anniversary of the First Canadian Radio Program. 

 The next three cards are all from Lake Louise Post Office and they also used a nice clear cancel on each card. 

The first card is a look at Lake Moraine, located 14 km from famous Lake Louise. It may not be as well known as Lake Louise but in my opinion it is far and away more beautiful . Moraine Lake is a glacially fed lake situated in the Valley of the Ten Peaks. It has an elevation of 1,884 metres and a max depth of 14 metres. The lake reflects a distinctive shade of azure blue. This is due to the refraction of light off the rock flour deposited in the lake on a continual basis by the surrounding glaciers. 

Let me desribe Moraine Lake in a word or two. Amazing, breathtaking, beautiful, spectacular, awe-inspiring, stunning, awesome, incredible, magnificent, mind-blowing, impressive, majestic and jaw-dropping. Oh that is a little more than one or two. Sorry about that , but Moraine Lake is my favourite spot in Banff Park.  I would even go so far as to say, it is one of the most beautiful places I have been lucky enough to see and visit anywhere. Here is a card now, showing its fine form. 

The stamps that Teena used on this card and the next two are all from a set called the Group of Seven. They were issued this summer to showcase the work of the Group of Seven , Canadian landscape painters from 1920 - 1933. On this card we see a painting called " Labrador Coast " by A.Y. Jackson . 

Teena's next card is a nice picture of Lake Agnes. This is a small mountain lake with a surface of 0.57 sq km. It is located 3.5 km hiking distance from Lake Louise. A lovely teahouse is situated on the eastern shore of the lake at an elevation of 2134 m. 

Here is another of the Group of Seven stamps. This time it's Frank H. Johnston's  painting " Fire Swept, Algoma ".

Teena's last card shows us one of the reidents of Banff National Park. He doesn't need a park pass, he can come and go as he sees fit. Usually he steers clear of us loud tourists, but if you are hiking you do need to be super vigilant, as you don't want to be his next meal. 

Here is the last Group of Seven stamp. It is " Stormy Weather, Georgian Bay " by F.H. Varley.

That's it for this All Canadian update. Big thanks for all this going out to My Lovely Teena. 

It was great to get out to the mouintains with you Teena and let's do it again soon . Take care, love you. 

To you readers, take care, stay your distance and wear a mask. Cheers.