Canada: Introduction to Jasper National Park

Neither of us slept very well owing to the lack of air conditioning and stifling heat in the room. We didn’t even use the blankets that were provided. We awoke early and were on our way to Jasper by 7:15 a.m. The 3-and-a-half hour drive was easy enough and the rolling farmlands that swept by were green, spotted with black cattle herds.

We stopped for gas in the town of Eston where Hans spotted an F-80 Shooting Star. We stopped to take pictures and then proceed to the park. The lines at the entrance moved quickly and before long we had an Alberta Park Pass and shortly after that pulled over to look at some bighorn sheep that were perched on a rocky outcrop, licking the salt out of the sediment. We continued to the town of Jasper and wandered around the small, busy streets to familiarize ourselves. We stopped for some pizza and then drove to the Maligne Canyon trailhead and hiked from the low end to the visitor’s center. Doing the hike backwards from the norm proved to be a good choice because most people start at the other end and don’t make it past the waterfalls to the canyon bottom. This made our hike more enjoyable and less crowded. We experimented with the camera and took some decent pictures of water in motion.

Our first glimpse of Jasper

The waterfalls at upper Maligne Canyon


Maligne Lake

After our hike we drove for about 30 minutes to see Medicine and Maligne Lakes. Both were incredibly beautiful. We wandered along the lakeside at Maligne and took some pictures. Across the road we saw a small white-tailed deer. We inquired about early morning kayak rentals at the boat house and decided that we’d pack a lunch tomorrow and see how far we paddle.

We checked in at the nearby Wapiti campground. Dinner, however, was back in Jasper since we were intrigued by the Greek restaurant that looked to be popular. We had an enjoyable meal (I tried the AAA Albertan beef steak). Back at the campground our site had a little firewood, leftover from previous tenants.

Canada: Another Journey Begins

We’ve been traveling since 7 p.m. last night, Alberta time. It’s now about 8 p.m. as Hans is falling asleep on his dormitory bed and I am starting yet another travel journal.

Hans’ mother took us to the airport and I took a Benadryl so as to be able to fall asleep quickly on our flight to Seattle. Hans did not sleep much. When we arrived at SEATAC it was 2:30 a.m. local time and our flight to Edmonton was not for eight hours. The last remaining food establishment that was open was a Starbucks stand. I bought a pitiful sandwich that I hoped would last me for a while longer and Hans prowled the terminals in search of benches to sleep on. I was still fairly exhausted, so I was able to curl up with my camping pillow and get a few hours sleep (though not without interruptions from the automatic PA system, imploring that everyone monitor their luggage and not accept items from strangers).

I was a little unsure about the rental car in Edmonton but the trunk was astonishingly roomy and we were able to fit our large hockey bag (borrowed from my brother) full of camping gear as well as our carry-on luggage fairly well. We purchased a map from a nearby gas station and eventually found our way into the city center, where we’d be staying the night in one of the dorms at the University of Alberta.

After checking into our room we went to the Royal Alberta Museum and saw many natural history artifacts including massive geodes, dinosaur fossils, and aboriginal displays. There was also an interesting live insect exhibit. Unfortunately, none of our pictures turned out very well owing to the low light and moving critters.

By 5 o’clock the museum was closing and we were extremely hungry and tired. Finding a parking spot downtown was a little confusing because some spots are traffic lanes during certain hours and the signage was not very clear. Finding a place to eat dinner took a little longer than it should have but we eventually committed to a family-style spaghetti place that was passable.

We spotted, of all things, a Safeway on our way back to the U of A, so we stocked up on water and groceries for the start of our trip through the national parks and found everything to be more expensive than the expected. After taking showers back at the dorm we each called home to let everyone know we had arrive safely and went to bed.

Canada

Tonight we begin our two-week vacation in Alberta, Canada. It has been four years since our last trip. The first time, we had been dating for barely six months when Hans asked to tag along on my Hawaiian spring break vacation.

This time we've been married for a little over a year and we're going on an anniversary/belated honeymoon trip. I will also be leaving for a graduate program in Missouri in August.

Neither of us has been to Alberta before. Well, Hans rode in his mom's truck during a cross-country drive when he was young, but he does not have any memory of it.

Here will be the account of our travels. Our itinerary can be found on this map:


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