Wildlife at Jasper

Jasper National Park is unique in that it has a town at it center.  Jasper is a small village but is the gateway to all sorts of hiking, fishing and other outdoor activities.  We stayed at the Whistler Campground just outside the village.  Our first morning, Jim came back for his morning walk with the girls to report they had seen a couple of Elk.  Shortly afterwards, the two Elk appeared in the camp just outside our site.  One of the animals had a collar of some sort, probably a scientific study.  These were not the only Elk we saw.  Take a look.

This Elk was only a short distance from our site. It appears to be a female.  They show no fear of the campers but certainly keep their distance and are wary if anyone gets too close.

This female was just behind our RV.  She is wearing a collar.  They are feeding on the young, tender grasses.

Jim and Savannah and Charlotte enjoying the morning.

Just off the highway coming out of Jasper, I spotted this group of Elk grazing just down the hill from the road.  They were so lovely and looked peaceful.  Once we stopped, other cars stopped to check out the group as well.

They appear to be young and female, but it is hard to tell.

When we returned to camp, right in our site were two Elk enjoying an afternoon snack on the grass and also on Dandelion flowers.  This one was a female.

The second Elk is definitely male.  His antlers are covered in soft velvet.  It would be interesting to see him when they are fully developed.  He kept walking toward us and we retreated to the opposite side of our truck.  He was really beautiful.

As you can see, it is difficult to spot the animals.  I knew he was there but thought it would make a good picture.  It will be very interesting to see what they look like at the end of the summer or early fall.  

Icefields Parkway & Jasper National Park

I was watching an interview with Alex Baldwin recently where he shared that the Canadian Rockies in Alberta are the most beautiful place on earth.  Well, I am not sure I think it is the most beautiful place, but it is certainly one of them.  We have already seen some of the Rockies but our drive this day would be a big surprise.

We left Calgary heading west on the Trans Canada Highway.  The ultimate destination for the day was Jasper about 250 miles away.  I took the first leg of easy driving.  The highway surface was smooth and straight.  As we headed out, in the distance we could see snow capped mountains rising.  They seemed so far away and I wondered how long it would take us to reach them.  As it turned out, not long at all; in about an hour we were approaching the beginning of Banff National Park.  The township of Banff is a charming place to visit, famous for the hot springs; but we have been there and Lake Louise before so we traveled through rather than stopping.  Beyond Lake Louise lies a stretch of highway called the Icefields Parkway (French: Promenada des GlaciersI).  It is one of the most scenic drives in North America, crossing Alberta’s Banff and Jasper national parks in the Central Rockies.  The road parallels the Continental Divide and passes through the Columbia ice fields.  To say it is beautiful is an understate for sure.

From the moment I turned onto the roadway, we knew the day was going to be really special.  The road twists and turns between the mountains with steep grades and twist backs.  All along the way are warnings of wildlife on the roads.  The mountains are very different from anything we have seen to date.  In Montana, Wyoming and Colorado, the mountains are majestic but “soft” somehow.  They are mostly covered by trees and vegetation of all sorts.  But here, the mountains rise and slash the sky like serrated knives.  The trees and vegetation mostly grow around the foot of the mountains.  Above, the granite grey color reaches upward as if the stone itself is angry.  The edges are sharp and menacing looking warning of the dangers they hold.  There is no way I can describe everything we saw.  I hope my pictures will tell the tale.

 Heading out on the Trans Canada Highway.  In the distance, the Rockies rise promising great things to come.

Inside Banff National Park are many warning signs about animals on the roads.  We did not see any, but we did not doubt that we would at some point.

These overpasses serve a unique function, a crossing bridge for animals.  There is no road on the top.  It is covered with grass and vegetation to create a natural bridge for Elk, Caribou and other animals.  This is the season when migration occurs so they are valuable to both animals and travelers alike.

The stark peaks reach upward for the sky.  We mere mortals can only marvel at the power of the earth.














The western side of the roadway has heavier snow cover.  Up ahead is Hector Lake nestled within these peaks.

 Here is Crowfoot Glacier high above Helen Lake.  This panorama also included Dolomite Pass not visible in the picture.  The turnout was very busy with a number of tour buses.

Our first bear sighting.  A young grizzly bear forages for food in this snowy valley.

