A DAY IN JASPER

The next day was free choice day in Jasper. We chose to take a cruise on Maligne Lake to Spirit Island.

The smoke haze was still hanging about but visibility was getting better. The water in many of the lakes and rivers is bright green due to "Glacier Flour," fine rock powder made by the glaciers grinding down the rock it passes over and deposits it into the rivers.

However the haze was still covering the mountains behind Spirit Island. This is a popular scene used in many Canadian tourist brochures.

It started to rain and we boarded the boat for the scenic trip back to the coach and Jasper. The rain was welcomed as there was a good chance that it would clear the air. After lunch in Jasper, Bill found an Internet Cafe and......

 I went back to the Lodge in time to join some friends for a walk around the lake which lapped at the front door.

We walked all the way around with a guide from the lodge telling us about the flora and fauna in the area. 

It started to rain really heavily so we quickly made our way to our cabins, where we rested before going to dinner for the most delicious meal and view. So much food..it was turning into a gourmet tour.

The rain did good and the next morning the air was much clearer. We could see to the end of the lake and the mountains peeping through the mist.

Bill said good bye to the family of bears that lived in the foyer before we piled into the coach for a short trip to Lake Louise but it took all day because we had a new adventure on the way.

SUN PEAKS to JASPER

Last night we were at the Delta Hotel in Sun Peaks, where we had a sumptuous buffet including salmon prepared in different ways. This was followed by a presentation on the history of the fur trade and exploration of western Canada.I found it very interesting to see how courageous the pioneers were exploring by canoe along the freezing wild rivers. I won't say who nodded off.

Next morning we boarded the coach for a scenic drive through the Rockies to Jasper in Alberta......but it wasn't to be, because the smoke haze was as bad as ever. We stopped near Mt Robson for lunch. It is the highest mountain in the Rockies. Our guide pointed into the haze and said that's where it is.

This is what we should have seen.

To cheer us up, our tour guide (Valerie, who was excellent), made a detour from the itinerary and took us to see salmon spawning in Swift Creek.The creek was full of salmon.

The salmon swim for 500 miles from the Pacific Ocean to lay eggs here. The female scours a nest with her tail in the gravel and lays four thousand eggs then the male sprays the eggs with sperm. After 10 days both parents die and provide nutrients for the young. Only 200 make it back to the sea, where they fatten up for four years before they begin their torturous journey back to exactly the same place where they were born but only two make it.

 We motored on to Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge. Our room wasn't far from the lake with a backdrop of mountains but it was hard to see through the smoke.

However, the smoke created a different kind of beauty to the scene. Eerie like.

This is the main lodge where there are restaurants, lounges, bars and shops. We had a choice of four restaurants. The food was delicious and view lovely. The accommodation blocks were scattered around the huge property.

One of the lounges with a roaring fire, where we relaxed with new found friends from the tour.