LAST DAY AT JASPER

Jasper, Alberta - Sunny and pleasant

Last night we drove into the quaint town of Jasper with Tony and Meike.  We stopped at a pub for some grub and suds.  Then we did some window shopping until we came to a Coldstone Creamery and indulged in some ice cream.  There's no problem walking the streets especially when it doesn't begin to get dark until after 10PM.

Photo with Jasper the Bear

This morning we found ourselves caught up in putting out a fires in the business but once that was accomplished we had time for a few stretches before lunch.  Tony and Meike patiently waited for us and by 1:00 we were heading to Maligne Canyon.  It is a beautiful, deep and narrow canyon with gushing waters.  The last time the VanStraten's were there was in the winter and they walked the bottom of the canyon on the ice.  What a difference a season makes.  We walked for about four hours peering down into the sheer canyon walls.

Denis showing his fear

The walls are sheer, narrow and deep

Don't they look like trouble?

This was a wide falls cascading over stone tiers

I read about taking afternoon tea served Canadian Rockies Style at Maligne Lake and thought that might be fun.  We didn't find where they served the tea but the view of the glacier-fed Maligne Lake was beautiful.  Maligne in French means evil - can't figure out why they call something so beautiful evil.

Lot of roots to trip over along the way

Dogwood maybe?

Thistle

Tiger Lily

We had soup, chili and sandwiches at the restaurant on the lake before heading home.  It was a pleasant day with good friends.

That's all folks!  Thanks for stopping in.

TOURING CANADA'S MOUNTAIN NATIONAL PARKS

Athabasca Hotel at Whistler - Warm, sunny skies

Yesterday morning, we got up early and went to the local parish in Cranbrook before breaking down camp.  Before leaving the hospitality of King's Campground, Wendy fed us again.  Her warm soda biscuits with homemade jam made saying goodbye even more difficult.  Al provided us with an alternate route to avoid any road closures and we snaked our way to a Petro-Canada to fill our tank.  At $5.60 an imperial gallon, we set a record of $350.00 to fill the tank.

Good for the bones

Our first stop was Fairmont Hot Springs to take a soak.  Thanks to Al's information, we knew exactly where to park our coach and found the short trail leading to the free-to-the-public hot springs.  The sun was warm, the springs were hot and the mountain/lake view was spectacular.

Our plan was to drive less than 200 miles and stay at Lake Louise in Banff.  The campground wanted $27 per night and they had no services due to the flooding.  We decided to keep driving until we found phone service and that meant driving another 180 miles.  At 8PM we pulled into Wapiti Campground in Jasper.  The only available electric sites were in a parking lot and costs $32 a night but at this point we didn't care.

Black bear along side the highway - the glare is from the window

The drive was very pretty along Route 93 especially through the Columbia Icefields.  The scenic road provided views of twenty-five glaciers.  The largest glacier, the Columbia, covers an area of 124 miles.  The turquoise-blue waters of the glacier-fed lakes were beautiful especially when the sun sparkled on its waters.

Bridal Falls

Nice shot of a glacier and a glacier-lake

Really?

I love these over the highway passes for the animals to cross safely

That's all folks - thanks for stopping in.