Bow Summit, the highest point on the parkway, 6,849 feet high.

Jim and his girls.  Savannah and Charlotte has been good traveling companions.

Mistaya Canyon is a 10-minute hike down from the turnout.  Here the river has worn a deep, twisting gorge in the limestone rock bed.  The water created tumbling boulders and a natural arch in the canyon sides.  The rock striations vary from white to deep grey.  Jim took a video and the sound of the water tells the story of its power.

The peaks on the east side of the parkway get more sun.  The melting snow forms multiple waterfalls that cascade down the sides of the rock.  It was very difficult to get a picture of the falls as the tall trees block good views but I was lucky enough to get this one.

Columbia Glacier was a sight.  The sun was so bright that it causes the view to have an surreal look with the rock varying from pale grey to very dark.

Mount Athabasca in the distance.  We were near the end of the parkway. Poor Jim, when he took over driving the road turned really difficult.  The surface was rough and pothole filled.  It was a constant challenge to make sure he was slow enough when we encountered ice heaves to avoid damage to the RV.  When we finally reached Jasper, we were exhausted and so ready to find a place to stay.  We stayed within Jasper National Park at Whistler Campground.  It is a beautiful place.

On the Road to Calgary

The day has finally come for us to cross out of the US and into Canada.  Before heading out, we gathered all the paperwork we might need to cross the border.  From past experience, we know that sometimes they ask for everything and then again they do not want to see anything; you never know.  When we got to the border, there was quite a line waiting to cross.  After waiting about thirty minutes, our turn arrived.  The border person could have cared less what we had in the RV.  He did run our license plate and once he confirmed we had not stolen the truck passed us forward into Canada.

This area is rich in dinosaur fossils including eggs and bones.  Drumheller is one of the sights where a large facility was built to house many of the finds.  We visited it when we lived in Canada; it was very interesting

There are lots of ponds and small lakes dotting the farm land.  It was interesting how even though the temperature was in the 60s, the lakes were still frozen over.

The land is flat and rolls on and on.  Very different from what we have been seeing.

There are many wells pumping what we think is natural gas but it could be oil.  In any case, the landscape was dotted with them.

 

My partner in travel and life.

Heading to Canada

It is a beautiful, sunny day. The sky is clear and blue and not a cloud in sight. A great day to head for Canada. We will cross the border and head for Calgary. From Calgary, we turn west and go across the ice fields (if memory serves me correctly). In any case while we are in Canada, I do not know when we will be where we can get WiFi connection. So, we may go dark for a week or so, or perhaps we will be able to get on line but do not worry, I will be writing off line and as soon as I can connect, I will post everything. We plan to get a prepaid phone for emergency service just as soon as we cross the border and we have On Star in the truck plus road service so we will be safe.

So, off we go!

One the road to Great Falls

It has been a few days since I posted, much to do in the final days before we launch ourselves over the border into Canada and beyond.  The drive from Rock Springs to Great Falls was beautiful and nail biting as well.  While the weather had broken and was improving, we were heading up in elevation where it was possible for icy road conditions to be ahead.  Jim drove and I tried to take pictures as we drove along and keep myself calm.  Somehow, it is the passenger that is always looking down as the truck clings to the side of the mountain.  Taking pictures helps to keep my mind off my fear and on the beauty around us.  Here are some of the pictures I captured.  Hope you enjoy them.

 Much of the route took us through the national forest land.  Sticking to our plans to follow the secondary roads, we were not disappointed by the scenery along the way.

The color of the vegetation in the foreground was so striking.  There was lots of mist and at times it settled into the valley making the outlines fuzzy to the eye.

The road markers were especially interesting to me.  The top half was red and obviously done this way to be visible when the snows come.  I cannot imagine that much snow!

This lovely home caught my eye.  It was located all alone in the bottom of a valley surrounded only by trees and the mountains.  The folks here are certainly self sufficient and love having plenty of space around them.

The ever present snow-capped mountains give a beautiful backdrop to the ride.  Of course for some of us, there is the apprehension for the ride ahead :).

The river that flowed all along the way reminded us of the Little Colorado up around Greer, AZ.  It winds and winds and is rarely very wide but we are sure there are lots of fish in the waters.  A good fly fishing pole and we would have dinner!

