Next Adventure: Traveling from Banff to Jasper

It is truly an adventure in the Canadian Rockies.  Stan is in his element.  The mountains and glaciers are spectacular and for the mountaineer in him.  He can't get enough gazing incredulously at these sharp, high peaks and mammoth living icefields.  It was a 4 hour drive from Banff to the Columbia Icefield.  The only issue we have with Canada is that you can drive on mountain roads for miles with no signs telling you what highway you're on or what town you are going to until you get there. Hence, we inadvertently added 1 1/2 hrs onto our drive. 

The Ice Explorer Ride took us up to the Athabasca Glacier (1,200 ft thick), a 3.7 mile moving glacier fed from the Columbia Icefield that recedes at the rate of 2-3 meter annually.  According to our guide, it has lost over 1/2 of its volume in 125 years.  He said in 2 years, they will have to revamp where the explorer buses start to drive tourists over the glacier as it will move downhill significantly again.  I have to say, I was a little nervous driving up to and onto the glacier.  Streams were rapidly flowing all around on this sunny but overcast day, the experience was indeed breathtaking.

View of the Athabasca Glacier from Columbia Icefield Discovery Center across Highway 93.

Closer view of Athabasca Glacier; this is only the tail end of the Columbia Icefield which extends way beyond the ridge in the distance to Mt. Columbia, which you cannot see from this elevation.

 Linda next to Canadian Flag on the glacier in front of Mt. Andromeda.

 Here is a view of the "Ice Explorer" that took us out onto the glacier.  It is specially designed with six, 5 foot tires that are about 4 feet wide to literally "float" out onto the glacier.  The area that we are standing is graded and compacted everyday with large tractors that reduce the risk of crevasses opening up below us -  a nice thought given that the glacier is up to 1,000 feet deep in some places.

 View from the road of Mt .Athabasca with its glacier; there are three visible glaciers to the south and west of the Athabasca Glacier, and one very large and very steep one to the north, Dome Glacier.

Stan in front of Athabasca Glacier with crevasses abounding; one only travels on this glacier if you are well prepared with the proper ropes, ice axes, crampons and warm clothing.

   By the time we returned to the visitor's center, the wind was blowing strong and cold.

We then drove another 1 1/2 hrs. (70 miles north) to the Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge. (Another drive with no signs until you are right on top of your turnoff.)  We are staying in a lovely cabin overlooking beautiful and tranquil Lake Beauvert.  I had another delicious birthday greeting of strawberries, chocolate and cookies awaiting us in our room from our travel agent back in Los Angeles, Ilene Koenig.  This has been a great week of birthday treats in the incredible Canadian Rockies that I won't soon forget.  In fact, if your birthday celebration can last a week, I really recommend it.

Stan enjoying a glass of wine spritzer in the restaurant that evening at the Jasper Park Lodge bordering the sparkling green Lake Beauvert at 10:15 pm, Saturday July 20, 2013

 Linda overlooking hotel grounds with full moon hiding in the clouds making for a lovely evening.