Day 8 Jasper Park – Icefields Parkway – Calgary

Leaving Jasper was hard but not as hard as leaving Banff. Jasper House is a family business and they and their employees all came out to way good-bye to us as we headed south on our way back to Calgary. We made some stops along the way that made this a glorious day. First we were treated to the sight some beautiful elk feeding along the roadside. Then we made a short stop at Sunwapta Falls Resort for some pastries and a washroom break. After that we were off to the Columbia Icefields to walk on a glacier. To get up on the surface of the Athabasca Glacier, we climbed aboard an “Ice Explorer.” These unique vehicles were designed to travel over ice fields and glaciers.


To see what we saw and what we did, copy and past this address in to your browser and play the video:

http://www.columbiaicefield.com/default.asp

The meltwater from the Columbia Icefield feeds streams that flow into the Arctic, the Atlantic, and the Pacific Oceans. There’s not much you can do to top a glacier walk so the rest of the trip was kind of anticlimactic but we did stop at Bow Summit on our way on to Calgary. Bow Summit is the highest point along the Icefields Parkway. It has a stunning view of Peyto Lake and is a great place for a photo shoot of turquoise-colored Peyto Lake. After that, we left the national parks and descended into the Great Plains of Canada and had a wonderful farewell dinner at our Hilton Garden Inn. If you haven’t vacationed in the Canadian Rockies, you haven’t vacationed. Debbie and I were talking and we both agreed that of all the vacations we have taken, this was definitely the ………………… most recent.


The elk is one of the largest species of deer in the world and one of the largest mammals in North America.


Male elk have large antlers which are shed each year.


Melinda and Debbie in front of Athabasca Glacier.


The glacier is approximately 3.75 miles long and is measured to be about 1000 feet thick.


On top of the glacier


Debbie and Melinda in front of an Ice Explorer


The size of the Explorers can be seen when compared to people. The door starts at a height taller than 5'10" Niles


See that blue pylon to Debbie's right? Venture beyond that point only at risk to your life. See that hat in my left hand. I threw it past the pylon and tried to get Debbie to retrieve it for me. She wasn't going for it. Now she owes me a new hat.



They say you can see a dog's head at the top of Peyto Lake if you look if you look carefully.


Peyto Lake is the bluest lake in the Rockies. I feel sorry for any color blind person who visits Peyto Lake.



Rock flour flowing into the lake give the lake a bright, turquoise color


Rick always had his Frisbee ready for some fun at each stop.

Day 7 Jasper Park – Maligne Lake -- Jasper

Our morning excursion was a visit to Maligne Canyon. But before that happened, Steve and I were up before the sun and took and hour walk along the highway leading into the town of Jasper. The sound of the rushing river, the forest teaming with wild life, and a full moon over head made this a memorable experience. We were back in time to shower and eat breakfast (hey, guess what Debbie – they have oatmeal) before the bus left for Maligne Canyon. Along the way we again got great looks at elk feeding along the roadside. One young male with antlers must have been having a testosterone rush because he kept challenging two other males to a head butting contest. We stopped at two more lakes this morning, Medicine Lake and Maligne Lake.

By early afternoon we got off the bus in Jasper by the train station. We wondered d around until we found a nice restaurant where we had lunch and then just moseyed around this charming small town with as many souvenir shops as restaurants. The bus took us back to Jasper House where we rested up for the tough evening ahead. Instead of going back to the lodge restaurant, Steve suggested we get some take out food and picnic out in the beautiful woods right outside our cabins. That was a nice switch from restaurant dining. At 8 PM, our Caravan tour group gathered out on the grassy, park like center of the lodge grounds for a marshmallow roast. Roasting marshmallows and making somemores was fun but the best part turned out to be a complete surprise. One of our tour members was a brilliant musician who was on vacation from Israel. The owner of the lodge had an accordion that belonged to his wife who had passed away. He readily lent the accordion to Shlomo who played like the maestro he was and lead us in singing famous songs from all over the globe. What fun to sing our favorite songs while sitting around a blazing campfire with a full moon over head.


This guy is usually behind the camera and that is where he belongs.


Melinda along the Maligne Canyon Trail.


Two hot chicks.


Train station in Jasper


Melinda at Maligne Lake.


Canadian geese at Maligne Lake.


Stream leading to Maligne Canyon Falls.


Steve, Rick (tour guide), Margaret


Moutain view from Jasper


Marshmellow Party


Same as above.


Shlomo made this marshmellow roast very special with his musical talent.


This bear use to work as "Big Al" at Country Bear Jamboree in Disneyland. Since Disney decided to eliminate that attraction, he now works at Maligne Lake posing for pictures with tourists.

