Proof that I made it to the very top. So from Halifax at sea level to the top of Tunnel is 5,543 feet. For your information, King George and his consort, Queen Elizabeth climbed Tunnel in 1939. That sure impressed me.

Yes, I miss you all. Yes, I have pangs of homesickness. Yes, it gets cold here early in the fall.

But look at the sequence of pictures of my trek up Tunnel Mountain and you will know why I am happy here. The beauty and the fact that I am with Charley, both sustain me in my separation from friends and our little house.

Come visit, we can take this climb so you can see the views.

The views make the climb so worthwhile...wouldn't you agree. There are local residents who do this walk once a day. I will be lucky to do it once a week

Yet again...more views from the climb. If you think it was easier coming down - you are right but it did use muscles that are not frequently used...like having your brakes on all the way down. So I am anticipating a few sore muscles tomorrow.

Another view taken during my climb up Tunnel Mountain. The day was sunny and we started early so there was mist in the air. It was wonderful

I climbed Tunnel Mountain today. Huffing and Puffing with my asthma I was very thrilled to have done the climb...with my very own tour guide Thomas - who used to work at Woozles Childrens' Bookstore in Halifax. I was so surprised to find him working in Banff. He graciously offered to guide me on my first hike up Tunnel Mountain. The views were breathtaking. We saw a herd of elk that looked so small they were just dots on the meadow. I will add more pictures of the climb and the views. The bottom picture in this post shows the mountain as we approached it the two views are are from about half way up. At the top it is 5,543 feet above sea level.

Yahoo Mojo - you go girl - you did it.

The clouds yesterday morning were pink but that didn't get captured in this picture.

Today I am hiking up Tunnel Mountain with Thomas, a young man who used to work at Woozles Children's Bookstore in Halifax. I ran into him yesterday and he lives here now. What a surprize that was to bump into him.

In the course of our conversation I said I hadn't been out on any of the trails because I am afraid of bears and he offered to take me up Tunnel Mountain on the very popular hiking trail.

Just hope I don't bump into a bear.

Santiago has her 'dolly' under her paw and one eye cracked open to ensure that we don't try to steal it from her.

She is such a lovely dog.

I love the play of dark clouds against the snow covered peak.

No room in the bed for Mojo.

This is a lazy Sunday nap for Charley and our visiting friend, Santiago. We were dog-sitting again....or should I say dog-napping...but we did take her home at the end of the day.

This is an almost 360 degree view from the corner of our block.

I hope that I am not overdoing the pictures of the mountains and the mule deers.  I am still in awe of the mountains and enchanted to see the mule deer walking down the sidewalks.

It feels like the view from the top of the world.

This is what Charley and I see when we walk up and down from the Banff Centre.

I was up at the Centre quite a bit this weekend for events during Wordfest, the annual literary festival.

This beauty was across the street from our place most of the weekend.

A beautiful day today and Santiago was grateful we were so happy to take walks.

You can see our living-room is very sunny when it is not snowing. We have had beautiful days since I arrived...just not warm

A few pictures of Santiago, the dog we are dog-sitting for the Thanksgiving weekend
She is extremely well behaved. Lovely to have a dog around.

These are photos of the snow storms on the peaks.

Snow.

I thought how interesting it was to watch snow storms on the mountains while it remained bright and sunny in town.....but then it snowed in town on October 9th.

Snow on the Mountains

This morning was rainy here in 

'the below' but up above the snow storm was visible and amazing how it coloured and covered the mountains.

Sorry - I am still learning to use my camera and the pictures aren't always that great...but they give you the sense of here.

Magpies, huge, noisy - they sound like a cross between monkeys and parrots. Very bold and great scavengers. The sparrows here are huge and fearless - they have lots of crumbs from the tourists.

The mule deer are very common on our street. This is a small mule deer which I saw on the way home from walking Charley to work.

This is the type of wildlife I am happy seeing...all the big, furry creatures can stay away.

More Views from the walk to work with Charley.

Have to admit it beats the Don Valley Parkway or the Bedford Highway doesn't it?

This is at the top of the walk to work.

Looking west.

I walked with Charley to work one morning and I took picture so that you could follow our path. A jog on Beaver Street to Moose, then up Moose for several blocks. 

That's when we saw the bobcat...no...the tabby cat that was sunning himself on the stone wall at his house.

Always surprised to see a cat here , outside at least.

Every Evening I say goodnight to the mountains out our bedroom window.

We have a nice, little balcony. Here's Charley seriously thinking about the

American election (not) with his favourite Tshirt on.

More photos from the train ride - which now seems so long away - as Nova Scotia seems so far away.