Crazy weird things coming out of the soil in Canada.

So I finally made it up to Banff National Park in Alberta, Canada. Yesterday, I was forced off the beaten path when I tried to visit Moraine Lake earlier than I had arrived there a couple of days prior. I was going back looking for a better position of the sun for my photos. Upon arriving, the parking lot was full and blocked for entry. (Apparently, 11:30 is not early enough to get the worm. Who knew??)

So I drove back towards my campground looking for a random hike. I found the Travis Lake trailhead just off the Canadian Intercontinental highway.

The great thing about this stretch of road which cuts through the park is that they have engineered a fencing system to keep the wildlife safe from the traffic. Factoid- There are 44 wildlife crossings above and below the highway to allow safe passage across for the animals. I have yet to see any roadkill.

Bravo, Canada!!

I hiked but I never made it to the lake as I had not planned to go on a hike and didn’t have enough water with me. Halfway there, I was already thirsty and my feet were starting to blister, so I turned around.

Any hike is a good hike, and this was no exception. I found myself mushroom hunting and got lots of great iPhone shots of my little shroom friends among other neat little treasures. I enjoy extreme close-ups and finding interesting geometric shapes in nature. So this is mostly a photo essay for you to enjoy what beauty I saw along the trail. So scroll down and be in Banff National Park for a few moments out of your day!

 

This guy just looks like he’s the head of all mushrooms. He’s “The Dude” of mushroom land.
The neatest green lichen? that decorates the rocks like puzzle pieces…

    

Little guy just hanging out on the edge…

Like birds on a wire…

Madness in the soil- there are ugly mushrooms out there as well! This one reminds me of the movie “The Thing”.

Great pops of color out there. Or, moms pancakes.

You already know I’m obsessed with bark.

Another great pop of color.

I was tend to wonder ‘How did this one flower successfully make it right here in this spot’. If it was such a great spot, wouldn’t there be a whole bunch of other flowers there as well? Maybe this one’s a rebel.

Pinecone? Burn victim? Or freakazoid mushroom?

Mushrooms are just weird. And fascinating.

Seems to have cilia underneath…. I had to touch it, and it was soft and delicate. If I get a rash….

Again, very cool undersides. This one’s kind of a show off. You don’t have to get under it much to see it. It’s all like “look at me, I’m a HEPA filter”.

These are the cool kid mushrooms that always hang out together. They’re quite popular, and a little stuck up if you ask me. Still, I always longed to be one of them.

Where’s Nemo?

Hard to capture with photography, but the tops of these kind of look like glass. They were a bit surreal.

My least favorite yet I still wanted to include it.
That’s all, your little journey is over, and as Old Single Mom always says, ‘Carry on…’

It was nice seeing you here…

: )