Tuesday, December 02, 2008

ABC Wednesday - T

Tell me what you see.
(Released by The Beatles, August, 1965, Help)

What do you see? A snow-covered valley maybe?

It's actually the Athabasca Glacier on the Columbia Icefield, between Banff and Jasper National Parks. A huge stretch of 400-year-old ice. How huge? See the smudge circled in the photo below?

That's a snocoach, used to carry tourists onto the glacier. There are only 23 of these buses in existence: 22 are used on the icefield; one is owned by the US government and based in Antarctica. There are 6 wheels on each bus and the tyres cost $5,000 each.

Although the glacier is enormous it's only the edge of the Columbia Icefield and just up from where we were standing there are crevasses so deep that 14 buses - 7 down and 2 side by side - could be fitted in.

Meltwater from the Icefield flows to three oceans: Pacific, Arctic and Atlantic via Hudson Bay.

To take part in ABC Wednesday, visit mrs nesbitt.

23 comments:

Kim said...

I guessed it was a glacier, but I had no idea that the smudge was a bus, it is huge. Great pictures :)

CherryPie said...

What a really interesting post. Thanks for that :-)

Rune Eide said...

I'm glad I don't have to change those tyres.

Suburbia said...

What an amazing trip! I would have been a bit scared, but then I'm a bit of a whimp :)

Reader Wil said...

Glaciers are always fascinating to me! We saw one in New Zealand and one in Norway. Both impressive like yours!

Jane Hards Photography said...

I wanted tourists but we have none.
Intresting post with terrific pics.

Miss_Yves said...

Great landscape !

anthonynorth said...

Those are spectacular photos, showing a spectacular place.

Leslie: said...

I'm so glad you got to go onto the icefields! Aren't they fabulous?

Rambling Woods said...

This is a good post..I wonder if that glacier is melting too. I would not want to change the tires on the bus...

Regarding the song..There is a season...I couldn't remember the name of the Byrds..but you are right.

New Rambling Woods Site

photowannabe said...

Our family rode on one of those snowcats about 25 years ago. The glacier is totally fascinating. Thanks for bringing back a really fun vacation memory.

jmb said...

It's a great trip on the Columbia Icefields and really interesting how they are receding so rapidly. A long time since we've done it but I still remember looking down the crevasses.

Rose said...

Great photos, Liz! I really must visit this part of Canada some time. I don't remember this Beatles song at all; could you hum a little of it?

Puss-in-Boots said...

It looks very large and rather cold...a place I'd keep away from.

Furtheron said...

Glaciers.. odd a friend sent me some photos of her on a glacier in Patagonia today as well....

Anonymous said...

And they only going to get bigger.
Makes me feel cold to look at it.

Gledwood said...

I thought Banff was a duchy somewhere... as in Duke of Banff..? So is the duke a Columbian coke-lord then..?

mrsnesbitt said...

Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!
Good to see you wrapped up well!

Dxx

James Higham said...

Reminds me a bit of that big one, quite old, in Austria. Do you remember its name? Very high, I believe.

Anonymous said...

What a fab T post! :) Very interesting and Im still intriguied by the little smudge that was that huge bus! Thanks for sharing!!

Anonymous said...

Took me a while to find the 'T'! LOL!

I guessed it was a glacier, but I would never have guessed that smudge was a bus!

I haven't been able to post my 'T' because I can't post to the Anthology - but it's up.

Now I'm killing time ... I'm in the hospital waiting to go down to theatre. Nice to have internet access at least!

Dragonstar said...

Ooo Liz, I'm shivering now! This is a fascinating and very clever post.

And now I'll change my hat, and thank you on behalf of the ABC team for your continuing and valued participation.

Saz said...

is that David Wilkie with you??lOL