Grizzly Bears in Glacier

--

Glacier had been on our list since our trip out west a couple of years ago, but we ran out of time.  And here we are, at the end of our trip and we still haven't seen Glacier National Park.  I suppose we have saved the best for last, that is, if you can even "rate" the places we have seen for they have all been spectacular.  As my dear friend Cheryl said to me so eloquently, "How can one couple see so much beauty on one trip?  She is right and we are truly blessed to have been able to experience all God's glory!  This last part of the trip has truly been spectacular and Glacier falls right in that category.  We arrived through customs without incidence through Montana, although we did have a bit of a wait which made our arrival to the Northeast side of Glacier late afternoon. We hurried to Many Glaciers Campground only to find it full.  However, on our way, we saw a mama grizzly with her three cubs walking in the meadow.  In the photo below you can see one of the cubs following mama.

Arriving to the park on a Friday afternoon did not make us feel too hopeful in finding a campsite and we certainly didn't want to sleep in the woods with the bears!  We drove about 20 miles to the Saint Mary's entrance only to find that campground full as well.  However, we did pass a private camp across the street up on the hill that did have an opening with fabulous views of the park below. 

Knowing we had a campsite, we went back to Many Glaciers Road to explore what hikes we would do in the morning.  After talking with park rangers, we decided to do Iceberg Lake.  It is a 10 mile hike to a mountain lake that has huge icebergs floating in it.  We were also told it is one of the prettiest hikes although it is in the heart of grizzly territory and we were warned to bring our bear spray.  Speaking of bears, on our return to the campsite, a 250-300lb adolescent girzzly crossed our path.  He was just as scared as we were!

We made it back to camp in one piece just in time to watch the sun set below the mountains and illuminate the sky to a beautiful orange hue.  We had a yummy home made dinner at the camp cafe and then did about 5 loads of laundry that had accumulated over the past few weeks in Canada.  Settling in for the night and the sky growing darker, we layed on our picnic table, snuggled in blankets and watched the sky as the stars shot across the milkyway.  Big Sky Montana certainly knows how to put on a show!  We were up early and on our bikes with a full day planned.  We decided to go to Logan's Pass which is the main road through the park and explore that area first.

Upon discovering that the summit was close to 7,000 feet, we decided there was no way in hell we were going to bike up it.  So, we boarded the public transportation with bikes in tow to the summit.

---

The 60 minute ride up deposited to the continental divide where we locked up our bikes and hiked up about 1.5 miles to the summit.  Above treeline we viewed beautiful alpine flowers and lots of mountain goats meandering through the meadow.

---

Snow still adorned the mountain side in August
--

We hiked about 5 miles or so around the summit and some of the ledges where the drop-offs were about 1000 feet.  You can notice to the left of Guy there are ropes on which to steady yourself.  A couple rocks fell from above me and I looked up to see a family of 5 mountain goats making their way on the path.  Of course at this point I started singing "High on a hill is a lonely goat herd, yoodle, yoodle yoodle.  which then led into "The hills are alive, with the Sound of Music!"

---

--

Wanting to hike Iceberg Lake and the afternoon approaching, we decided to head back so we could make our way over to the East Entrance of the park.  Since we had our bikes with us, we decided to bike the 25 miles down from the summit.  Wow! This was the most exhilerating ride I have ever experienced!  We clocked ourselves at 37 mph heading straight down the curved road.  One little mishap and the potential to go flying over the ledge was a possibility.

----

--

  The scenery was beautiful passing mountains streams, waterfalls and glaciers.  We rode for about 90 minutes until I needed a rest.  We stopped at a road side cafe only to discover we had gone down the WRONG side of the mountain!  We were on the west side and needed to be on the east side.  A bit of panic set in at this point knowing there was no way I was going to bike up what we just came down.  Luckily, we were able to catch the last shuttle back up the mountain....whew!  We transferred buses on top and started to make the desent down until the battery on the bus died.  Luckily, our bikes were on tow and we jumped out to continue the ride down, while the rest of the people on the bus waited for help.  It was a bit of a grueling ride since we were already exhausted from our previous bike ride and hike earlier in the day.  We arrived to the visitor center, hopped off our bikes and around the corner comes the bus of people we left behind.  We couldn't believe we beat the bus down!  We still had another couple of miles to ride back to our campsite which was uphill and it took all I had to keep pedaling.  The pups were glad to see us and hungry for dinner.

 This was our last night in Glacier and neither of us wanted to leave.  We still didn't get to do Iceberg Lake....so we have an excuse to come back!  We watched the sunset on our last night from our campsite.  Tomorrow we begin our journey back East.

Beautiful Banff in Alberta Canada

We arrived to beautiful Banff around 2:00 after spending the morning driving The Icefield Parkway and making many stops to view the highlights along the way.  Since we already had a reservation at the campsite, we were not in a hurry to arrive early and we certainly enjoyed the leisure pace.  We hooked up the RV at Tunnel Mountain Campsite and unloaded the bikes and made our way downtown.  Banff is a quaint little town surrounded by the Canadian Rockies and the streets are lined with gift shops and restaurants to quench the thirst of the tourists.

