When I can, I ask for a window seat on flights so that I
can enjoy the celestial view on our journey. My little Fuji digi camera often
surprises me with the images it captures when pressed up against the triple
plastickey windows of a 737. Our trajectory took us from Gatwick over Scotland,
Iceland, Greenland and over the North West territories. I had always known (from
my school text books!) that Canada was big; but I began to realise how big. An
hour and twenty minutes to cross Hudson Bay, another couple of hours before
Calgary appeared.
A glimpse of a lake in Iceland
and peaks in Greenland
These are some of my favourites; now over
the North West Territories and heading for Hudson Bay. The colours may
be a bit off the mark, but in these cases, 'auto' added to the
surreal images.
Could those white dots be mini icebergs?
Distant cold beaches that might never have
had a mans footprint.
Another hour or two and the organised
patchwork quilt of the prairie provinces dominates the view.
Calgary, on the Bow river, is to be a
re-fuelling stop.
More National geographic stuff, a strange
mixture of organised agriculture and a meandering river doing its own
thing.
These circular fields seemed to have a radial
watering system of gigantic proportions.
Back on the taxiway again, awaiting
takeoff clearance for Vancouver.
A glimpse of ultra modern Calgary as we gain
height for the nearby Rocky Mountains.
Quite a contrast to the prairie
provinces; Alberta, Manitoba and Saskatchewan.
All too soon we see evidence of
the forest fires which plagued Canada in the summer of 2003.
As we descend through rain
clouds to make our final approach into Vancouver airport, its famous Stanley park is at the bottom of this
picture.
Cypress Mountain is nudging the clouds. Vancouver
has had its driest summer in recent memory and we arrive on a rainy day!
