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  • Day 70

    Southern end of Icefield Parkway

    August 24, 2019 in Canada ⋅ ☁️ 39 °F

    Pretty cold morning, probably our coldest on the trip. I am guessing high 30's. But we enjoyed a slow morning because we all agreed it was time for "breakfast out"! Not fruit and cereal like our typical mornings. Besides we were out of cinnamon rolls.

    Had a nice breakfast buffet at the Altitude restaurant. The restaurant has big picture windows with great views of the glaciers. Nice to have breakfast all prepared for us! After breakfast spent some time in the gallery that discussed the importance of the icefield and the drainages it contributes to. Watched a really nice film that sort of spoke to the enduring beauty and nature of these mountains.

    Drove on over to the Athabasca glacier parking lot and walked the short hike to the "toe" of the glacier for an "up close and personal" look. This is a big and wide glacier! Like most glaciers this probably half the size it was in the early 1900s.

    Back on the road with several viewpoint drive bys. Stopped at Saskatchewan Crossing for a big view of the valley and the north Saskatchewan river. Rain clouds threatening, then moments of sun, and back to threatening clouds again. The weather changes pretty rapidly up here.

    Another short walk to get a peak at Mistaya Canyon to view the falls. Like others it is a gorge carved by the river, but with it's own character. We had moments of rain and then bright sunshine. The variability of the weather is in incredible!

    Several lake stops followed, Peyto Lake with a walk out to the viewpoint which is an overlook of the lake. So as Tom often remarks, "another uphill" walk! Stunning color, it does not look real, almost like a big pool of paint. Had an opaque quality, and oh, so turquoise!

    Back in the RV and on to Bow Lake. This time our visit was at lake level, but still you can see the beautiful color created by these glacially fed lakes. The narrow drive and number of cars out to the lodge definitely discouraged us from taking a peak at the older lodge, so we headed down to the south end of the lake and found plenty of parking in the day use area. Walked along the shore and got some beautiful shots of the Crowfoot glacier and the lake. The is actually another glacier and water fall that feeds this lake down by the lodge.

    Final stop was a quick visit to the Lake Louise Visitor Center. Very bust spot. Lots of traffic. Picked up info on hiking, and shuttle options and headed to our campground. Very nice park, they even had some power to plug into! Although leveling and setting up was a little more challenging, those "on and off again" rain clouds finally let go of a steady stream of rain. We love being in the RV with rain, just prefer it after we have settled in for the night!
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