--

For lunch we dined fresh salmon at an ecclectic shop and I had the opportunity to catch up on some of my pictures and blogging.  I try not to go more than a couple of days updating or else it all starts to blend together.  We are constantly on the go and exploring and taking in as much as possible.  After lunch we rode our bikes around the town and outskirts to get a sense of the area.  Golf course, river, gondolas,hot springs, horseback trails....so much to do!  As evening approached, we found ourselves a bit chilled as the temperature dropped a bit, so we decided to do some souvenier shopping for our friends and family back home.  As dusk approached, we decided to hop on the public transit which accomodates bicycles and took a ride back up to our campsite.  The majority of this trip we have lucked out with wonderful campsites. However this time, although we did have electric and water hook up, was nothing more than a parking lot.  But, the close vicinity to town made it worth it.  Early the next morning, we hopped back on our bikes and rode into town.  I enjoyed Starbucks coffee while Guy did his daily 5-7 mile run.  Meeting back up, we jumped on the bus and headed to the Sulphur Mountain Hot Springs for some R&R.  The blue skies we have experienced the entire trip thus far, made way to clouds and a lite sprinkle.  What better way to get wet than the hot springs!

--

The water was 104 degrees and very soothing.  We spent about an hour relaxing and enjoying ourselves before having lunch at the restaurant with a couple we met during our stay.  This trip we have met so many friendly people and have gained the sense of "connectedness" while away from home.  With a break in the clouds, we decided to once again, board a gondola and head to the mountain peak for some panoramic views of the town.

The eight minute ride was a bit challenging for me as the winds had started to pick up from the approaching storm causing the gondola to sway back and forth.  But, it was a quick ride and the views made up for any concern I had along the way.

---

--

Cosmic Ray Weather Station on the summit of Sulpher Mountain.  A historic landmark which tells the story of a man who for 32 years climbed the summit 3 times a week to record temperatures and weather conditions which he would relay to the Canadian government department of meterology.  His last ascent was at 90 years of age! 

Satisfied with our days activities, we boarded the bus with bikes in tow and headed back to the RV to tend to the dogs and shower.  We decided to have a nice dinner and plans were made to "dress up" but with the weather turning worse, it was all we could do to stay dry.  We picked up the bus once again at the campsite this time and rode to Fairmont Banff Springs Inn.

 A nostalgic hotel dating back 100 years.  It seems everyone else had the same plans for the evening and all restaurants were on a waiting list.  We did find a quaint corner of the lounge with great views overlooking the mountains.  Guy had previously been here on one of his work incentive trips and was happy to show me around although his memories are distant.  We shared a lovely evening and our last evening in Banff as we were heading back north to Lake Louise in the morning.

We were off early  to Lake Louise via the wildlife drive in hopes to see some of the animals who frequent the area.  We saw several Big Horn Sheep grazing along the roadside and fresh scat of moose and a black bear grazing on Huckleberries.
                                   
    We arrived to Lake Louise with the sun just starting to peak over the mountain and we boarded a canoe for a ride around the lake.  Serenity at its finest!

-

-

We paddled around the lake for about an hour and then had a nice breakfast at the lakeside hotel.  The air was brisk and it felt good to warm up with hot chocolate.  Who would know...hot chocolate in August?  With our bones warmed, we decided to take a hike around the lake despite the frequent bear warnings where we got beautiful views of the lake.  The water of Lake Louise is a pale green with little to no clarity because of the silt that the glaciers bring down the mountain side.

After a morning well spent, we travelled down the road to Lake Moraine which is a little less touristy.  We both liked this lake better as it was bigger and a beautiful clear aqua blue.  We had hoped to do a moderate hike but bear warnings were in strict affect and you could only hike with a group of four.  We waited at the trailhead for awhile and no one was hiking.  So, we took  a trail around the lake that was more populated and took in the beautiful scenery.

 --

---

===

The mountain peaks were covered in glaciers and we heard calving, which sounded like loud thunder as pieces of the glacier broke off and fell down the mountain side.  Last week a chunk of a glacier the size of a cruise ship fell to a lake in Jasper, emptying the lake and flooding the parking lot with 10 feet of water!  Fortunately, this occurred in the early hours of the morning before visitors had arrived.  Feeling disappointed that we couldn't get a good hike in, we craved for some exercise and decided to bike the road and trails of Lake Louise.  Again, having a reservation takes the pressure off of us to have to search for a campsite and allows more time for us to enjoy our surroundings.  We checked in to our campsite late afternoon.  There are two campsites in Lake Louise.  One for RV's and one for pop up campers and tents.  The later is secured by an electric fence to keep the bears out!

