Jasper and Whistlers Campground

This was our lowest mileage day so far, and we made good use of the slower pace for more relaxed touring. Since we had reservations at the Whistlers Campground, we drove past it into Jasper to stock up on a few things before checking in.

Driving an RV, I had been concerned with making our way around places without getting into trouble. Google's street view was invaluable in scoping out places in advance. There was somewhere we were driving, maybe Jasper, and I realized it all looked very familiar. I had 'driven' it via computer previously. I knew in advance that Jasper had some areas of wide streets suitable for parking an RV. As an example, this is a Street View image of someone's RV, not ours, from an earlier time. We parked a few spaces behind the RV shown and visited Robinson's grocery, a great store.

Shopping done, we backtracked a bit to the Whistlers Campground, another huge Canadian National Park Campground. When we checked in, they asked/reminded us about keeping a clean campsite (all food, cooking gear, etc. kept inside a 'hard sided vehicle'), warned that there were aggressive calving Elk cows about. They come to the campgrounds to bear their young thinking that some predators (grizzlies) are less likely to hang around where there are many people. However, the cows don't want to hang with us; beware. The theory was discredited a while later in Denali; details to follow.

We dry camped again; that isn't a problem especially if a dump station and water source are available, as here. Morning drill: empty, fill, hit the road.

In areas with bears, campgrounds often have food storage lockers, cooking areas, etc., to keep critters and campers separate. Whistlers had these new looking shelters with old wood stoves and picnic tables available for cooking and dining. Wood was supplied. Both in the evening and morning, someone had fired up the stove, so they are used.

The view from the dining room.


Today's miles: 192, the least so far. Total: 2092.

The Icefields Highway, critters

Just keep driving.

The Icefields Highway - continuous spectacular scenery.

A thawing lake showing the characteristic glacial lake color.

We could see tiny things up on the hill ahead, then realized they were cars, RVs, buses, and people, and that was where we were going, too.

This is the Athabasca Glacier in the Columbia Icefield. There is a large visitors' center here where you could buy a bus ride onto the glacier.

The buses had huge tires
(not Michelins, though) that enabled them to drive on the glacier.

As we continued north, we had some critter encounters.

Bighorn sheep? ... ewes? young ones? No big horns to clue us in.

A bit further, we came across an 'animal jam' with vehicles stopped all over the road and shoulder. We found a place to pull off and joined the group.

Far down in the wetlands was a solitary grizzly, the first one we had seen, digging for food. We made good use of the binoculars and telephoto lens to get a good look. We never would have seen it driving by without the jam.

 

Back on the road, we hadn't traveled far when we came across another animal jam,

this time for a black bear - much closer to the road.

The bear was definitely reacting to the people, some getting too close, so we took a few pictures, and fled the scene.

to Lake Louise

We had a spectacular ride from Banff to Jasper today. The weather improved from yesterday's gloom. This is Victoria Day weekend for Canada, and the forecasts were for better weather for the holiday weekend than we saw Friday, and they were right.

There were a number of very wide overpasses for wildlife to cross the busy highway. The tops were planted with trees and grasses to make it an appealing cross over. Roadkills in the area dropped dramatically after these were built.

Many from our fleet had similar ideas and timing about visiting Lake Louise.

The lake is known for its color from glacial 'milk' (suspended stone dust ground by the glacier), but it has to thaw a bit for us to appreciate it.

Many, many tourists from tour buses, the hotel, and wanderers like us.

Banff morning

We'll head out soon and drive into town. The guy who checked us in told where we might park the behemoth in town. Then we'll set out for hot cocoa, a good coffee and some WiFi. We've only made coffee when we had a site with electricity as I can't see running a generator to make a pot of coffee. The rig is very self contained, and we haven't used the generator yet. All systems except the microwave and A/C run off the house battery which is a pair of golf cart batteries.

Time for breakfast.

Driving in Banff

Ah, cocoa, coffee, and WiFi (checking up on the girls' blog) ...

and a couple of pastries for later in the day.

We should have topped off the gas tank, but we didn't encounter a convenient station with adequate room for me to maneuver. We weren't low on gas, but I knew there would be few places (and higher prices) up the road.

Busy, but having fun.

Wow, this is harder than I thought (blogging on the road).

The basics: we are fine, having a great time, the RV is very nice, but between having busy and long days and limited WiFi, blogging hasn't happened. When we do get to post, I have no idea of the order they will appear. I'm using a blogger app on the tablet computer, and it has a mind of its own.

The weather has been terrific until this afternoon when we had some hard rain and strong side winds that blew us around a bit on the interstate in Montana. It is now calm, and we are in a state campground in Three Forks, MT at the confluence of the Missouri river.
This will get expanded when we get home.

Highlights so far - the Badlands, Mt. Rushmore, Devil's Tower, Yellowstone, saw old faithful erupt. Lots of great scenery, many critters: dozens of bison, a few moose, elk, mule deer, prairie dogs.