RV ALASKA - Yeah, We're Lovin' Jasper!

The weather continues to be “iffy” with big dark clouds appearing daily in the late afternoon, often accompanied by intermittent showers here in Jasper.  We’re still making the most of every day – we just toss our rain jackets in the truck and go on with our plans.  My efforts to not fall behind in posts are failing, so this one will cover everything we did during the four days we were in Jasper.

On one of the four days, we took a leisurely drive down Maligne Lake Road to see the lake.  On another, we retraced our steps along the Icefields Parkway as far as Peyto Lake (which was the first stop we missed).  The remaining two days were spent exploring the town of Jasper, bicycling around the campground and catching up on camp and household chores.  We really had a great time in Jasper, and I’d go back there in a heartbeat.

Date(s) – June 18th – June 21st

Total Miles Traveled to Date – 6,592

Wildlife Sightings to Date – One back end of a grizzly bear, 1 more black bear, bringing our total to 2; 3 more deer (2 of them bucks with their racks covered in velvet), bringing our total to 5; 1 more mountain goat, bringing our total to 9 (including 3 tiny and adorable kids); 6 more bighorn sheep, bringing our total to 18; 3 more elk bringing our total to 49 (including 7 calves that hadn’t yet lost their spots and two bull elk with full racks covered in velvet); several small herds of pronghorn antelope (including 2 mamas with 3 newborn fawns between them); 1 more eagle, bringing our total to 7 (including 2 fledglings); 3 great blue herons; dozens of American white pelicans; at least a half dozen families of adult geese with goslings; and a number of ducks (including 5 adorable ducklings).

Highlight(s) – First of all, we hit a wildlife bonanza in Jasper.  Knowing from prior experience in National Parks down in the States, we always pull over when there’s a collection of vehicles at the side of the road.  Within a mile or two of our campground, there was such a collection of vehicles, but we were late to the party.  Alan did get to see the tail end of a bear disappearing into the woods, and bystanders assured him it was a grizzly.  By chance, we happened upon some rocky cliffs along the Athabasca River near Old Fort Point, and found bighorn sheep there on two of three occasions.  Cow elk have been plentiful, but it wasn’t until we were out and about around Jasper that we started seeing bull elk – one young one in our campground loop and one older one just off the highway on the second day we drove the Icefields Parkway.  Both had impressive racks covered in velvet.  And we finally spotted our first “Canadian” eagle – this one looked like it was incubating eggs in a tall tree overlooking the water on the road to Maligne Lake.  That drive along Maligne Lake Road proved to be a lucky one for us - we also spotted another black bear there.  Plus, I’m happy to report that we did see two ducks on the day we returned to our “lunch without a view” spot on the Icefields Parkway.  Ducks on one of the Waterfowl Lakes.  Rather appropriate, don’t you think?

We enjoyed our time in Banff, but we really liked Jasper.  The town is spread out just a bit more than Banff, so everything didn’t feel quite so jammed together, giving us a little more breathing room as we located parking and ambled around town.  Jasper has an active railyard with both passenger and freight cars rolling through on a regular basis.  (Note to self for future reference: Jasper is a stop for the Rocky Mountaineer, and three of the major car rental agencies have desks in the depot.)  The train depot itself is a beautiful old building.  In addition to being an active station, it also houses the administration offices for Jasper National Park.  With the exception of the technology at the ticket counter, it looks and feels like an old-timey station.  Sweet!

We picked up a map of western Canada and a couple of small souvenirs in Jasper, and happily supported the Friends of Jasper National Park with purchases of a hoodie and a long-sleeved shirt.  We ate lunch at Tim Horton’s one of the days we were in town, and Montana’s BBQ on another.  Montana’s earned a big thumbs up from both of us – not only because of their food (their pot roast soup was delicious!), but because of the mountain scenery outside our window and the excellent view of the Jasper Skytram running up the mountain.

Our return trip along the Icefields Parkway was just as spectacular as our first pass through.  This time, because we had only the truck, we were able to make additional stops along the way, including the Athabasca Glacier at the Columbia Icefield and Athabasca Falls - gems, both of them.

