Icefields Highway and Jasper

We were waiting at the gas station for it to open at 8:30. On our way we say 2 deer and our first black bear near enough to see without binoculars. It was eating grass near the side of the road, and Phil looped around so he could see it, too.

The Icefields Highway is part of the National Park system. We purchased annual Canada Park passes because if you use them 7 times, they pay for themselves. We've already needed them for 5 nights plus the Icefields Highway.

We stopped and took photos of the glaciers in view of the highway. It's a weekend, so lots of busy trailhead, etc. Our lunch on the back of the camper consisted today of Baby Bell Cheese, olives, Pringles, and Phil polished off a container of blueberries while driving.

We notice that there is much more diversity in the people camping here. Young, old, black, brown, yellow, white, and all types of camping gear from small tents, people camping in cars, expensive campervans, lots of rental motor homes, etc. We hear many different languages in the campground, too. It is nice to see more diversity than the US parks. Also, everything is much cleaner, and people take care of the resources more carefully.

There was a herd of elk in the campground when we arrived in Jasper. We got the briefing to be careful near the female elk with babies and watch for bears. Our campsite has no fire ring this time, but we have both a gas stove and a gas grill, so no problem. We are near the showers and bathroom, which is a plus.

After setting up, we drove into Jasper for another round of laundry. We were at the 3 Sheets laundromat and print shop. Quite a combo, but many interesting things to look at while our wash was underway. Afterward, we walked around the town and bought some T-shirts and postcards. We opted for "happy hour" priced pizza instead of cooking tonight, and the meal for 2 of us with a drink, entree, and large salad was only $42 with the tip! Phil had pizza, and I had meatballs.

It's chilly, so we are back at the campsite in our camper contemplating an early night. Camping is hard work. My phone says I walked 4.5 miles today despite the long car ride. Most of the seems to be just at the campsite and back and forth to the bathrooms and showers. Tomorrow, we may take a short hike, but we need to reorganize and find some stuff in the depths of the pickup bed like hiking boots.Read more