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Published: September 19th 2013
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Rearguard fallsLeft our camp spot at Clearwater just after
7am ready for the drive to Jasper.Rain fell quite heavy during the night and in the morning it was cloudy with intermittent showers. It was nice to see the rain today after several very hot, dry days - just the cool break we needed.
Couldn't resist stopping by "mad river" shortly after leaving the camp site to grab a few snaps. The river was flowing quickly over pebbles and rocks - looked so serene and peaceful. Drove through the small town of Blue River and then took a break at Valemount's Visitor Centre. Used the wi-fi to upload blog and check emails. Valemount is one of the larger towns we have passed through and is not far from the Alberta border.
Short drive past Valemount was Rearguard falls - our first hike of the day - a short 30 minute return trip. Rearguard Falls mark the upper limit of the 800 mile migration of salmon from the Pacific Ocean. Only a few Chinook - the largest and strongest of the salmon make it this far.
Further down the highway is a mountain named in memory of a special young man who died at the age of
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At rearguard falls 22 from cancer. Terry Fox was 18 years old when he was diagnosed with bone cancer and forced to have his right leg amputated above the knee. In 1980 he inspired the people of Canada by attempting to run across the country on an artificial leg. He called this quest "The marathon of hope". Terry ran on average 42km every day through Canada's Atlantic Provinces - Quebec and Ontario. However in the September of 1980 after 143 days and 5'373km he was forced to stop his run as the cancer had reappeared in his lungs. Terry passed away the following year at the age of 22. The Terry Fox Mountain was dedicated in memory of Terry Fox and his gallant Marathon of Hope. Each year the Terry Fox Run is held in memory of Terry's efforts - over 53 countries participate and the run successfully raises millions of dollars for the on going research into cancer treatment. It was a pleasure to look at the mountain and honour such a young strong willed man.
Next stop was Mt Robson Provincial Park where we checked out the visitors centre and took photos of Mt Robson - the tallest Mountain in Canada -
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The highway to Mt Robson 3954m high. Also in Mt Robson is Overlander Falls which is a 15 minute hike from the highway. Here the Fraser River plunges down into a large pool before continuing its journey to the Pacific Ocean. The sound of the roaring falls can be heard well before you reach the viewpoint.
One of the last stopping points in BC was Moose Lake - a huge never ending lake - smooth and glassy looking and blue/green in colour. Another postcard looking picture. After crossing the state border into Alberta we were pretty quickly into the Jasper National Park entrance. We paid our entrance fees of $9.80 each for the next two days of travel through the area.
Entering the town of Jasper you notice that the Canada Rail station is on the right side of the road the the left side is filled with restaurants and souvenir stores. After going into a store or two it was evident they were all full of cheap and nasty gift items. Personally I felt the shops were on the tacky side and couldn't wait to get back on the road to see the real Jasper.
Crossing into Alberta means a time change of +1hr. We are now
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Mt. Robson hiding behind the clouds on mountain time. Filled up with petrol in the town of Jasper $1.20 per litre. RV took 180litres to fill up - $216. Have travelled 997km in Canada to date. Also found out today that Vancouver is more expensive for food/ petrol etc due to the fact that they pay higher city taxes - same as some large cities in the USA.
The National Park Highway goes from Jasper all the way through to Banff. Travelling along the Icefields Parkway it is hard to take your eyes off the majestic dinosaurs that have risen out of the ground - The Canadian Rockies. They are so large and they look so old and rugged- it is difficult to put into words but I kept thinking to myself "if only those mountains could talk - what stories they would have to tell".
The Athabasca Falls area was a spectacular place to explore. The falls themselves were so loud and thunderous it was hard to hear anybody talk. The falls are a natural work of art sculpted by glacial ice and river water. The falls have carved out many potholes and canyons over the past few million years. There were a few friendly squirrels happy
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Overlander falls to have their photographs taken. Certainly a spectacular sight.
Driving along the Parkway at dusk we saw a family of baby deer. Canada has bears, moose, dall sheep and deers in their vast wilderness areas but to date the baby deers is all we have managed to sight. Pulled over to camp the night at Sunwapta falls.
Will continue on to Lake Louise tomorrow.
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