On the other hand, our campsite was right along the river and the huckleberry bushes where the bears frequent.  Never the less, the site was beautiful and trails along the river made for a wonderful bike ride.  We rode along the trail into town where we had the tastiest pizza and then shopped a bit as we digested our meal.  Guy suprised me with a beautiful necklace and earrings made of Ammolite set in silver.  It is a rare precious gem that is mined only in Alberta and will always remind me of our time spent in this beautiful special place.  Tomorrow we head back to the U.S. to Montana and Glacier National Park.  Another gem for sure!

This is the view from our campsite! 

Jasper, Alberta and the Icefield Parkway

Visiting Jasper has been a childhood dream of mine ever since I saw a John Denver special giving an insiders look into this beautiful area. ( In fact, I believe it was here that he was inspired to write "The Eagle and the Hawk,"one of my favorite songs by the way)  Luckily, Jasper has lived up to all my expectations that John had envisioned for me.  We arrived late afternoon from the 10 hour drive from Vancouver but became re-energized upon seeing the glorious Canadian Rockies!  We found a fantastic site in the park, securing one of the last spots.  Master fire builder Guy quickly had the embers glowing as we sat and enjoyed the ambience.  Interestingly enough, it does not get dark here until well after 10:00.

We slept soundly under the stars and were up early to enter the National Park and secure a site for the night.   Because it is peak season, our number one priority is to find a place to sleep. Once again, we secured one of the last sites in the park at The Whispers Campground.  We were warned several times about the high bear activity in the area because the huckleberries are ripe and a favorite of both black bear and grizzly.  We certainly saw evidence of them at our campsite!

--

So, off on our bikes we were heading downtown Jasper to explore this mountain city.  But of course, I had bear spray with me.....just in case.

We biked along the Bow river, which has a pretty fast moving current and outfitter companies run whitewater rafting trips along the river.  I would consider doing this again, but the water is extremely cold.  We biked to downtown Japsper and had a lovely lunch outdoors as we soaked up the sunshine. Looking through brochures, we found another gondola/tram and decided that would be a great way to get some sightseeing in along with some hiking. We rode our bikes back to the campsite which was in the backside of the campground and pretty secluded.  10 feet in front of me runs a coyote!  A bit suprised but not alarmed, I turned around to go the opposite direction....and another one runs across my path.  Now, I am alarmed....of course Guy is encouraging me to hand him the camera so he can get some pictures of these beautiful creatures.  I kept saying..."they are a pack now....and they have the upper hand....let's go!!"  The smaller coyote ran off but the bigger one held his ground as to claim that this is HIS territory and we are intruding.  We slowly backed away and he seemed okay with that.  We immediately reported the sighting to the ranger who sent a crew out to investigate.  Hind sight, I wish I had a picture as he was truly magestic standing there staring us down.

Enough excitement for an afternoon, we gathered our stuff and headed up to Maligne Canyon which has a self guided trail that takes you over 6 different foot bridges.  There are several routes to choose from ranging from easy walks to strenous.  We decided to do a moderate walk and take along the doggies.  The hour long walk took us along the gorges where the river plunges 75 feet into the steep walled gorge of limestone bedrock.  Much of the river runs underground and makes brief appearances where it dances along the trail.  The water is powerful and is changing the formation of the rocks.

----

Satisfied that the dogs had enough exercise, we were off again, this time headed to The Jasper Gondola where we climbed  to an altitude of 8100 feet and explored panaoramic views of six mountain ranges, glacial fed lakes and the scenic mountain town-site of Jasper.  The Tramway has been in existance since 1964 and it was a bit unnerving to step onto such an antique.  The ascent was steep and honestly, not as fast as I would of prefered, but it did the job.

---

                           
---

Once on top we hiked another 1000 feet to the summit.  The views were truly spectacular and the sound was deafening....

---

---


The town of Jasper from above

Back to the campsite before dark (10:00pm) we sat by a warm fire with wood that had been left from us by the previous camper.  No act of kindness goes unnoticed....and the fire seemed to burn all the better!  We loved our time in Jasper and it was everything I had hoped it to be.  We were sad to leave but had another adventure ahead as we travelled the Icefield Parkway to Banff which is considered to be one of the most beautiful roads in the world.  It is 230 kilometers of continuous World Heritage Site scenery completely protected in two national parks!  It passes within viewing distance of seven icefields (large upland glaciers) and about 25 smaller but still notable glaciers.  The centerpiece is the Columbia Icefield which is the largest in teh Rocky Mountains.  Within a short distance from the road, we hiked up to take a closer look.  Because of the deep creavasses, and fragile edges, we were not able to walk on the glacier itself.

The temperature was cool and the wind was biting.  I was suprised to see how "dirty" it was.  I guess if you were around since the ice age, you would look a bit worn too!

The marker shows how much the glacier has receeded due to global warming.  After about 20 minutes and no longer able to feel my toes, we headed back to the RV to take in some more scenery.  The Canadian Rockies are majestic and everywhere we looked was beauty.  We even captured some wildlife feeding on the roadside.  Because the parkway runs along the valley floor, it is home for elk, deer, bighorn sheep, wolves and other animals.

--

-----


A black bear who has been tagged and being monitored.

One of my favorite photos!