ALASKA HIGHWAY - Liard Hot Springs

If you are ever, ever on the Ak Hwy, this is an absolute must stop. We spent three wonderful days & nights here, and definitely re-enforced our love of the Canadian Provincial Parks.

These folks seem to have a knack for picking nice spots, constructing & maintaining clean beautiful spaces and deliviering them at a bargain price ($12 per nite typically, which includes firewood at many!). Liard Springs is certainly no exception, and offers even more! Imagine having your own spa in a lush tropical setting, in the middle of a campground in the far North. What a deal!

We took advantage of the soothing waters at least twice a day, and on the final morning, I opted to grab the camera and document this intriguing spot.

As I approached the 1/4 mile long boardwalk that links the camping area to the Springs, I noticed a lone photographer up ahead. Of course, it was Bob, out early checking out the birds.

On closer inspection I found the subject of his long lens, enjoying early feeding in the warm ponds that eminate from the hot waters above. As I myself took closer look for a shot, I began to wonder just who was watching who....

The vegetation thickens along the boardwalk as the water & surface temps rise closer to the source of this continuous warmth. It's bizarre to see the tropical greenery growing out here with snow-capped peaks looming in the distance.

I finally reach the "Alpha Pool" to find it's waters steaming as usual, since the air temp is about 50 degrees F.

The source of the heated liquid is at one end, coming out at roughly 125, too hot for one to enjoy. But, further down the Pool, the hot waters are tempered a bit, and I find Kim bathing in luxury near the far end!

ALASKA HIGHWAY - Mile 0

Well, we finally made it to Dawson Creek, the start of the incredible Alaska Highway. The Highway, constructed by the US Army in only 8 months in 1942 as a direct result of the Japanese bombing of Pearl harbor. The route provided a method of getting protective troops & equipment to defend the extreme northwestern approach to North America from possible attack. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alaska_Highway

Although we spent a day & a night here in Dawson, the town didn't offer much interms of local interest, mainly a place to buy groceries & supplies for the long drive up and over to Alaska. We did manage to find both "signposts" for the start of the Highway, so nothing would do other than to have photos of each...

We took turns shuffling trailers and cameras and laughed at each other for making all the fuss about this momentus event. I began to wonder "maybe we should save all the celebrating for the other end!"
So, that being said, we found ourselves moving ahead on the famed road the next morning, and to our surprise, the Highway was in much better shape than suspected.

There was very litle traffic along the route, and many small establishments were closed & boarded up....I guess those high gas prices really are starting to have an effect....

While Kim & I found stopping at the stll ice laden lakes fascinating, Bob & Joy spotted another "lifer" bird, the Harlequin Duck...

The drive was relaxing and beautiful.... with many, many spots like these along the way.

Jasper Provincial Park!

The final segment of the Icefields Parkway dropped steeply in elevation as we neared Jasper. The fresh grass and flowers along the roadside lured many animals from their winter’s den, including this first sighting of a black bear.

The fabulous scenery continued to unfold after each & every turn, delighting us with numerous crystal green & blue lakes, like Muncho below...many having pockets of ice still showing.

We stopped for lunch at Mt Robins, which had a nice visitor’s center, and a great view of the 14000-plus foot giant that is a favorite of late summer climbers. This early in the year, it rarely breaks free of the clouds, and is subject to hypothermia inducing storms with little or no warning to climbers.

We arrived at Whistler’s Campground just short of the small town of Jasper late in the afternoon. By now, we’re starting to get used to the longer days, allowing us to plan for more activities along a route. The Campground was surprisingly clean and nice. Large spaces between campsites, surrounded by spring colored aspens provided an ideal backdrop for this first evening’s fire, and a little refreshment, of course.

(oh, and free firewood!)

Yes, it didn’t take us long to decide that this place deserved at least three night’s stay!

Next day we were off to Sunwapta Falls, a nearby picturesque example of the many that abound in these Rockies. An easy hike, we spent a little extra time taking pictures from almost every angle.

There was a bridge and trail that led to the “downside” of the falls area, where fast waters over past centuries had etched a small slot canyon into the walls. Nature completed the rest of the scene with an array of colorful plants & lichens.

Bob found a nice view of the River down below, which with a little encouragement, I would have loved to paddle. The rapids, however, are a bit too much for a canoe, and the raft rentals were very pricey (well, like most things in Canada!)

While combing the shore below Bob found an array of Inukshuk cairns and it wasn’t long before he and Joy were leaving their territorial mark on the landscape.

The next day led us to a contrasting area of finger lakes, interesting flora and grassy meadows…Five Lakes. This string of glacial lakes is linked by a 3 mile trail that starts off with a long, long boardwalk across a swampy meadow. Although we didn’t see any on the hike, no doubt that earlier ths morning, elk were grazing just off to either side.

Just past the elevated crossing, we began to notice these tiny but beautiful orchids, often growing in clumps of a dozen or more. A few interesting birds were seen along the way also, maybe one day I’ll talk Bob into starting a separate blog just for his excellent birding photos. I also noticed an early elk or mule deer had found the perfect tree to “rub” …makes me wonder when the rut is here?

Joy had boasted about this being an easy hike, “level” you know…well, maybe level between the steep hills! Anyway after a bit longer walk than expected, we got our first glimpse of “Lake 5” (the trail leads bottom to top order). Kim found that Five was no exception, again delighting us with those impressive colors!

Between each lake lay an area of shallow waters that gave a marshy appearance, with a mineral stain hue….

As we walked back towards the start of the loop, my attention shifted to the smaller side of things again, noticing an array of variety in areas of rich loam.

The boardwalk view from the return gives one the feeling of just how vast and diverse this area is, contrasting the spring meadow below against the ice-capped mountain in the distance…the end of another great day!

Our final day in the Jasper area found us in this quaint Alps-like village. It was nice to have that European feel to things as we walked around enjoying a break from the great outdoors. As we passed the train station, the large town totem reminded us that we weren’t in the Swiss Alps, but the native lands of Canada….

Icefields Parkway to Jasper

The drive through the Canadian Rockies passes from Banff to Jasper along the Icefields Parkway has got to be one of the most scenic routes in all of North America. Unfortunately, we are a bit early in the season, and the weather was dreary & overcast, so I apologize for the pix, they really don't do it justice. http://www.icefieldsparkway.ca/

The spectacular mountain range was dotted with glacier after glacier (like the two, left & right, shown here) driving the desire to stop at every pullout along the route.

These glaciers over time have formed many crystal, turquoise-blue lakes that are the "jewels" of this Canadian drive. We stopped at Lac Peyto, and were greeted by an interesting hike of about a mile through snow & ice to sample it's beauty. It reminded Kim of those days growing up in Minnesota, and the many fun times they had as kids romping in the fluffy stuff!

The lake itself was set in a huge valley, at the bottom of a very far away glacier. If you look closely to the left, you will see how much the glacier has receded (melted) in the past few years.



The most spectacular glacier along the Parkway is the Columbia Icefield Athabasca Glacier, which is the only glacier in the world that you can actually take a ride across in these huge "IceCat" tour buses. The day was still cloudy, but I manged to get this shot from the visitor center across the highway. If you can see the two small "dots" out there on the surface of the glacier, that's one of the IceCats!



The ride started with a 35% grade descent down the mountainside, which I couldn't get a shot of because we were all hanging on (and a few screaming!), then we leveled off onto the glacier and it was mch smoother. They groom & check the ice (for cracks & crevases) each morning, and haven't lost a bus in a crater yet!



We were allowed about 20 minutes on the glacier, which gave us time to absorb the immensity of this huge chunk of ice! What a treat today was!