Dominoes in the eveningMonday, July 13
A lazy morning… it is already 9:00. Time to get going!
Highway 40, which at first we were a little concerned about being slow is a grand way to get down to Jasper. Originally we were considering going over toward Edmonton on the freeway and then south and back west. On the map highway 40 looks like a third class road and I thought it might be so slow that the longer route might be faster.
The Canadian National Parks have a daily pass for $9.80, a 4 day pass for about $45, and the senior yearly pass is $58. This gets you into all of the National Parks. The closest campground to the north entrance is Pocahontas which suited us just fine since it is also on the road up to Miette Hot Springs. These are the hottest springs in the Canadian Rockies. There are two pools, one shallow and one that gets gradually deeper. They are cooled off to about 40 degrees C (104F) The setting was beautiful but these are my least favorite of the hot springs we have visited. The pools are kept fairly uniform in temperature and the they are more commercial feeling than the other springs we have visited. It’s just like being in a hot swimming pool.
Pocahontas is a nice campground, quiet and treed, with a new variety of flower we had not seen before. The wood lily is bright and cheerful even in cloudy weather.
JASPER - MALIGNE LAKE HIKE
Tuesday, July 14
A lazy morning… it is already 9:00. Time to get going!
Highway 40, which at first we were a little concerned about being slow is a grand way to get down to Jasper. Originally we were considering going over toward Edmonton on the freeway and then south and back west. On the map highway 40 looks like a third class road and I thought it might be so slow that the longer route might be faster.
The Canadian National Parks have a daily pass for $9.80, a 4 day pass for about $45, and the senior yearly pass is $58. This gets you into all of the National Parks. The closest campground to the north entrance is Pocahontas which suited us just fine since it is also on the road up to Miette Hot Springs. These are the hottest springs in the Canadian Rockies. There are two pools, one shallow and one that gets gradually deeper. They are cooled off to about 40 degrees C (104F) The setting was beautiful but these are my least favorite of the hot springs we have visited. The pools are kept fairly uniform in temperature and the they are more commercial feeling than the other springs we have visited. It’s just like being in a hot swimming pool.
Pocahontas is a nice campground, quiet and treed, with a new variety of flower we had not seen before. The wood lily is bright and cheerful even in cloudy weather.
JASPER - MALIGNE LAKE HIKE
Tuesday, July 14
We drove into Jasper this morning and went straight to the Park information center and asked how we should spend our two days here.
After getting settled in at Wabasso Campground south of Jasper, we retraced our steps and drove up to Maligne Lake which is the largest and deepest lake in JNP. It is about 15 miles long and has many hiking trails including some small loop hikes. We had some chicken salad that Sandy had made earlier and the had a leisurely hike up to Moose Lake. A 40% chance of intermittent showers had been forecasted for the day and we managed to be out hiking for most of the 40%.
After the Moose Lake walk we went down to one of the other sights recommended by the Park Staff, Maligne Canyon. This is a steep gorge of limestone bedrock cut through by the rushing waters from Maligne Lake. It was raining when we arrived so we headed for the “Tea Room” and had some tea and apple strudel. We sure haven’t shorted ourselves in the desert department!
After the rain stopped we wandered down over five bridges over the deeply cut gorge. It was very impressive but I’m not sure the photos will do it justice. The power of that water cutting through the narrow canyon is immense.
DOMINOES! Sandy brought dominoes with her and we played a game the first night we met at her cousin’s home on Vancouver Island. For some reason we haven’t played since until this week. Now I’m really enjoying it and Sandy is going to take her tiles and head for Florida.
I think that Daniel and Karis would like dominos and I’m hoping that I can find someone(s) (you know who you are) to play with me in Lompoc.
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