Raymond Gehman
Banff, Alberta, Canada

If you rent a car in Banff, make sure you get one with an extra-large windshield, because as you drive the park roads, the views of the Canadian Rockies are so grand and all-encompassing you’ll get a stiff neck trying to take it all in! Banff is the only place where I’ve stood on line in a grocery store, and, while absently gazing out the window (which happened to be filled with the soaring ramparts of Cascade Mountain), felt suddenly inspired to burst out in a chorus from The Sound of Music!

Another Banff memory: After a busy morning of making pictures, I returned to my room for a rest. I removed my hiking boots and socks and placed them by the open patio door to dry, then decided to nap on the nearby couch. I awoke to discover a mule deer standing in the open doorway, about to make off with my socks, for a tasty lunch I guess. I had two quick thoughts: One—hey, those socks weren’t cheap! And two—hey Ray, that’s a cool picture! And it was.

Raymond Gehman is the photographer of Exploring Canada’s Spectacular National Parks.