One Black Bear and One Grizzly Bear equals no camping tonight!

We left Edmonton shortly after 9:00 this morning.  Francois went to Mr. Lube for an oil change before we left Rodney and Joyce's house.  Joyce styled the girls's hair one last time, the kids gave Diesel his treats one last time and we were off.  We were sad to leave, but knew the next part of our journey was waiting for us.

Andrea among the mountains

We travelled at a slower pace today as there were lots of vehicles on the road.  We were in a construction zone just outside of Edmonton when the trailer in front of us hit a pylon with it's back tire.  The pylon went flying and we had no chance to move out of it's way - it got caught up under our van and as we exited the construction zone we moved to the side of the road where it dislodged.  We don't think there was any damage to the underside of the van.


We stopped for a quick bite to eat in Hinton, which is just a small community on the outskirts of Jasper National Park.  Next we made our way to the Jasper, which was another hour of travelling.  The kids were great as they had some new books to read and activity books to work on thanks to the Allain crew in Sherwood Park.  Jasper was a bustling community.   We were advised by the Tourist Information counsellor to make sure our gas was filled in Jasper because the next gas station was 150 kms away and the price per litre would be $2!

Lots of wildlife signs

Once inside the National Park we spotted a deer, some mountain goats and David even spotted some elk in the forest.  We could tell there was something interesting to see on the side of the road because it would be lined with cars and people would be out with their cameras.


We went to Athabasca Waterfalls, which was so beautiful.  The water was green and you knew it was cold, because you could feel the crispness in the air as you walked closer to the falls.  There was lots of interesting things to see at the Waterfalls as the trails surrounded the falls and you could see it from every angle.  We could also walk through the canyon, which was made by the rushing water.  The kids took lots of pictures with their cameras.

Tanya's new best friend

The drive through the Rockies was beautiful and amazing.  There were lots of waterfalls coming off the side of the mountains as the snow was melting from above.  Francois said he needed to pay close attention to the road as it was very curvy and lots of uphills and downhills.  There were lots of places along the way where you could pull over and take pictures of the scenery.  I saw beautiful mountains to my left and I wanted to take some pictures.  Francois was ready to pull over to the side of the road, when we saw a Black Bear sauntering across the road.  I quickly gave Francois my camera to take a few pictures.  Andrea said her heart was beating really fast as she saw how big the bear was and it looked like he was heading towards our car.  He did move off the road and head down towards the water - there was no way I was taking any more pictures in that area!!

Athabasca Falls

Our next stop was Sunwapta Falls, which was just down the road.  The kids were a little concern about the bear, but they were fine once they saw the people heading towards the falls.  It is amazing to see how fast the water is gushing through the rocks and interesting to see how stupid some people can be.  There was one lady with the Barefoot sneakers inching her way to the end of the rocks to see the falls up close and personal.  We read a sign that at least one person is killed at the falls each year because they try to move off the path for a better view.  The rocks are extremely slippery because they are covered in the cold water making it like ice and the water is extremely cold that hypothermia sets in immediately.   We could see how easy someone could slip and die.


Next we made our way to Saskatchewan Crossing and had a quick bite at the rest stop.  This is the only place where you can purchase gas or food between Jasper and Lake Louise - I was thankful to use the indoor toilets.  As we passed by the Lake Louise exit we saw a humongous grizzly bear.  Thank goodness he was on the other side of the barb wire fence.  This time we didn't stop for a picture.

Supper at Saskatchewan Crossing

We finally made our way to Banff and got to the tourist information centre five minutes before it closed.  The lady was very helpful and gave us a few options of hotels with reasonable prices.  We managed to get a hotel in downtown Banff for less than $150 -which is good considering this is prime tourist season.  On our way to the hotel we saw a moose eating grass in someone's front yard.

Cows Ice Cream in Banff... it was moolicious

The hotel was within walking distance to the downtown area and the kids were wired after spending the entire day in the van.  One of the things I wanted to do when we were in Banff was to go to the Cows store as we received coupons for a special treat courtesy of fellow co-worker.  We quickly found directions to the Cows Ice Cream Store, which was within walking directions from our hotel and when we arrived at the store at 9:00 pm there was a line-up out the door!  The kids were good to wait and even posed for a picture.  We walked through the downtown shopping area eating our ice cream and window shopping.  The kids had lots of fun looking at all the sights and certainly enjoyed their ice cream too!


We arrived back at the hotel and Francois slipped out to the grocery store to pick up a few items for breakfast.  As he was waiting in line to pay he noticed the person in front of him was Glen Sather, the general manager for the New York Rangers.  He immediately thought of our friend, Scott, who is a huge NY Rangers fan!


Well it is getting late here and we have lots planned for tomorrow.  We hope to go to the Banff Hot Springs for a dip in the water, visit Lake Louise and head towards the BC border.  We are not sure where we will stop tomorrow night.


Congratulations to our neighbor Rosaleen for her Citizen of the Year award - a long overdue recognition for all your hard work!  Good luck also goes to our neighbor Ruth who is vying for the Conservative nomination in District #21.  It sounds like there will be lots of excitement in our neighborhood when we return.


Take Care
Tanya