Boy, we have been busy. Our non train days have just about filled out our Nature and Wildlife Bingo Cards. Our two days in Jasper were jam packed. We spent our first day on trip going to Maligne Valley for a boat trip out in the lake and waterfall tour. Of course, it is raining, but just like Houston, give it a couple of hours and we might get fog, sun, snow flurries or wind. On our way out of the Jasper Fairmont property we spied a stag elk with an impressive rack….it is mating season, and for the female elks (his posse consisted of 5 ladies) it is all about the rack. Apparently size matters when the females are in the mood. Stags with only one rack or few branches on his rack get the leftovers. The stags grow complete new racks annually, so there is always next year for the weaker males that did not do well in the rack elimination fights earlier in the mating season. Our stag was calmly lying in the grass under a grove of trees surrounded by 5 adoring females. It is good to be the Alpha Stag-in the ‘hood.
The Maligne Lake and surrounding area was alive with eagles, trout (Brookies and rainbow, which are not native), spawning salmon,Canadian geese, loons (Eddie does not count as a Loon) pine beetles, and a momma moose and her offspring. Of course, Eddie wanted to count a white horse as a unicorn, but no…penalty card thrown on that one. While there is lots of evidence and signage, even a few electrified fences, warning of bears..grizzly and black, we have only seen the two black bears earlier in our travels. You know train gossip, even without internet or cell coverage, we all know that two campers in Banff National Park were killed (and eaten) Saturday night (9/30). Thanks Apple, for that SOS beacon…we can find you, but not in time. Yikes…glad we are booked in the Fairmont, no rustic heritage accommodations for us. I don’t camp, need running water, flushing toilets and a mint on my pillow…. On our way back we made the hike down to the Athabaskan Falls and the limestone gorges that have been carved with centuries of rushing waters…we are not in Texas, or even Colorado, any more.
We learned the various terminology used in Canada to describe less desirable features…like Rustic Comfort Stations…more of a log or wooden closet with a green roof and a non chemical toilet-read out house. A Heritage building means no air conditioning or heat…may or may not have a fireplace, but no 20th century conveniences (forget 21st-like Wi-Fi or cell service). Rock flour… is the fine powdered crushed glacier rocks that travels in the various glacier fed waters that make looks blue, green or milk water color. Rock flour is code for Mountain exlax…so drinking the glacier water will result in a trip to the Rustic Comfort Station….pray for toilet paper. We were encouraged to splash some of the glacier lake water on our face for a Glacial Facial at Spirit Island…no thanks, I would end up splashing the glacier water accidentally in my mouth.
On Day two in Jasper, we were again up butt crack early (it is a RM theme-luggage out side your room at 6:15 AM with transport around 7:45-not sure what we are suppose to do for 90 minutes, since breakfast is on train), and on our bus (with 50 of our coughing, sneezing, nose blowing train pals)to go to the Jasper Parkway and the Columbia Icefields. I will be honest, it was included in our trip package, so I really did not do any research on the area. So, imagine my surprise when it was the all glaciers, all the time bus trip. 10 hours of driving through some of the largest accessible (one two lane road, no trains) glacier ice fields in the world. We have been to Glacier National Park in Montana (beautiful snow covered mountains and valleys formed by glaciers only a little glacier action), Alaska, Whistler, Chile, Norway, Iceland…we have seen tons of glaciers…but nothing prepared us for this. Add in snow showers and 26 degrees…boy, did I pack wrong. When we looked at the 10 day forecast for the trip it was 40-65 range for whole trip. I last minute packed one long sleeved pullover, water resistant pants, beanie and pair of mittens. So, the pictures have a real one note on fashion statements. Back to the glaciers….mind blowing. Just about the time we we reached the turn off for the Glacier rider, we were rewarded with a Bull Moose…we will call him Bullwinkle…Rocky, his squirrel companion, is not indigenous to these areas, so Rocky was marked absent. We exchanged our road bus for the high tired glacier bus for a trip on to the glacier. As glaciers change daily, from the newly forming crevasses, to the fresh snow pack and the melt that forms new lakes at the base, it was truly a once in a lifetime experience …did I mention glaciers are cold and icy? Joker stayed on the bus, said he was good…snow, icy temps are not love languages for our resident Bassett hound. Yes, we have a picture of him in the glacier rider. Next up on our agenda was the walk out over the valley on a skywalk….glass floor semi circle out over the valley. I hate these kind of things…my stomach and legs turn to jello or alternatively freeze up. Queue the fog…saved by Mother Nature…high five. Coming down from the glacier, heavy fog filled the valley, clung to the mountains and pretty much made the skywalk a non event. Joker and Cat woman stayed in the bus, Batman and Robin took the walk. Good guys, to the end.
Coming down the other side of the Icefield Parkway into Lake Louise we made a couple of rustic comfort stops (see above) and a hike to Peyto Lake…arriving in Lake Louise at dinner time. Yes, another Fairmont…but tomorrow, I will give you the Pickle history of Lake Louise. Oh yeah, the l-o-n-g day on the bus with 50 people confirmed our long held belief.…we are not big fans of bus tours. Too bad Joker was not in charge of logistics…I could see a private hummer tour, even though the bus tour came with the train trip. You know the Captain….
No comments:
Post a Comment