October has been a whirlwind. Just as residents in the Tampa Bay area were cleaning up from the horrible mess caused by
Hurricane Helene, another named storm was brewing. Barely two weeks after Helene,
Hurricane Milton, a category 3 storm, made landfall at Siesta Key, Sarasota Wednesday night (Oct 9). Many towns and cities along the gulf coast suffered yet another blow, this time with more wind damage than storm surge. Milton made it all the way east to Orlando and Daytona Beach, sparking tornadoes that devastated many small towns inland and along the Florida east coast.
We hunkered down at home in Largo, about six miles from the nearest gulf beach. Many neighbors boarded up their windows, and we followed suit. This was our first experience with a major storm. That evening we lost power. Howling winds tore down branches from an old tree out front and blew them over to our neighbor's yard. It was frightening, but we all survived.
Thankfully the airport opened Friday as we had a flight out to Canada for a happy occasion. The wedding day was a glorious sunny fall day, with temperatures in the 50s. Located in the tranquil countryside, the wedding venue was perfect for some rest and relaxation.
 |
| Congratulations to the new couple! |
 |
| Lovely wedding venue and beautiful skies |
After the wedding we left for
Banff National Park. We were looking forward to visiting Jasper National Park, but deadly fires had ravaged the park this summer, and the hotel canceled our reservations. Banff was the next choice. We've been several times, just not in the fall. It was gorgeous!
 |
| Policeman Creek Trail in Canmore |
 |
| Town of Banff |
 |
| Enjoyed a picnic here until it started raining |
Our last visit to Lake Louise was in February seven years ago. It was crowded then. Several more parking lots had opened up, and the hotel was accessible only to registered guests. Alas, no luck for high tea! The jaw-dropping beauty of Lake Louise and the majestic mountains never fail to amaze us. Every angle seemed to be a good photo op as we meandered around the lake.
 |
| Picturesque Lake Louise |
 |
| View of Cascade Mountain from the Cascade of Time Garden |
An elk was busy munching away, oblivious to bystanders hiking along the Bow River Trail.
 |
| Bow River Trail |
It had snowed in the mountains the night before we went to Johnston Canyon. The trail was about 1.5 miles one way to the Upper Falls, but icy and slippery in many spots. Several in our party of 12 made it all the way. This time of year, many cafes in the park had already closed for the season. We drove back to Banff town to get our coffee fix.
 |
| Hiking to the lower falls |
The gateway to Banff (a four-hours drive from Edmonton) is Calgary, so we got to see some relatives. A huge thank you to Yvonne and Trevor for arranging the get-together and treating us to a sumptuous dim sum lunch! And to Stephanie and Jonathan for helping cousin Vinny celebrate his birthday with a fabulous cake and sushi/sashimi dinner. Sweet endings to our getaway.
We left Banff in the nick of time. It snowed the very next day. No doubt snow is beautiful, but what a mess for traveling.
Back in sunny Florida, the cleanup continues. The county and the garbage companies were overwhelmed by all the down trees and debris. Our yard is finally back to normal. Yesterday, I happened to drive by some of our favorite beaches. Construction trucks and crew are still digging sand or mud from homes and parking lots, trash and debris still lining the streets in Pass-A-Grille. The beach erosion is just unbelievable. It is sad to see so much destruction.
 |
| This used to be a beautiful beach! (pink Don Cesar hotel in the distance) |
 |
| Debris and flooded stuff from the home waiting to be picked up |
 |
| sand blown into street and parking lots in Treasure Island, St Pete |
It will take time to get things back on track. Hopefully things will return to normal by Thanksgiving.
We live in Tampa and experienced the Hurricanes. Milton was the scariest I've ever been through. No sleep that night with the tree limbs falling on the roof. And the Wind Oh My! It was so wild. Thankfully we did not suffer any damage to the roof. Just a LOT of debris in our yard. Your Canadian pictures are beautiful.
ReplyDeleteOh wow, thanks for the Banff autumn photos. I've been there in spring and now I want to go back in the fall when the foliage adds to the flavor of this incredible place.
ReplyDeleteWorth a Thousand Words