June 24 - Columbia Ice Fields

Once Nita and Phil meet us at the Ice Field Experience Lodge, we got on a bus to go across the highway and to the beginning of the Ice Field.  We were then transferred to a special bus called an Ice Explorer, which is a massive bus designed for glacial travel. Our driver is our guide and he has plenty of tidbits of information for us on glaciers, ice fields and their impact on our environment.

 Our destination is the Athabasca Glacier, which is reported to be as thick as the Eiffel Tower is tall. It is hard to imagine ice that thick! We were allowed to get out of the Explorer and walk on this glacier. 

Glacier ice is blue, and the runoff water is clear as glass. I guess some people tasted the water, but not me! Clear it may be, but not necessarily clean!

After leaving the ice field, we continued with our trip north towards Jasper National Park. We made several stops at view points, but my favorite was Athabasca Falls, which is along the Athabasca River. As with all of the rivers up here right now, this one is flowing fast and furious. As it flows down through a narrow rock gorge, it makes a spectacular falls and the roar of the water is so loud, it’s hard to carry on a conversation.

Today was our day to finally see some wildlife along the road. A young male Caribou was feeding on the grass right along the highway. We also came across some young Big Horn Sheep in the middle of the highway, they were totally engrossed in licking the tar line where it had been put down to seal some of the cracks in the road. Traffic had to go around them, as they would not move! These little guys were part of a bigger herd of Big Horns that were climbing all over the rocks just around the bend. These antics were being watched by the rest of the herd as they lounged on a small hill right next to the road. Right now, the Big Horns are shedding their winter coats and looking a little ragged in the process!

When we reached the town of Jasper, we hooked a right onto Highway 16, heading for Hinton, AB, where we had reservations at the Hinton/Jasper KOA for the next couple of nights.

 While driving through Jasper, some of the declines were quite steep, and we starting smelling something burning.  It turned out to be our front passenger tire.  That put a new stop on our agenda.  We searched for a freightliner oasis shop (they work on motor homes).  The closest one is in Edmonton, and that will be our first stop when we leave Hinton.