Page Three
We spent two nights at Lobstick Lodge in Jasper, surrounded by mountains, and situated at the edges of several national parks.
Each thumbnail is linked to a larger photo within a slide show. Enjoy the Canadian Rockies at your computer screen.
A Lobstick is a place in the wilderness where people leave messages for other people who might happen along—like the Council Grove Oak in Kansas.
I loved the lodge's fall flower display and a knothole in a tree just outside their restaurant that had been enhanced to look like an owl.
We started at the northwest of town at Pyramid Lake.
Jesse bused us to the lake. We took a brief walk down a path and over a footbridge to a small island where we could enjoy amazing, perfect, clear reflections in the lake.
Jesse explained that clear water come from melting snow and blue-green lakes come from melting glaciers. Both are beautiful, and everyone enjoyed both clear and blue waters we saw as we traveled.
We had lunch at Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge. A golf course was right outside our window at the clubhouse.
The mountains and lake and flowers and clouds surrounding the lodge were glorious.
The lodge had impressive rustic decor, including Indian totems, lighting fixtures with moose and bear motifs, and a family of three hugh, stuffed grizzly bears in the lobby. The bears were a hit was a picture-taking spot for tourists. I asked Max to pose, and was surprised when he stuck his index finger into daddy-bear's left nostril. Max obviously knows no fear!
Next stop was Maligne Canyon. I loved the canyon rocks. It was so deep that the rushing water at the bottom was hard to see from so far above. It was amazing to think that the water had cut through all that rock! I also loved the trees and the lichen.
The trail cut a wide swath around the canyon and afforded mulitple wonderful views of rock and rushing water.
The day had been cloudy, but the sun broke out in mid-afternoon, making moutains along the highway look large and crisp. The tops were snow covered. We saw a mule deer by the side of the highway.
Next stop was Sunwapta Falls, where the rock was dark, the water was glacier-blue and the mountains and trees were plentiful. The views were breathtaking.
We walked a short distance, and each twist and turn took my breath away. The rushing, bright blue water added to the excitment of the visit.
My photos do not indicate the many bus-loads of visitors enjoying this site...a compliment to those who planned the paths in the area. (It's nice when people don't get in the way of scenic wonders.)
Just looking at my photos of this site pumps up my adrenaline!
At near-dark we stopped at Sunwapta Lodge for supper. The special was delicious grilled salmon. After supper we were lectured by a female park ranger on important differences in looks between black bears and grizzly bears. Larry Heller was a good sport and volunteered to be dressed up like a grizzly bear from a box full of props that our lecturer dug into.
We never saw a live bear, but I recognized the stuffed bears we came across as grizzlies. |
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