Jasper, Alberta, Canada

Odysseus and I drove up the Icefield Parkway From Banff to Jasper. I lost track of how many glaciers we passed. There were a bunch. This one is the Athabasca Glacier (There will be a quiz later kids),

Just joking

The Canadian Rockies just take my breath away; so rugged and beautiful. There is a Kodak Moment around every curve in the highway.

There is still ice on the lakes, and snow on  the mountains. It is quite cold, but I dress warmly.

I camped last night beside a roaring stream. I thought it would make for peaceful sleeping, but it kept waking me up all night.

It was 40 degrees this morning, and it has been misting rain all day. These storms just keep coming from out of the Pacific Ocean. One every other day.  I should be north of them pretty soon. I hope.

The creeks come tumbling down out of the mountains, fed by melting snow. They are teeth-chattering cold. Some of them would be wonderful to kayak. Not this one though.

Here is a wildlife shot for you. These little ground squirrels are thieves. Gotta watch out for them. Even worse are the ravens. I turned around just in time to watch one fly off with my can of pringle chips off the picnic table last night. They also swiped the rolls I had bought for breakfast. How rude. Can't turn your  back a second around here.

I was buzzing down the road when I passed this guy. A grizzly bear!!! A ranger had told me not to get out of my vehicle if I saw one (Ha. Ha. Rangers are so funny). This bear was coming my way, so I snapped off a quick shot and got back on Odysseus really fast. That is why this shot is out of focus.

There are hundreds of bicycle riders along this highway, just puffing along, fully loaded with their camping gear. One rode right past this bear as I was standing there. Brave guy.

One final picture. Yep, its me. I am looking a little grizzly myself, don't you think. How do I look in a beard? (Don't answer that!)

Bye for now.  More later.
Ron

In Southwestern Alberta, Canada

I came up from Yellowstone Park through western Montana. It was a beautiful ride. In my opinion, that part of Montana is much more pretty than the more popular Colorado.  Odysseus and I had the road mostly to ourselves, just the two of us buzzing along with very few towns or cars. Lots of mule deer, though, crossing the highway in twos and threes.

There were many lakes, and vast forests of trees: firs and pines and hemlocks, nodding their heads in the wind; and birch trees and willows along the rivers, and cottonwoods spitting out silky puffs of seeds.

I asked about the crops. They grow timothy hay to feed their cattle, and some wheat, only ankle high now, and that is about it. I stopped for lunch where they were selling huckleberry pie. Hucleberries grow wild, and the kids go out and pick them in buckets, and then sell them to the restaurants. I thought they looked and tasted like blueberries, but I was assured they were not the same.

I had planned to stay in Glacier National Park and then ride the Going to the Sun Highway, but it was raining buckets and snowing in the upper elevations. The Going to the Sun Highway is stilll not open. It is covered with feet and feet of snow which they are working hard to clear.

So Odysseus and I rode around the southern edge of the park and crossed over into Alberta. Not because I was finally in Canada, but rather because of the weather that had followed me up from Montana, I rode in my heated jacket. It felt good. But it was the wind more than the temperature that bothered me. It was crosswise and buffeting, often gusting, the weather report said, to 45 miles an hour. I hate being blown all around the highway and having to fight to stay upright.

I stayed the night in Waterton National Park. It was beautiful. The lake, they tell me, is full of fish just begging to be caught.

The morning dawned bright and clear, still windy, but not as bad as yesterday. I am in a little pastry shop eating scones and drinking coffee as I write this. When I leave, I turn west and cross the mountains into British Columbia.  More later.

Ron