Jasper to Clearwater

As we departed Lake Louise, I stopped by and told my friend Winston “goodbye”.  The levelers were a bit obstinate again, but they went up and we went on our way.

Caitlin aids Kristen.

Kacie braved the weather at Bridal Veil falls.

If you could pick the very perfect day to drive the Icefield Highway, it would be the exact opposite of the day we were on it!  It was cloudy with low clouds and rain most of the way to the Icefields.  But there were sounds of laughter and fun all the way as we journeyed through the mountains.  We saw a bear, mountain goats and a huge elk along the way.

The monster machine we rode up the glacier was amazing.  But the glacier itself was more incredible.  At the pinnacle of our ride up the glacier, the ice was 1000 feet deep.  Our driver, Bruce, hooked us up with several bottles of pure glacier water. 

Boarding the monster!

Once we returned to the RV the levelers were barking at us again and although the alarm said they were down, a visual check said they were up.  (I had visions of a trip home from NY where the leveler alarm barked all the way from Erie, NY to Fishers, IN.)

Oh well, onward towards Jasper.  We were hoping to see a moose along the way, but Kelly concluded they don’t exist.  She asked if anyone had ever seen one in the wild or in a zoo.  We all had to give it to her.  There have never been any moose sightings by Tyners.

Patiently waiting for the glacier tour.

The ride of the day!

1000 feet of ice below them!

Jasper was a quaint tourist town with a beautiful view of the mountains.  I believe it is much nicer of a place to visit than Banff, it was not nearly as congested and much easier to get a RV around.  The restaurant was ok and overpriced by US standards.    (When I went to buy a cup of coffee, they were going to exchange my US dollar for $.86 Canadian when the actual rate is $1 US = $1.02 Canadian.)

The drive west out of Jasper was beautiful and allowed us a fun afternoon on our way to Clearwater BC.  We passed Moose Lake where Kristen and I swear we saw a moose swimming in the lake.  (Sorry Kelly, but we saw a moose!)  The drive was incredible and not too challenging for a mountain road.  The rivers were flowing fast everywhere we drove.

Once we were at the Clearwater campsite, Connie and I started laundry and relaxed for the evening as the kids watched UP.  The KOA worker was the son of the owners and I asked him for a running trail and whether it was safe to run around town.  He said “bears don’t come in town” and I would be ok. 

As I took the trail he mentioned, I got to a place that seemed a little risky to me, so I turned and went back more towards civilization.  Then into a neighborhood not too far from the campsite which had a trail that led back towards the RV.  After about 3 steps into the woods, I saw a footprint that looked fresh and not familiar to me, but comparatively large like my own.  Needless to say, I turned and went back through civilization.

Now that's a monster truck!

Anyone seen Caleb?

Back at the camp store the young man asked me about my run and I told him about my concern about the bears and how it adjusted my path.  His parents started laughing and said, “I would be too.  Bears are all around here!”  Holy cow….

I met a couple at the campsite adjacent to us who were from Kamloops who gave advice about the area.  Cory and Stacy were helpful and shared their Bud Light with Lime with me.  They had 2 boys and a 10 year old daughter.  They own a convenient store after having owned a chain of Quiznos.