Glacier View Inn | Columbia Icefield Centre

Published on: 2011-6-14
Posted in: Accommodation / Hotel Reviews, Tourist Attractions, Travel

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Glacier View Inn at Columbia Icefield Centre

Hotel Reviews: Glacier View Inn @ Columbia Icefield

Glacier View Inn is located on the third (top) floor of the Columbia Icefield Centre and features 32 guest rooms (most with lofts) and each with a private bathroom, telephone and satellite television. Wireless internet is NOT available. Internet Kiosk is available on the main floor for a small fee; the bandwidth is limited and the speed is slow.

Glacier View Inn is operated through Explore Rockies. You can check its website for costs and types of rooms.

Essentially there are two types of rooms available in this hotel: Glacier View Room and Mountain View Room. The price difference between the two is $15-$20. Seriously, if you’ve come this far to see glacier, get the Glacier View Room with a spectacular view of the Athabasca Glacier. All you see from the Mountain View Room is just rocks! Considering the limited number of rooms available in this hotel, it will be better to choose Glacier View Room!!! You may want to make a reservation early.

I visited icefield on June 1 and made a reservation for Glacier View Room in mid-April. :D The hotel was nice and quiet. The lighting in the evening and morning hours was spectacular. At night (after 5pm) and early morning (before 9am), there weren’t many people in the hotel. It made me feel like the whole area was my place! I could walk everywhere and took as many amazing photos as I wanted without interference from crowds. Unfortunately, the night I stayed in the hotel was New Moon. :( There wasn’t any moonlight, so the icefield was in complete darkness. If it was Full Moon, the scenery would probably be better!!

Looking at Athabasca Glacier of Columbia Icefield through Glacier View Room of Glacier View Inn
This was what I saw through my hotel window. Truly the Athabasca Glacier.

Glacier View Room of Glacier View Inn
This was what the Glacier View Room looked like.

Bathroom in Glacier View Room
This was the bathroom in Glacier View Room.

Since I stayed in the hotel overnight, I was the first group (9:30am) to board Columbia Icefield Glacier Adventure the next morning with only 10 tourists or so! How nice!! The whole Columbia Icefield was ours!!! :D Usually the Glacier Adventure bus can carry a max 56 passengers and that was what happened in the following groups. :shock: By the time the second group came to the icefield, we were about to leave. :D I include some photos of Glacier Adventure Tour below; you can see we were the only group on the icefield. :D
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Natural Bridge & Spiral Tunnels | YOHO NATIONAL PARK

Published on: 2011-6-13
Posted in: Photography, Tourist Attractions, Travel

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Natural Bridge | Yoho National Park

Natural Bridge

Natural Bridge is located 4km (5min) west of Field, on the the Emerald Lake Road. The trail is closed in winter.

Natural Bridge is an impressive natural rock formation where Kicking Horse River has carved a natural bridge through solid rock. The Natural Bridge lookout presents visitors with the opportunity to view the formation from a variety of different vantage points, with interpretive displays explaining the physical processes at work.

The lookout also serves as an access point for the Kicking Horse Fire Road trailhead, which leads to the Meeting of the Waters where the Amiskwi River and Emerald River merge with the Kicking Horse River. The fire road is popular with cross-country bikers and skiers alike. Lucky hikers may also track down the mineral lick, which attracts moose, deer, elk, and other animals.

Spiral Tunnels

Spiral Tunnels | Yoho National Park The Spiral Tunnels celebrated its 100th anniversary in year 2009! This engineering marvel is important to tourism in Yoho National Park and is a vital link for the Canadian Pacific Railway.

There are two viewpoints where you can safely watch trains and learn more about the Spiral Tunnels and Kicking Horse Pass National Historic Site of Canada. On average, 25 to 30 trains pass through the Spiral Tunnels daily, though not on a regular schedule.

  • From the viewpoint 7.4-km east of Field on the Trans-Canada Highway, you can see the Lower Spiral Tunnel in Mt. Ogden.
  • The Upper Spiral Tunnel in Cathedral Mountain can be seen from the pull-off 2.3-km up the Yoho Valley Road.

Spiral Tunnels | Yoho National Park If you want to see what it looks like, here is the detailed map of Yoho National Park (you can enlarge the map to view spiral tunnels railroad).

Click here for more info / history / background of the Spiral Tunnels.

