Northwest Adventure Day 7

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Calgary to Jasper, Alberta (Canada)

Today we would travel from Calgary, through Banff National Park, Lake Louise, Columbia Icefields, Jasper National Park and stay the night in Jasper. Weather predictions were varied across the parks so we weren't quite sure what we would run into. One thing for sure, it was time to put some slacks on rather than shorts.

The drive out of Calgary featured rolling, tree covered hills and then some flat areas before hitting Banff National Park. We were still getting used to meters vs. miles and kilometers vs. mph. We were glad to have a speedometer that gave both so it was just a matter of viewing the kilomers/hr rather than trying to figure out how many miles per hour we could drive.

We drove past Banff, not diverting to see the town but continuing on to Lake Louise. There, we stopped at the Visitor Center to get a better sense of weather and/or road closures. There was a road closure that was just opening due to a landslide. It is not uncommon given the terrain and closeness of rocks to the highway. Unlike Glacier National Park, this road is a well developed two lane highway with plenty of shoulder space to pull off on the road. We took advantage of that numerous times, just stopping to take in the spacious views.

The Lake Louise Visitor Center Rangers talked us through some of the smaller road closures and lodgings that were closed for the season. They did not expect we'd have any trouble with weather though we should expect rain in places. Small amounts of snow were expected in the coming days but since weather can change in these mountains, we decide to take it one day at a time and head north to Jasper.

We stop at the Canadian Park checkpoint to get our Park pass - there is no US/Canadian agreement for Park passes to carry from one country to the other so to start, we purchase a two day Canadian pass. The road begins slowly, with more distant mountain views as we traverse over hills and around long bends. It quickly divulges mountain views that stun us even in the cloudy weather. True to the prediction, we did run into some rain and at the highest point, even wondered if it was a mix of rain/snow but no matter, it was never dangerous to drive, just a little wet at times. The clouds themselves were spectacular to watch, sometimes overtaking the colossal mountain views.

The higher we went, the higher the mountains seemed to rise. The highest was the Columbia at 3,750 meters (12,303 ft). However, the diversity of mountain heights with intermittent glaciers is what made the scenes spectacular. In one glance, we could see the aspen like trees in full color, followed up the mountain side with pines and darker evergreens, then a colorful alpine layer that eventually led to snow capped peaks.

Imagination easily filled in the creek or river beds that today, ran with little or no water. However, in spring and summer, one could easily envision rafters jetting down rampant rapids as the mountain streams fill the river beds we see today. We did see some creeks, mountain streams, and even waterfalls that flowed endlessly which added awesome remarkable features to the mountains that towered above them. It is simply the knowledge that spring and early summer must be spectacular with the winter melt filling every crevice.

Avalanche warning zones were well posted. We were confident it was not a concern for us today but the remnants of previous avalanches scarred the mountain sides. We were surprised to learn that avalanches is the number one killer of mountain goats. They plummet to their deaths in the avalanche and their thawed carcasses in spring provide easy food for bears and other animals waking from a winter slumber. Bad for the goats; good for the bears, etc.

Glaciers were prevalent and easier to decipher given the blue tinge of the ice. Clouds provided a constant changing view as they hid and then unveiled the mountain tops as they moved through. We were blessed with white clouds and blue skies to dense, dark grey clouds and every imaginable color combination in between. There was never a dull moment and in fact, we could not believe how fast our time was going. We had decided not to do much stopping, saving it for the trip back but alas, it was impossible not to stop and take in the spectacular views. No matter how many times we read the historical postings of how the glacial age formed these mountains and deep crevices, it was impossible to grasp as we looked at it all.

We saw a few goats at one of the viewpoints. They were actually on the opposite side of the viewpoint, providing a learning experience for us -- look all around because you never know what you would see.

Columbia Icefields

This is the highest point along the drive from Banff to Jasper. We stopped at the Visitor Center/Museum there but thought better of venturing out when it was obvious Jerry was having difficulty. He had been at 7,000 ft before with little difficulty, but here, the cold, very damp air was definitely going to pose a challenge if he venture out. We obviously opted not to take the ride to the glacier. Jerry was able to watch others who were walking out on the glacier and that was quite sufficient. Having done the glacier walk years ago, Rita described for Jerry what it was like as he watched others doing so. The view was so majestic, it was not hard for Jerry to feel the experience in spite of not actually doing it. It was an awesome stop and staying in the car did not take away from just having the opportunity to be there.

At one point, we observed that we, too, were in the clouds. Those pictures did not turn out. It was impossible to save the cloudy shroud pictures to give perspective of what it was like to stand in a cloud. Leaving the Icefield, it was apparent we were descending. It first brought roadside views back to evergreen covered roadsides from the rocky views of being up in the mountains and then to colorful, autumn lined roadways. Inconceivable that in one long drive, one could experience so much difference.

Jasper, Alberta, Canada

An Elk was there to greet us as we arrived in Jasper. He was right on the side of the road, oblivious to the cars stopping and photographers taking pictures. We were amazed that people could be so stupid as to get out of their cars and roam to what we felt was way too close to a wild animal. The elk do give an impression of being calm, quiet, and tame but it only takes seconds for that to change - one wrong move or one person venturing too close and who knows what could happen. Luckily, the large elk stayed oblivious to us and for today, nobody was going to get hurt.

We had called ahead for a room at what looked like a decent motel so that we would not have any difficulty upon arrival. It was a smart move as Jasper seemed to be busier than we would have anticipated. We are certain there were rooms left but doubtful anything as quaint and stylish as what we had. We opted to sign up for a second night, partly because worse weather was heading through the rockies the next day and partly because we really needed to get some laundry done. It seemed like a wonderful town to spend the extra day and let the weather pass.

We drove through the town to get our bearings and then had a nice dinner at a quaint restaurant. It is amazing how tired we get just sitting in a car, enjoing spectacular scenery, and getting out at a variety of viewpoints. The pictures you see today are the scenes that sent us into a calm, quiet slumber. Life is good.

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Photos

Sudden clearing
Doesn't look so bad now

One turn and here you have it
Mountain views