Jasper was established in 1813 as Jasper House and was first a North West Company, and later Hudson's Bay Company, fur trade outpost.
The story of North West Company andHudson's Bay Company is essentially the story of how a large number of fur trading posts dispersed in North America, reinforced by an influx of European immigrants turned into the country we now call Canada.
Jasper is the commercial centre of Jasper National Park, located in the Canadian Rockies in the Athabasca River valley.
Exiting Calgary, roughly 80 km east of the front ranges of the Canadian Rockies.
Always on Trans-Canadian Highway heading West.
Banff is a resort town and one of Canada's most popular tourist destinations, known for its mountainous surroundings (Canadian Rockies) and hot springs.
Bow River crossing Banff.
Trancanadian Highway is crossing several National Parks, so to avoid car accidents and dead animals Canadians came up with the idea of creating bridges and tunnels for the animals to use.
According to the tourist guide of the Banff Park Museum it took the animals 3 years to adjust to the under and overground passages that connect different partitions of the Parks.
Lake Louise, this glacial lake is located in Banff National Park.
The emerald color of the water comes from rock flour carried into the lake by melt-water from the glaciers that overlook the lake.
Crowfoot Glacier.
Bow Lake.
Athabasca Glacier.
This was the edge of the Athabasca Glacier back in 1992.
Glaciers are steadily receding, some believe because of the greenhouse effect whereas others support nature's climate cycles theory.
Calgary, Heart of the New West, acowboy city celebrating the Stampede Festival.
Oil was first discovered in Alberta in 1902, but it did not become a significant industry in the province until 1947 when huge reserves of it were discovered.
Calgary quickly found itself at the centre of the ensuing oil boom.
Calgary's economy was so closely tied to the oil industry that the city's boom peaked with the average annual price of oil in 1981.
The name of this little town "Medicine Hat" is the English translation of 'Saamis' (SA-MUS)- the Blackfoot word for the eagle tail feather headdress worn by medicine men - or 'Medicine Hat'.
On my way to Regina, crossing the Prairies a massive entirely flat area that is Saskatchewan Province.
The Wheat fields of Canada although oil and natural gas production is also a very important part of Saskatchewan's economy.
Close to half of people in Saskatchewan are German-Canadians, especially Mennoniteswho settle in Canada to escape persecution by the Tsarist regime in Russia.
Winnipeg was the gateway for the settlement of The Prairies.
Inuit Inukshuk or stone man (Cairn), used by Inuit Eskimo and other North American Indian tribes to show ways to safety and shelter in the wilderness.
The Forks, a historic site and meeting place in Winnipeg located at the confluence of the Red River and Assiniboine River.
Strategically located at the junction of the two major rivers this spot was a native stopping place for trade and hunting.
For at least 6000 years, the Forks has been the meeting place for early Aboriginal peoples, and since colonization has also been a meeting place for European fur traders, Métis buffalo hunters and Scottish settlers.
Hudson's Bay Company.
Hudson's Bay Company functioned as the government in parts of North America before European states and later the United States laid claim to those territories.
It was at one time the largest landowner in the world.
It is the oldest commercial corporation in North America and one of the oldest in the world. A fur trading business for much of its existence, today Hudson's Bay Company owns and operates retail stores throughout Canada.
Downtown Winnipeg Financial District.
Following World War I, more than 30,000 workers walked off their jobs in May 1919 in what came to be known as the Winnipeg General Strike of 1919.
The Neo-Classical Manitoba Legislature.
The Golden Boy was modelled after the 16th century sculpture Ancient Greek god Hermis messenger god of trade, profit and commerce.
The sheaf of wheat in his left arm represents the fruits of labour while the torch in his right hand represents a call to youth to join his eternal pursuit of a more prosperous future.
The statue faces in the direction of Manitoba's north, pointing towards the region to symbolize its importance as a provider of important natural resources and economic opportunity.
With Graham who does Toronto - Vancouver on a his bicycle. (Photo credits to Aussie Kat)
Soundtrack: of course Neil Young (prominent Winnipeger), Sugar Mountain
