The mighty fine Garmin GPS wasn’t quite up to being fine or any sort of asset on this trip for in order for it to be mighty fine one needs to load the necessary maps onto the unit. This, I admit, I forgot to do, so the GPS was virtually useless on nearly all of our awesome adventure. I had some of the OR roads and lots of CA but absolutely NONE of MT, ID, WA, or Canada. Grrrrr…I suppose there are reasons to buy a newer unit…like the maps are already on it and there ready to go…either that or a lobotomy and a clean slate for moi!
Leaving Canmore at a decent departure time with Bill sporting his new tire and a smile, we headed north. The price at $229 mounted was a surprise, as nearly everything in Canada is more expensive than home. I’d had my day of rest and now were were ready to tackle the Icefield Parkway and tourist traffic to Jasper.
Banff
Historic hotel in Banff
This amazing road to Jasper is completely understated. I honestly have not seen anything other than the Alps that could rival the scenic horizon. The tarmac was in great shape,and we were able to keep a fairly quick clip with ample passing areas to make short order of the dreaded “road sloth” otherwise know as a motorhome. Man, it’s just plain scary when you encounter these Rent America or Rent Canada boxes…i mean these people are accountants by day and have never driven anything quite like a loaded motorhome, but think they’ll be fine. NOT…acceleration is a thing of the past for these drivers and they have no qualms about pulling out into the roadway at 6mph when you are traveling 60mph. It’s like a video game, you either tag them, pass them, or be killed by them. Passing seems the best option, but not always feasible. So, your moto-brakes once again become your new best friends.
Well, let’s see all this beauty I am raving about!
The pristine Lake Louise
A shot of both Bill and me in front of Lake Louise…I told Bill that I looked like a little kid in a snowsuit. It’s all about layers when it chilly!
Icefield Parkway
One beautiful sight after another…
Look at the amazing color of the glacier lakes!
These vibrant red flowers littered both sides of the highway and open fields. Against the verdant green, the complimentary colors glowed!
The differences in terrain between only a few miles can be startling!
Water abounded on our entire journey across various states and Canada.
We encountered bits of moisture along the way, but no actual downpour.
These were the other prolific flowers along the route.
The Columbia Glacier
Athabasca Falls
We finally arrived in Jasper and had made a call to Miette Hot Springs seeking a room for the night and a hot spring soak for me. We were given directions however the mileage didn’t quite compute with what we actually had to ride. We were told Miette was 17K from Jasper when it was actually 58K from Jasper but 17K from the turn off road. That’s where we made our first petrol mistake of the journey, by not gassing up in Jasper when riding though. Instead we arrived at Miette with low enough petrol to beg an employee at the hot springs to bring us up a can o’petrol the following day. She was happy to oblige, so we were golden!
The road from Hwy 16 to Miette was one of the treats of Canada riding. It’s an amazing little twisy offering with decent tarmac and lots of surprise corners. You had to be on your toes, but after crossing so many miles of scenic paradise it was nice to get back to the task and concentration of riding a good road! We arrived with big smiles and I immediately doned my swim attire and Bill took to the restaurant bar. We were both quite content.
Miette Hot Springs with two hot soaking baths,one cooling pool and one COLD dip. Temps ranged from 50F to 104F.
Our abode at Miette
The Miette restaurant. I had their homemade French Onion soup and it was delicious!
next up…Miette to Revelstoke retracing some steps back over the Icefield Parkway…
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