No, the photo is not out of focus.  The mist in the air gave the mountains this fuzzy look.  I would love to try and capture it on needlepoint canvas!

Like the home from above, this lovely little church sat in the valley all alone.  What a peaceful place to whisper into God's ear.

The road wound and wound around these rock formations.  

We were not far from Great Falls and the river on the right is the Missouri.  Great Falls has a good museum on the Lewis and Clark expedition.  We plan to visit it while we are here.


While the journey has been beautiful so far, we are sure what lies ahead will be even more so.  Tomorrow we will be on our way, Alaska, here we come!

Yellowstone Finally

Finally we are ready to head out for Yellowstone.  We had hoped for a bright sunny day but unfortunately it was not to be as the skies were filled with grey skies threatening rain.  No matter, we headed off for the park.  I could try to tell you how wonderful the day was but instead I will share with you some of the photos we took.

Firehole Canyon provides a beautiful drive beside the Firehole River.  The walls of the canyon are a lasting evidence of all the volcanic activity that created Yellowstone. The colorful layers each represent a different event in time.  The falls are both wild and beautiful.

 I enjoyed looking down on the river as it twisted and tumbled below.

 In the distance, the rising mist marks the beginning of Lower Geyser Basin.  It is filled with geysers, mud pots, fumaroles and hot springs.

This turquoise pool is mostly hidden behind a curtain of mist.  I was lucky enough to to catch a moment when the wind blew the mist away revealing this lovely color.

Fountain Paint Pot is an example of how the pressures, gases and other forces come together to create mud that forms mini domes in the heated environment.

 The steam rises from this hole sending up a rotten smell.

 A view of Grand Prismatic Spring.  The color was so intense.  These two pictures show the variance of two different sections of the same formation.

 A familiar sight all along the way was the buffalo. These beasts may look peaceful but they are not to be messed with.  The day we were there a young girl got too close and was gored by a bull. They graze in the meadows in groups large and small.  Many have young calves that are so cute.

This bull gave no quarter to the cars.  He came right down the middle of the road unconcerned that he was causing traffic issues.  What a sight.

Heading to Yellowstone

We left Rock Springs, WY behind looking forward to seeing Yellowstone.  The road there took us through some beautiful country not unlike what we saw in Colorado.  The first section was truly ranch country.  The now familiar cattle, horses and sheep were all around us.  In addition, we passed Alpaca ranches as well.  The road stretched ahead, straight as a ribbon into the horizon.  After about three hours, we stopped to take a rest break and let the girls out of the car.  Where we stopped was just outside the entrance to a very large cattle ranch.  The cattle were very interested in us and came close to the fence for a look.  Charlotte being very curious, moved closer and closer until her nose actually touched the nose of one of the cows through the fence.  When he snorted, she jumped back startled and started to bark.  It was such a funny sight.

I took over driving at that point.  As luck would have it, the landscape began to change and mountains rose before us.  Now, I can drive the RV pretty well, but driving in the mountains still makes me nervous.  The road began to climb upward and we passed a sign warning of steep grades etc. climbing up and over the Teton Pass.  Well of course I made it, but I can tell you that there is a permanent imprint of my hands on the steering wheel!

The southern route into Yellowstone Park is still closed to traffic and would be the normal route through the Teton National Park and on to West Yellowstone.  Our only option was to circle west into Idaho and circle around to West Yellowstone.  All around us the Tetons rose shining in the sun.  Once again, the landscape changed from ranch country to true farmland.  The fields have already been plowed and the delicate green leaves are pushing skyward.  All around, the many shades of green dotted with bright yellow flowers brought memories of home.

We arrived in West Yellowstone after a long drive, longer than we have planned to travel each day.  The little town is the Western Gateway into Yellowstone Park.  We are staying at Grizzly RV Park.  It is quite nice with lots of grass and roomy sites.  In no time at all, we were set up and ready to explore and give the girls exercise.  We back the open forest and there is plenty of room and trails for us to explore.  Savannah recognized the forest from our trip to Show Low the past two years.  She quickly raced into the grasses and trees snuffling along at all the smells.  Charlotte followed her lead and quickly began to smell and explore.  A nice way to end the day.  Tomorrow will be a big day.