Day 20 - (9-9-12) - Drive from Banff to Hinton

From Banff to Jasper (Hinton)

Mike andJudy Here
pics by Mike and Judy

We started the day off with a gourmet breakfast at McDonald's so we could use their Internet. Got gas in Banff before we left. Leaving wasn’t easy as Mike went around and around before finding the way out of town. Drove up past Lake Louise and then took the Icefield Parkway up to Jasper and over to Hinton. It was only 227 miles but took us 10 hours! What a stunning drive!

Around each bend the mountains got higher, steeper, and more rugged. The first stop was at Bow Lake and the Crowfoot Glacier.

Next was Bow Summit and Peyto Lake. This is the high point of the Parkway and gives a great view of the Mistaya Valley.

Continuing on, the glaciers get bigger and the road steeper.

Next came the Panther Falls and more glaciers.

As we approached the Columbia Icefields, the weather threatened but never got bad. These glaciers are tremendous, hanging down from most of the mountains. Amazing how thick they still are. We all took the bus trip up on the Athabasca Glacier, which is part of the Columbia Icefield. Getting out and walking up there was very treacherous. So wet and slippery. You have to go up there to grasp the size of the glaciers.

Mary and Jim - Very cool here

While there, our guide said that the water rushing down the glacier was the purest and best water you could drink and was the secret to eternal youth so Jim drank some.

Jim getting his glacier water

Sure enough, by the end of the day he looked way too young for Mary!

After that, we came upon a beautiful unnamed waterfall.

Finally we came to the Sunwapta and Athabasca Waterfalls. These were really violent falls and rapids, cutting through narrow gorges. Awesome.

Sunwapta Falls

Athabasca Waterfalls

Just south of Jasper, we came upon a group of cars and people in the road. Nothing serious. Just a 500 lb. grizzly. I made sure I stayed behind a woman in a red sweater when I took this picture. I thought I could beat her back to the car or trip her if necessary.

"The Bear"

After Jasper on the way to Hinton, we came upon this beautiful 6x6 bull elk. What a day!

Bull Elk

 Tomorrow should be a day of rest. Cold rainy.