The Road to Radium Hot Springs

Young Grizzly on Icefields Parkway.

Although we have seen very little wildlife, we were thrilled to see a young grizzly shortly after we left the Icefields Visitor Centre. He was ambling lazily along the highway, oblivious to the tourists stopped to admire this resident of the Rockies. I am still marvelling at our good fortune.

We drove through Kootenay National Park to Radium Hot Springs. The late afternoon was warm and quiet; we saw only a few other cars in this isolated part of British Columbia. Ninety minutes or so out of Lake Louise, we descended into the lovely community of  Radium Hot Springs. We were both tired but spotted a hotel in the center of the valley.

Prestige Inn is our best hotel so far. Our room -- large, newly redecorated and very comfortable -- overlooks the valley. The desk receptionist practcally promised mountain goats on the hotel grounds (!) so I'm looking forward to tomorrow. We had a light supper in the restaurant and watched the President's speech on TV - big, high def.

Looking forward to a 7:00 a.m. swim tomorrow morning.

Icefields Revisited

Athabaska Glacier

We decided to drive back to Lake Louise via the Icefield Parkway, in the sun this time. What a difference sunlight makes! We took our time at the Athabaska Glacier and got some good photos, so much more pleasant without rain, snow and sleet. Busloads of Japanese and German tourists outnumbered other visitors, but we heard many European and Asian languages spoken around us.

We had pricey coffee and muffins in the visitor center cafeteria and then got back on the road. The parkway was busy but not crowded. The snow shone on the glaciers and mountain streams and lakes glimmered in the September sunshine. Yesterday's chilly visit faded into memory.

Jasper Tramway

Jasper Tramway

I felt a little deflated this morning, seeing that Jasper was enveloped in fog. We had breakfast at the dump and, wonderfully, the sun was beginning to break through the mist. We decided to take the Jasper Tramway, as planned.

View from the Summit - Jasper Tramway

Waited in line for 15 minutes or so, and we got boarding passes for the 10:54 "flight", a 7-minute ride with 25 other passengers squished into the tram. Taking photos on the way up was impossible, but fortunately the sky was relative clear when we got to the top of the hill. A rather primitive, icy boardwalk surrounds the tram landing. The glacial lakes below seemed far away, as did the city of Jasper. A highlight of our Jasper visit.