Ice Canyons and Mojitos

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R: Mojito night was fun. It was the same price for double measures as it was for singles - which made it a no brainer - and they were pretty good mojitos. The fun came when Cate's chicken Caesar salad transformed into Cajun chicken and chips. The waitress, up until now, uncaring and not particularly interested, then worked hard for her tip the rest of the evening. ("15% is customary"!)



The next morning in Jasper we rented a car as there was no other way out of town. We took a trip up to Maligne canyon, a small but steep canyon through which water has been carving for years. We had wanted to do an ice-walk tour into the base of the canyon but as water was still flowing we couldn't go. However, although slippy under the compacted ice, the walkways and bridging points provided great views of the canyon and the water below. It was partially frozen which meant that most surfaces were covered with ice formations from where the spray had hit them. Cate's excitement hit a peak when we saw a tea house with lights on inside - but this too was closed for the season.



We also went to Pyramid lake below the fantastic mountain scenery. There's a beautiful island in the centre you can walk out to.



In the afternoon we reattempted the Icefields parkway from the other end. This time the road was wet and less icy, so we got a lot further. We made it to Athabasca falls which is a superb set of falls about 60km south of Jasper. We tried to go further but as the distance from Jasper and altitude increased, so too did the level of ice on the road and we had to turn back before the Icefields visitor centre, which is just next to a significant part of the Icefields. We met a Canadian couple with a dog in a pink coat who we had been mocking on the walk behind them, but they were nice and had driven up from Edmonton just to see this.



That evening we took a drive to Hinton, which is not a nice place. But it did have a big Safeway, and a Walmart with no food in it. We bought ourselves a eat in feast for the evening and settled in to watch the snow fall.



By morning there was at least 20cm more on the ground...

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Photos

Jasper National Park
Watch out for bears!

Us at Athabasca falls
To prove we are actually both here