Lowlight(s) – Peyto Lake.  Despite the fact that it was a “don’t miss” on our itinerary, we never saw it.  The first time we traveled the Icefields Parkway, we hit Peyto Lake in the morning but, with the trailer, we couldn’t find a place to park.  The parking area was jammed up, and it felt like we were floating in a sea of humanity.  When we returned to the Icefields Parkway with just the truck, we arrived later in the afternoon.  Again, a sea of humanity and no place to park.  All I can say is that Peyto Lake must have been an outstanding stop, and we were really disappointed to miss it.  If you want to see the lake, go early – even if you’re still in your jammies.

We planned to drive out to Maligne Lake only once, and we happened to hit it on an overcast day.  I can only imagine how gorgeous this lake is on a blue-sky day with the sun dancing off the water.  If we were to return to the Jasper area, I’d even consider a boat tour on Maligne Lake.

When I mention these lowlights, please understand that I’m not complaining, just trying to keep it real.  Every day isn’t perfect and things don’t always go the way we want them to, but we know that we’re blessed to be able to do what we’re doing.

Campground(s) – Still at Whistlers in Jasper National Park.  Still enjoying the mountain views and the plentiful elk sightings.

Laugh(s) of the Day – I can honestly say that I’ve never seen anything like this before.  Early in the morning on the day of our departure from Whistlers Campground in Jasper National Park, I noticed a Cruise Canada Class C rental RV pulling out of its campsite from the corner of my eye.  I was rearranging the contents of the truck cab (a never-ending battle), and didn’t really pay attention to it as it drove by.  Apparently, someone else did.  Suddenly, there was a whole lot of yelling going on.  A woman in pink floral pajamas and bare feet was running down the loop road after the Class C, screaming over and over at the top of her lungs, “STOP!  STOP!”  I know she wasn’t related to the C, because the rental came from my left and she hadn’t run past me.  I think she was actually from the site on our right, and must have seen something amiss when the C drove by.  The next thing I know, this woman is literally leaping in the air waving her arms as wildly as she could to try to attract the driver’s attention – to no avail.  (Alas, no photos.)  As he pulled out of our camping loop, I heard the woman say (to herself or someone else, I don’t know) something about him dragging something.  It could have been a sewer or water hose but, most likely, it was his electrical cord that he had forgotten to unplug and which got yanked out of the electric pedestal as he drove away.  Oh, well.  I knew he’d figure it out eventually.  As far as I’m concerned, the Good Samaritan gets an A+ - for being a good and helpful camping neighbor, as well as for her fine fashion sense.  If I had run out after him, you would have seen sweatpants and an old t-shirt.  Those pink floral pajamas made my day – and poor Alan missed the whole thing!

Pic(s) of the Day

Thank heaven for zoom lenses!

Hey!  What're you lookin' at?!

The Jasper Heritage Railway Station

The sun shining on the mountains makes for a really, really spectacular view!

The Columbia Icefield

Athabasca Glacier

Athabasca Falls

Maligne Lake

Free firewood - help yourself!

Remember our "lunch without a view" on our first Icefields Parkway run?

We were at one of the Waterfowl Lakes and THIS is what we had missed!

Observations – The RV rental market in the Banff and Jasper areas is BOOMING!  There are more Canadream, Cruise Canada and Fraserway rentals around these towns than there are privately owned RVs.  I’m guessing that folks fly into Calgary, and head into the Parks from there.  Some of these newbies drive like maniacs, forgetting that RVs don’t handle like their small SUVs back home and that they don’t stop on a dime.  When the group of young adults across from us at Banff left one morning, the driver must have put the pedal to the metal and he pulled out of his site like he was roaring onto the track at Talladega – despite the fact that the speed limit in the campground was approximately 12 miles per hour.  Luckily, once we left Jasper, the rental traffic dropped off tremendously, and the frenzy died down.

It's interesting to us that Parks Canada provides free firewood in its National Parks campgrounds.  We would later find out that the same was true for at least some, if not all, of its Provincial and Territorial Parks, as well – a nice bonus for campers!

Up Next – Both Banff and Jasper National Parks were specific destinations on our itinerary, and we booked a number of days in each so that we could explore and enjoy them.  Now, the serious trek north and west to Alaska begins.  We expect cell and internet service to continue to be spotty due to lack of population centers in western Canada, but I’ll post as time and services allow.  Stick with us!