Spiral Tunnel - lower and upper view points at Yoho National Park

Sherbrooke Creek, Waterfalls

Sherbrooke Creek & Waterfall | Yoho National Park @ Field, BC I saw this small creek next to the Trans Canada Highway #1 when driving toward Wapta Lake. It’s a very nice creek; however, I didn’t see many people stopping by to view it. I’m not quite sure about the name of this creek, but I believe this creek is coming from Sherbrooke Lake because it appears between Spiral Tunnels Outlook and Wapta Lake.
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Dae Jang Geum Parody 大长今 – 武大郎版

Published on: 2011-4-5
Posted in: Animation, Entertainment, Humor, Music, Video

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大长今 - 武大郎版

大长今 – 武大郎版

Not sure if people still remember this famous Korean drama “Dae Jang Geum”. It was very popular with the highest TV rating at that time. Its songs are also very popular. This is the Chinese version of its theme song in a satirical way. However, if you know how to speak Chinese, the parody song actually helps remember its lyrics. :D

Click below to watch Jewel in Palace parody animation

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Apartment Transformer: 24 rooms in a tiny space

Published on: 2011-5-16
Posted in: Entertainment, Science & Technology, Video

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Domestic Transformer - Apartment Design Layout Map
This tiny 344-square-foot apartment in Hong Kong, designed by architect Gary Chang, can be transformed into 24 unique room combinations by means of sliding panels and walls. This apartment design upgrade does not come cheap; it costs $218,000 for 344 sq ft!!!



Potential Issues: Privacy & Inconvenience

  1. Technically, this apartment is only meant for singles or intimate couples to live. I mean…who would like to take a bath in such an open space :shock: , while others are cooking in the kitchen or watching TV in the living room? As well, the bath tub needs to be dried after use to prevent mold growth from moisture accumulation. :neutral: Furthermore, the bath tub is kinda redundant if there is a shower already.
  2. When you wake up, you have to do your bedding first before getting to the kitchen to have breakfast. I don’t think I will be able to live this way every day. :P Of course, if your spouse wants to eat breakfast and you want to sleep….I can see a problem coming up….. The kitchen should be where the bathtub is, and vice versa.
  3. The inhabitant must have a very neat organization skill. To have the walls fit properly against each other, things need to be organized neatly and in proper places. The resident must also be diligent in house cleaning.

Domestic Transformer - Apartment Design Layout Map
Above are some possible configurations of this tiny apartment.
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Asteroid 2005 YU55 – Nov 8, 2011

Published on: 2011-5-9
Posted in: Photography, Science & Technology

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Asteroid 2005 YU55 - Nov 8, 2011

Facts: Asteroid 2005 YU55


Dec 28, 2005
Asteroid 2005 YU55 was first discovered on Dec 28, 2005 by astronomer Robert McMillan of the Spacewatch detection team at the University of Arizona, Tucson’s Lunar and Planetary Laboratory. En route and headed our way, the cosmic wanderer is another reminder about life here on our sitting duck of a planet.

April 19, 2010
On April 19, 2010, astronomers at the National Science Foundation’s Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico generated some ghostly radar images (see above) of 2005 YU55 when the asteroid was about 1.5 million miles (2.3 million km) from Earth.

The asteroid is about 1,300 feet (400 meters) in size about a quarter-mile (400 meters) long and twice as big as originally thought. The Arecibo telescope’s planetary radar system resolved features on the asteroid down to about 25 feet (7.5 meters).

Because of the asteroid’s size and orbital characteristics, astronomers have flagged 2005 YU55 as potentially dangerous down the road. But the upcoming encounter is no cause for alarm, researchers said.

Nov 8, 2011
On Nov 8, 2011, the asteroid will complete another trip around the sun and swing by Earth again just inside the moon’s orbit. It should fly by at a distance of 191,120 miles (307,577 km), about eight-tenths the distance between Earth and the moon. The distance from Earth to the moon is on average about 238,900 miles (384,472 km).

With recently upgraded radar equipment at Goldstone in California — part of NASA’s Deep Space Network — there is a good chance of obtaining radar imaging down to the 4-meter [13 feet] resolution level, when the asteroid 2005 YU55 returns this fall.

Questions

  1. What’s the difference between comet and astroid? Comet Halley has a trailing trail. Can an astroid have such?
  2. What if the astroid did hit the earth? Would it cause catastrophe similar to dinosaur extinction followed by ice age?
  3. Can we see it with naked eyes on Nov 8? Or, telescope is required?

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3m Cube Project Home

Published on: 2011-5-8
Posted in: Entertainment, Science & Technology, Video

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3M Cube Project House
Three-meter cube home (27m3 space in total) may revolutionize the way we live, especially in high population density cities, such as Manhattan. Pretty impressive. I love the idea of sliding table. :)

However there is not a door for the bathroom. I think there should be a sliding door for the bathroom. When I look at the wood framework, it doesn’t seem to allow space for a sliding door. It looks like the sliding door, if there is one, will hit the glass panel of shower area.

Another question: how does the window by the bathroom work? There are 3 handles: left, right, and bottom.

Finally: how much does it cost?!


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