From Banff to Jasper
June 22-23, 2008
Heading north from Lake Louise we came to Mistaya Canyon, where the
river gouged a very narrow and deep canyon with interesting shapes for
the channel.
Today was the day for black bears. We saw five bears while driving along the highway.
Spottting bears is pretty easy; you look for a lot of cars pulled over
and people pointing their cameras into the bushes. These people are
only about 10 feet from the bear. I guess they figure that, since it is
a black bear, it is not so dangerous. So much for the rangers'
guideline of staying 300 feet from bears. In case you are wondering, I
am inside the Roadtrek when I took these pictures; we had a
ringside seat.
Next stop was the Columbia Icefield, which feeds the Athabaska Glacier
seen here. In 1844 the glacier covered the area which is now the
parking lot at the Icefields visitor center; now the toe of
the glacier is almost one mile away. The melt waters from the Columbia
Icefield flow into three oceans - the Atlantic, Pacific, and Arctic.
Further on we saw these bighorn sheep grazing near the highway.
This one came right up to our Roadtrek; I don't think I have been eyeball to eyeball with a bighorn sheep before.
We came upon these mountain goats grazing by the highway. The baby
seemed concerned about our appearance and hid under mommy, but was
still curious enough to look us over.
Soon the baby went back to grazing, while still under mommy's protection.
Athabaska falls was very impressive, with a lot of spray and a rainbow
when the sun shines. This water will eventually reach the Arctic Ocean.