Jul 24, 2014

The thumbnail is a view from the restaurant where we had breakfast this morning after the rain had actually stopped. 

We did our laundry when we got in yesterday arvo because we had a big tourist day lined up today but the day dawned wet....very wet and the mountains around us fogged in and that's how it's supposed to be for the next 2 days. Bugger! We wandered into a gift store after breakfast and bought a video so we can get to see what is here when we go home. How sad is that? If we had been given the choice we not surprisingly would have ridden through a couple of days of sleeting rain through the featureless plains we have encountered earlier in our ride.

After a bit Norm made a big statement 'Well look at that it's as good as sunny outside, let's get on the bikes and see what we can see'. What that meant was that from our 2nd storey window the rain drops were now small enough for him not be able to see them splash in the puddles on the ground, so what the hell, we kitted up and headed off and had a great day.

What we were supposed to see:

1. The Jasper Tramway (gondola / cable car) the longest and highest in Canada to the top where we would have had an awesome view back down to Jasper and across to all the other surrounding peaks but while there was rain in Jasper last night there was snow on the peaks surrounding us and most of that covered in cloud so we figured that was a waste of time.

 

2. Athabasca River to Maligne Canyon, a narrow limestone gorge with an opportunity to traverse 2 bridges over the canyon with great views to the water and falls below. Done and the shot above is a shot on our way out of town as we headed for Maligne Lake.

 

 

3. And these are shots of the Maligne Canyon above from well down stream to up stream closer to Maligne Lake.

 

4. Multiple views including the Colin and Queen Elizabeth Ranges and Medicine Lake. Done and the shot above is looking toward the Colin Range. Almost a vertical cliff with many avalanche areas and some stubborn trees that just wont give up.

 

And this is a shot of Medicine Lake which drains undergound so rarely flows over so the watercourse downstream of the Lake can be dry for a year or more and literally has large tees growing in it.  

 

5. A guided tour of Maligne Lake with views of magnificent shoreline with dense forest and glacial peaks. No guided tour but enjoyed the ride and the view when we got there and overall it would appear that the weather we experienced through the day was less wet than what Jasper experienced, Yay.

 

And a shot on our way back from the Lake.

 

And a bonus shot for Norm......a bit of an adrenaline rush as well. He decided he would try for a quick shot and if the Mum looked his way he would get the hell out of there. He thought he had another shot as well with the little baby close to the road with its Mum. Damn thick bike gloves apparently stymied that attempt so I'm glad he got this one.

Bits and Bobs:

 

One of many signs on our trek, and a great view behind as well. We didn't see any.