Aaaaaahhhhh! There is nothing like a warm, comfortable
bed to help revitalise a tired body.
That and a few cups of strong coffee. After breakfast and with snow still lightly falling we left the unplowed
streets of Edmonton for Jasper.
Along the way eagle eyed Mum spotted an Elk sitting
nonchalantly in deep snow about 20 metres off the side of the highway. The wildlife photographer in me just
‘had’ to get the shot. With a bit
of trepidation I inched closer to the Elk making certain that I was within ‘dashing quickly back to the car’ distance just
in case said Elk decided I looked a bit menacing and wanted to charge. I must say that I am now in love
with my 70-200mm telephoto lens more than ever.
A few km down the road Mum’s keen eyes spotted another
group of Elk . This time there
were no alpha males but the more gentile female of the species. Again my 70-200mm lens came to the fore
and I was able to capture these pretty creatures from a comfortable
distance. They didn’t seem to mind
my presence but I wasn’t pushing it so hopped back in the car satisfied that I
got the shots I wanted without freaking out the wildlife (or me!!!)
Jasper was as quaint and beautiful as I remembered
it. It is a small town nestled
between magnificent mountains, clear blue lakes and an abundance of
wildlife. There are a vast number
of trails to hike which take you
through some incredibly pristine landscapes. We wanted to hike the Maligne Canyon where the water
that normally flows through its valley freezes in winter. This would allow us to walk along its
base. However without the safety
of cleats for our boots or hiking poles we decided against doing the entire
hike. We did though walk a small
portion of the canyon to get a taste
of what it would look like.
WOW. How special it was to be able to walk over what would be a rushing,
bubbling creek in Summer, to walk through high walled canyons and to see frozen
waterfalls (albeit small) either side of us. I just wish we had those cleats and poles so that we
could have walked the entire canyon.
We could not leave Jasper without visiting the Bear's Paw Bakery. It has some of the most
delicious bakery treats you are ever likely to try. This bakery has become so popular they have had to open a
second store in town which has been named “The Other Paw”. In a town of "not that many people" that
certainly says something about the quality of food and coffee it serves up.
With our bellies full we started travelling southwest
along the Icefields Parkway. This
drive takes you through a valley that meanders its way through the Rocky
Mountains. At this time of year
the mountains are covered in snow and it is difficult to describe in words how truly
beautiful and awe inspiring they are.
Every time we turned a corner you could hear ‘ooohs and aaaahs’ and ‘oh
look at that’ as new perspectives came into view.
At the half way point we came to Athabasca Glacier. Unfortunately for us the tours that enable you to get out onto the glacier were closed for the season. We did however get to see this monstrous wonder from a short distance away. The wind that whipped off of it was extremely chilly so we didn’t stay and view it for too long. Needless to say it too was a sight to behold.
Surprisingly we did not see any animals on the drive. We even had the boys looking with the promise of a few dollars if they were able to spot some!
Our stop for the night was Lake Louise once
again. We went out for dinner at a
wonderful restaurant called the Station House. If you ever need a place to eat (lunch or dinner) in Lake
Louise go there. The food is
wonderful, the ambience terrific and service excellent. It is housed in an original Canadian
Pacific Railway station house that has been lovingly restored and trains still
run past it at regular intervals. Not only that but a roaring, crackling fire was lit
that smelled delicious and was toasty warm.
Did I mention that the food was wonderful???
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