Day 6 - Banff -- Lake Louise – Jasper Park

Leaving Banff reminds me of the line from an old song that went, “Please Mr. Custer, I don’t want to go.” When it was time to leave Banff I didn’t want to go either but since we were going on to Lake Louise and Jasper Park, I reluctantly got on the bus. The farther we traveled, the happier I was that I got on the bus. Our first stop was Lake Moraine Lake in the Valley of the Ten Peaks. This glacier fed lake in Banff National Park was one of the most beautiful sights I’ve ever seen. To see it is to love it and to see it at its best requires a tricky hike of about 600 yards to the Lake Moraine viewpoint. Unfortunately, Melinda and Debbie weren’t up to such a hike. The lake is a most beautiful shade of blue and it is set off with a backdrop of huge snow covered mountains. Again, I didn’t want to leave but Lake Louise and Jasper waited. The beauty of LL is the turquoise-colored water and the sight of Victoria Glacier that feeds it. After snapping away many, many pictures Melinda, Niles, Steve, and Margaret took a leisurely stroll along the edge of the lake. From LL the motor coach, driven by the best drive in the world, Hugh, took us down the road past the world famous Icefields Parkway, Jasper Waterfalls, glacier lakes, and snow capped mountains. After a long day of driving we arrived at Jasper House Lodge for a two night stay along the banks of the Athabasca River. Before getting off the bus, our great tour guide, Rick Ward, announced that dinner tonight would be on him and Hugh. (Actually I think it was on Caravan although it wasn’t listed in the itinerary.) Steve and I enjoyed a trout dinner, Margaret enjoyed liver and onions, while Debbie and Melinda licked their chops on chicken pot pies.


Beautiful Lake Moraine

Not so beautiful Lake Moraine

On the trail down from the lake

Lake Louise: The glacier at the top of the picture is more than 6 miles away and over a football field deep.

The Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise

Another view of the Fairmont where the rich and famous, like my cousins in Ohio, stay when on vacation.

Jasper Falls

Day 5 Last of Day 5 Pictures (I promise)

Another view of the Banff Springs Hotel. Bow Falls is in the foreground and Sulphur Mountain is in the back ground.

The Buffalo Nations Luxton Museum is dedicated to the appreciation, interpretation, demonstration and display of the cultures, traditions, and values of the First Nations of North America and their trading partners.

Row, row, row you boat. We had Tom do that. Rick, our tour guide, is at the front of the boat with is hand raised.

Day 5 -- Even More Pictures

Tunnel Mountain according to First Nations legend appears as a sleeping buffalo located at Banff, Alberta.


Steve and Margaret, our friends for over 28 years.


Hoo Doos


Two river rats without their hats.

Day 5 -- More Pictures

What goes up, must go down. So here we go, down to the base of Sulphur Mountain

The Gondola travels 5,120 feet at a speed of 13 feet per second to
an elevation of 7,486 feet.


Near the Banff Springs Hotel, the Bow River pours over eroded limestone ledges, creating a roaring waterfall -


Banff Springs Hotel




Sleeping Buffalo Mountain


Three fearless river rafters

Day 5 Banff -- Gondola Ride and Bow River Float

My Oh My – What an incredible day. Life doesn’t get much better than Day 5 in Banff with Caravan Tours. We woke early to a simply beautiful day. The previous day’s rain had rolled out but left behind a blanket of the purest white show I’d ever seen covering the magnificent mountains that surround Banff. Our morning buffet breakfast was in the Tony Roma’s restaurant and then all 43 of us were on the bus headed off for the gondola ride up to the summit of Sulphur Mountain. When we got up there it was one of those moments that took your breath away. The panorama views of all 6 mountain ranges cover with fresh snow from the storm that had just rolled out was indescribable. It’s hard to believe that the same God who created the aired deserts also created such indescrible beauty as can be seen here on the mountain top. After out “mountain top experience ” we were transported by gondolas back down the mountain and transported by motor coach to view Bow Falls and then dropped off at the river’s edge to enjoy a river rafting trip down the Bow River. Our raft guide was a young man named Tom with a strong body to man the two oars and a strong Australian accent. He kept us informed of everything we would see as we spent an hour floating down stream. Some interesting landmarks we learned about are called hoodoos. Hoodoos are tall thin spires of rock that protrude from the bottom of arid basins and badlands. They are composed of soft sedimentary rock and are topped by a piece of harder, less easily-eroded stone that protects the column from the elements By early afternoon we were back in town and had a rare afternoon of free time. I journeyed out by foot for a scenic walk along the Finland Trail and followed it down the river to where I was able to get some great pictures of the magnificent Banff Springs Hotel. The Banff Springs Hotel is a former railway hotel constructed in Scottish Baronial style, located in Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada. The hotel, designed by architect Bruce Price, was built between spring of 1887 and 1888 by the Canadian Pacific Railway. If you ever get up this way, be sure to book you room at this hotel. They have one room that goes for $5,000 a night. I know that may seem a little steep but you do get a free fruit basket delivered to your room when you arrive. By dinner time we were starving. So to solve that problem we went to the Old Irish Pub and had the best Spanish food I’ve ever eaten (just kidding). But we did have a great dinner and then went through a bunch of gift shops and spent a considerable amount of time pricing out Ammolite jewelry. Ammolite is a rare and valuable opal-like organic gemstone found primarily along the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains of the United States and Canada. It is made of the fossilized shells of ammonites. After that we ended up at another Irish establishment, McDonalds, for some fake ice cream. I guess you can tell by now that we didn’t like Banff at all. Where do we go tomorrow? Tune in to Day 6 to find out.

Up Up and Away on the Banff Gondola ride.

There are 360 degrees of scenes like this from the top.



Melinda in her "dead men tell no tales" sweatshirt.



Nice smile, Melinda.