Northwest Adventure Day 9

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Leaving Jasper

We take in a home-town breakfast and take some town pictures before taking off for the day. Our goal is simply to get to the down side of the Icefield Parkway again. Where that will leave us for the night is anyone's guess. We believe it will take less time because we did the drive up taking advantage of many of the viewpoints then. We do rent a GPS device that gives the history of the area and talks to specific viewpoints as we make the drive. Rita is hopeful that it is similar to the cassette tapes you could rent years ago when she was here.

We see our buck elk one more time before we depart. Of course, we don't know for sure if it is "our" elk buck but we decide that it is and he's just doing really well. Today he has about five females with him instead of the two from yesterday. It is their mating season so one can only guess. They don't wear nametags.

Almost immediately after getting through the Jasper park entrance to the parkway, we take the alternate route suggested by our GPS guide to take 93A instead of the Hwy 93 of the other day. It is part of the "old route" from Jasper to Lake Louise. We find it is well maintained so not too bad. As we listen to our electronic guide, we make the turn to another short drive that our guide says should not be missed. Once again we find ourselves on one of those roads that barely allow for two cars side by side. At least everyone we go past today slows down and assures both cars get safely past each other. There are still a couple that want to barrel up or down and those we kindly pull over at a pull-out to allow them to do so. We only worry about the animals that they risk hitting when traveling so recklessly.

The drive is well worthwhile though somewhat slower than we had planned. There is a long walkway at the top with extraordinary views but much too steep for Jerry's scooter to be of any help. Jerry views the area from the parking lot and Rita takes a short walk to get a picture or two before heading back down for the digression. We get back to 93A and realize we are only miles from Jasper after over an hour on the road already. We know lodging between here and Lake Louise is too rustic to be safe for Jerry so we decide we must move a bit faster. We continue on 93A to join back with 93 and do our best not to pull off and especially, not to take any of the other "must-see" side roads that our GPS guide presents. We listen intently to the other information our guide provides as we drive along. Right before joining with 93, we see the other side of the waterfalls that we could not have seen from the road the other day. This was too beautiful to pass up. Unfortunately, the path around the waterfalls had periodic stairs such that once again, it was not conducive to getting Jerry's scooter out. He stepped out with Rita to view what we could and we drove back around to get the stunning road view once again. We were able to get a few good memorable pictures since traffic was definitely at a minimum.

We get moving on 93 again. We try hard not to duplicate pictures from the other day but coming from the other direction, it is almost all new. Jerry becomes a professional goat spotter and is successful in his search. We have to pull off to watch them though binoculars are definitely necessary to observe their movement. Their are four or five and we're not sure if they are a family or not. We didn't do our research on mountain goats so not sure how they travel - as family, in groups, or what. It doesn't really matter because they are simply entertaining to watch, especially as they walk the mountainside cliffs as we would walk a cemented sidewalk. We are not sure how they keep from slipping off the mountainside so we simply marvel in the sight. A couple from Germany stop and we try to help them see the goats through their binoculars. Between the language barrier and the difficulty in describing the mountainside such that they might pick out the white blimps, well, we were not successful. We felt badly but if they were unable to find them based on what we had done to show and describe it already, it was never going to happen. We apologized. They thanked us. We all moved on. We successfully helped two other couples see them - it was a treat for all.

We meet a couple from Edmonton at another stop. They are amazed that we didn't see bighorn sheep right in Jasper while we were there. They make this trip about once a year and say they always see them. They can't believe we haven't seen them along the road as well so we are convinced they've been there but not having the trained eyes that these Canadians have, we try not to feel foolish for not having spotted them somewhere along the line. The Canadians admit that Bighorn Sheep are much harder to spot because they blend right into the tan color of the mountains. That makes us feel better.

We see the continental divide sign but know from our electronic guide that it is a hike to get there which is not a feasible side trip for us. Jerry has seen the continental divide before and thus uses another waterway of two creeks coming together to help Rita understand what the continental divide looks like - where water is known to flow in two different directions. Rita is certain it is more clear when seen in person but Jerry's description and waterway example is more than adequate to get the idea. It is not a necessary sight for us to see. Time is a-wasting.

Lake Louise

It is already getting late. However, Rita tells Jerry he just must see Lake Louise, a town we did not explore when we went through the first time. We drive to where the marketing pictures of Lake Louise are taken and where Rita had that same view years ago. As we finally arrive, disappointment is far too trivial a word to describe what Rita witnessed. She would not be able to share the memorable Lake Louise view with Jerry. They have allowed the already large lodge/hotel there to expand further, such that there is no Lake Louise view from the incoming road. It is downright depressing. Even when you drive into the now massive hotel area, they have blocked the view with a variety of walkways, buildings, etc. We go up to a public parking area and see some people walk down into the woods, evidently taking a steep path to get through far enough to see. It is out of the question for us. As we leave, we realize we need to find lodging here in Lake Louise for the night as dusk is already at hand. We try a few places that for one reason or another, do not meet our needs. We call the massive Lake Louise lodge/hotel in hopes that if they have a room, it will provide the view we cannot see from the road. We are connected to someone who is nowhere near Lake Louise and can only tell us they have a standard king room available for $500. Rita asks if that is for one night and is surprisingly told yes, one night is $500. We do not take it. It is not only so far off our budget, it is beyond comprehension that anyplace would be able to sell a standard hotel room for $500.

We are pleased to find Lake Louise Inn closer into the town of Lake Louise that has a very acceptable unit available. We end up with a patio door in the back leading out to a rustic, wooded area. It is perfect and the price, though a little high, is definitely acceptable. Unfortunately, we later find the heat in the unit is not working and given the coolness of the night, we end up switching units near midnight. We are both worn but make the move as quickly as possible so as to get a decent night's sleep.

We will sleep a little later in the morning given our late night move and appreciative of the promised discount for our inconvenience. We decide we will call the GPS Service in the morning and extend our contract to use the guide as we cross over to British Columbia and over toward Kamloops. There is a place to return it in Kelowna that will work for us. For now, sleep is the priority.

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Photos

Our Jasper Motel
Quaint - we would recommend it

Mountains show through the trees
We wind upward to a GPS suggested side road

What a view
At mountain height instead of looking upward

Rita takes a hike
OK - it was just a little walk and this is looking back down toward the parking lot

Major hiking paths
Quite a few people geared up to take one of these pathways. Definitely too steep for Mr. B and his scooter

The other side of the unknown lake...
...looking into the mountains from which we came

Roadside waterfall
We think it is the Athabasca Falls which is not as visible from the main parkway