Week Eight of Summer Vacation

Well, week Eight’s original plan had included a trip to BC, or so we hoped. However, things happened and the plan changed. Momentarily disappointing, until the other door that always opens did. The exciting news is that through that door was a trip to Jasper.

Sunday we checked out a new park. It was perfectly fine, except for the mosquito infestation. We attribute this to the longer grass on the soccer pitch and water pooling in some tire play equipment. After about half an hour of playing, it was time to throw in the towel and try a different park. All in all a good time was had by all.

It seems that every year I say “We should really go to Jasper” and despite the best of intentions, we never make it. Well, this year no more! With our plans for BC postponed and four days free, what more was I waiting for? Armed with a forecast of intermittent rain and a KOA Kozy Kabin list, our plans were quickly made. I would have liked to have done some actual tenting with the kids this trip, as we have loved tenting in previous summers but rain and tents are not my favourite mix. Especially, when I remembered last year’s rain/thunder/lightening/gusting wind 8 hour storm in Peter Lougheed Provincial Park! Let alone how terrified the kids were in the tent! Then, I am all good with our cushy camping. With that in mind we were off to Jasper and an new KOA (for us) just outside of Hinton, 15 minutes outside of the park gates. Think of it as Canmore is to Banff.

We hit the road late in the morning on Monday and made it all the way to Canmore before I was tag teamed by the backseat occupants begging to stop for lunch at the Grizzly Paw. Who can resist the siblings who work together? So 45 minutes into the trip we made our first stop for a delightful lunch. What a great was to start our trip!

Back on the road we passed Banff, Lake Louise and took the spectacular Ice Fields Parkway. Yet another Alberta World Heritage Site! I find it shocking to see the vastness and sheer number of glaciers that we have here. It amazes me every time to know that the runoff from these glaciers will eventually reach the Pacific, Arctic and Atlantic oceans! After all, it is 2000km just to get to the geographic center of the country, Thunder Bay. It was unsettling to see how much the glaciers have shrunk in the 15 years since I was last went that way. It really helps drive home the message that global warming is not just a “theory”, it is happening right in our backyard and we all need to do our part. (We will try to offset all of those Asian, European, and North American flights we have been taking in those 15 years with some serious recycling and water conservation!)

The kids seemed to find seeing all of the glaciers interesting. It was not until we were at Athabasca Falls and they saw the awesome volume of water from one glacier and a map of where all the water goes that it sunk in for them. Despite a light rain, the falls were wonderful. It is so mesmerizing to see the sheer power that water has to shape everything around it, the way it creates the ‘pot holes’, cervices, canyons and white water rapids of these falls. The walkway system surrounding the falls allows you to see them from several different perspectives truly capturing their beauty and power. One can definitely understand why these fall falls have been favourite of travelers since the days of the fur trade.

Athabasca Falls

We enjoyed a brief stop in town for a nice walk around, a quick stop at the candy store and to grab some area information from the park office. After that we were off to our Kozy Kabin for the night. The Jasper/Hinton KOA is located in a flat valley looking out towards the mountains. One can clearly see Roche Miette with its prone profile head like shape from the campground. Luckily for us, from our Kabin we had an uninterrupted view to the mountains.

Roche Miette a stock photo, no I am not that talented!

As our third KOA, we were very happy. The Kabin was as we expected with the added bonus of a small fridge and tiny tv. There is a large cooking shelter complete with stove tops and sinks, and a large fire pit. I have forgotten how strictly fire is controlled in Jasper and the surrounding area. This means that when you are camping you require a fire permit or that there are only communal fire pits. In our case the well sheltered fire pavilion was perfect for enjoying a fire while playing cards, chatting with other people and sipping hot chocolate while it rained in the evenings. Most interestingly, at least 30% of the people in the campground were French speakers. CubJ and SparkJ even had the opportunity to use their French while playing with 3 boys from Quebec!

Jasper/Hinton KOA

Tuesday we were off to Maligne Lake. I was excited to take the kids to see what I feel is one of the most beautiful lakes in Canada. We enjoyed a wonderful boat tour of the lake and Spirit Island. The kids took the opportunity to dip their feet in the glacially cold water while throwing rocks. I had forgotten just how cold this lake is even on a hot summer day!

Maligne Lake Boat Tour

Wednesday, we were off to Pyramid Lake. Again we enjoyed a short walk, throwing rocks and braving the cold water. It was a lovely way to spend a few hours after a quick snack at the Jasper Brewing Company, a kindred spirit to our favourite the Grizzly Paw. Once we had had our fill of the lake we were off the Miette Hot Springs. The park’s road sign for the hot springs makes it look like a large pot of hot water with people in it. We now fondly refer to the springs the “People Stew” spot. The kids loved the hot springs! The two cold pools we an absolute riot of laughter from all three of us as we tried to brave the 17c and 22c temperatures. Who knew that one could so clearly feel the difference of 3c between water, and that 17c in water is darn cold while 17c in the air temperature is quite pleasant!

Pyramid Lake

Jasper Brewing Company, Vanilla Blueberry Ale

Thursday we headed back to home with three stops along the way. Our first stop was for lunch and some treats in Jasper. Secondly, we stopped at the midpoint of the Ice Fields Parkway at the Columbia Ice Fields interpretive centre. (ack, I am old, I stop at interpretive centres to ensure that the kids learn important things! Next I will be stopping that those historic point of interest areas just off the highway! Y I K E S) We all enjoyed the models of the glaciers they have on display, we read a few things and generally enjoyed the pit stop. Our final stop on the way home was at Laggan’s Bakery in Lake Louise for an amazing snack of sausage rolls, beef patties, cookies and heavenly macaroons. We highly recommend a pit stop at this bakery.

Our trip to Jasper was fantastic, relaxing and scenic . DaddyJ reports glowing reviews of our time, the kids look forward to taking him with us next time and there are already request for a return to Jasper soon. It is such a different experience from going to Banff; the mountains are more rugged, the town site less commercial, and the atmosphere so laid back. I have no idea why we do not get here more regularly.

The week finished off with another very pleasant cricket practice for CubJ while I got in some extra snuggles from SparkJ. While summer vacation will be over far too soon, we have certainly enjoyed so many great experiences summer. It amazes me how many wonderful things there are to see and do in our own backyard!

We hope that you have had a wonderful week and are enjoying your summer!

Best Wishes Always,

MommyJ