Day: 35 Lake Louise, AB to Jasper, AB

Day: 35 6/2/15

 

Bow Lake

We broke camp and headed for the Icefields Parkway (Hwy. 93) to Jasper.  It was rainy and foggy but this just added to the eerie atmosphere around these mountains. Bow Lake, the source of the icy blue river that flows through Lake Louise Village appeared first in a day destined for spectacular sights. Ice still covered much of the surface.

 

Digging for grubs

A brown bear digging for grubs would alternately dig, root and stand but I couldn’t get a picture of him standing.

 

Another beautiful glacial lake

Still another beautiful lake appeared from the mist as we ambled along.  A good thing about the drizzling rain was the very light traffic that allowed us to set our own pace.

 

The Weeping Wall

The “Weeping Wall” is an interesting waterfall where the water emerges from the rocks in the face of the cliff instead of just pouring over the top.

 

Richard's beary close encounter

Pulling into a rest stop to photograph another waterfall, I stepped out of the RV only to be greeted by a black bear just 20 feet away – Mary assures me that I broke a speed record jumping back into the truck. 

 

Across from the bear

I shot a couple of pictures of the bear through the window before he ambled off and I got to approach the waterfall without thoughts of becoming a bear snack.

Columbia Glacier

The Columbia Glacier was our next stop (my only disappointment of the day) as it was large but not much to look at – sort of like a big sheet of pie crust rolled out.  Just goes to remind me to keep my expectations in check.

A couple of big horn sheep munching alongside the road just stood around as we watched them and our 5 mountain goats a few miles further along were the final big wildlife treats of the day before arriving at the Jasper campground about 3.

 

Fantastic 5

We setup camp, including the (mostly) mosquito proof screen tent, cooked some brats and settled in for the evening.  Another great day.

Odometer: 81285 Miles Today: 147 Total Miles: 4085