The photos tell most of the story, but can't do justice to the majesty of the scenery on what has been named one of (if not the) best scenic drives in the world.
We departed our Canmore hotel this morning, passing Banff before stopping t Lake Louise Village for a break. We then continued onto the Icefields Parkway itself, heading north towards Jasper.
The scenery al along the parkway was truly spectacular, one breathtaking vista after another. We made stops all the way along, at lakes & mountain viewpoints, stopping for lunch at the one 'settlement' of any size, Saskatchewan Crossing.
We then continued on to the Athabasca Glacier itself, part of the Columba Icefield.
For our trip to the glacier we departed first in a regular motorcoach before switching to a powerful, massive-wheeled 'ice explorer', ably-driven by Caitlyn on her third day on the job!
What a great adventure. We drove down a steep gradient, crossing over onto the glacier before we even kew it & learning about this harsh environment from our driver along the way. On the ice itself we stopped & were able to spend about 20 minutes walking around, taking photos, & watching the clouds roll in above us. Once again we were wonderful lucky with the weather.
From the Icefield Center we continued our drive north, arriving in Jasper in time to check in before dinner at the end of a great day.
Hector Lake
Rounding the 'Big Bend'
Peyto Lake - still superb even in the rain!
Bow Lake
Look out! Yo've got a bear behind!
We were warned...
Boarding our Ice Explorer
Would those rowdy passengers at the back please simmer down!
Do not adjust your screen - this was the angle of our descent!
On the glacier
Viewing Sunwapta Falls
Athabasca Falls
No comments:
Post a Comment