Amethyst Lodge Hotel Jasper

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Our last stop of the day was Maligne Canyon just outside of Jasper about 5pm. This was another gorgeous walk and then on the way into Jasper we saw our first Elk.

Jasper is at a lower altitude than Banff or Lake Louise so is much warmer and there hasn't been lasting snow in Jasper yet this fall. There has been snow in the mountains around and also in the Maligne Valley which is higher up. The ...

... whisked up a river into a beautiful lake with a guide promising views of wildlife from bears to eagles and moose. And we weren't to be disappointed. Within 20 minutes he found a bald eagle nesting in a tree and then three trees away her baby – looking bigger than her mother. As we were watching the guide made us all turn to the shore to see the cutest of Black Bears strolling along in the water trying to find fish. It ...

... it. Our campsite was back in the woods with no amnities. We made camp and settled in for the evening. Since we had no electricity and generators could only be used early in the morning and from 5:00 to 7:00 in the evening, we settled in for the night with books and a good card game. When dusk finally came, we had a visitor. A female elk grazed through our camp site on her way to the river. She was a ...

... the 12c and back again.. no wonder it felt extreme.

We moved onto the 37c pool and found it tolerable for extended periods, and moved to the 18 a few times to mix it up. After about 90 mins of this sadistic ritual and with my finger tips all wrinkly, it was time to call it a day and head back to the bungalow. On the drive back we did not see any bears, however we did see more sheep. Back at home we chilled out taking in some peace and quiet.

... BC weather...grumble grumble..cold....grumble...! The border! -to commemorate my first time in AB. :-) Oh yes, and be sure to look in the photos for our little gnome companion! Finally we pulled into Jasper, had our picnic lunch outside the visitors centre on the grass then walked around the town to enjoy some shopping and see what we could see! We found out that there are several statues that you can sit on or hug. So, we ...

... before we had to get back onto the train. We went into one shop where, while I posed in Elvis-type glasses, we got told off for taking photos! I threw snowballs at David, Ashley kicked snow at me and then David pushed me over into very deep snow!! It was fabulous!!! However, absolutely freeezzzzzzzzing! The temperature being -30!!! Yes minus 30!!! David and I had no hat, David had no gloves or scarf, I had gloves and a scarf, both had jeans and our walking shoes and anoraks ...

... of the wildlife as the roam free here, namely the mountain big-horned sheep, and lots of elk, right there on the roadside - there's warning signs everywhere about "beware of the wildlife crossing the road!" It's crazy. Really hoping to see a lot more animals over these next few days, as we know there are all sorts living here, eg: bear, cougar, wolves. Once back, we had more hot party food, birthday cake, and some dvds. The wildlife couldn't care less.

... short walk from the highway, where we took photos!!We pushed on, the mountains endless, we eventually passed the turn off for whistlers and I noticed Whistlers Mountain, we were back in Jasper! We saw some elk by the roadside and stopped for photos, big buggers when you get near, massive antlers! We headed for our last stop at Maligne Canyon, another impressive limestone gorge, very deep, we had a short hike, after which we headed back into Jasper for supplies ...

We started off with a cold morning - it has been cold for the last few days - probably something to do with the altitude. After breakfast we stopped off at the shops, where we picked up a few mementos and then some essentials - woolly gloves to keep the hands warm and rubber gloves (for the pump out - no details necessary I assume). Then off we set on the epic journey from Lake Louise to Jasper. It might help if we filed this part of the ...

... stopped again, and this time it was our first moose! I'd heard they were big but I didn't realise they are bigger than horses! It was moving along parallel to the road so we got a really good look at it. Next stop was Maligne Lake, which was quite big and very beautiful. Unfortunately it was also where a lot of buses had stopped to go on cruises on the lake so there were a lot of brash southern accents disturbing the serenity for a while. We had lunch on a deck in the sun and ...