On the Road Again...

I started my 10-hour driver to Jasper after leaving Amy at the Vancouver airport. Luckily I messed up and didn’t realize I had marked an extra day in Vancouver when Amy made her flight arrangements. This wound up giving me a well needed two days to drive to Jasper, instead of the one day I thought I had. The drive was absolutely amazing. Every turn reveled another amazing view of mountains, waterfalls, and raging rivers. As I snaked through the Canadian Rockies I tried to take pictures of the landscape. They might not be the best pictures but the best views were seen while driving. Many of the pull offs along the road really didn’t give you any sort of view. Most opened up to a picnic area and lots of trees would block what ever view you may have had of the lake, stream, or mountain. My first stop of the night after 7 hours of driving was Blue River BC. Not much there except the hotel I stayed at and a place to eat. They did have heli skiing but it’s summer so not much of that going on. I’m learning as I go, this time I did fill up when I was around half a tank and a gas station showed up. Which made for a much less stressful drive. Even though unlike some of the drives through Oregon and Washington, there always seemed to be food and gas not too far apart along the hi-way.

Tuesday began and I started my drive again, hoping to make it to Jasper before noon. This stretch of drive was the most beautiful. The mountains are huge and steep rising from the hi-way straight up a thousand feet it seemed. Spectacular views of massive waterfalls, and emerald lakes surround you as make your way into Jasper. I even had to stop along with everyone else to take a picture of a moose standing in a lake eating grass. He was alone and I had flash backs to my elk sighting in the Red Woods, but there were no more moose to be seen as I rounded the next turn, I’m glad I stopped. Since I had an extra day more than I planned I’m using that time to do laundry here in Jasper, a much-needed task. Tomorrow I have to get up super early for my Bald Mountains Hike, which I hope is really exciting. Jasper is so pretty; it’s hard to imagine that people actually get to live here. Although by the looks of it they don’t have much to do except hike, ski, or hang out with a bunch of Tourists.

The thing learned on this leg. Americans are the only ones who order Arnold Palmers, a drink, and Canadians don’t drink sweetened tea. Or at least that was what the Bar Tender here in town told me at lunch.

-stephen