Month: August 2018

 

We drove the 1 ½ hours to Lake Louise with the intention of dining at the Lake Louise Chateau like we did a few years ago when skiing. We realized as we drew near that we might have a problem. At the exit for Lake Louise were signs claiming all parking was full and there were people directing traffic at each intersection to keep order. Right away we saw a sign for the Lake Louise campground that indicated it had a dump station. We followed the sign to the campground, and as expected it was full but they let us use the dump station for a small fee. This was great because we had already gone two nights without dumping and three is about the max without taking advanced precautions. The campground attendant also said there was overflow parking and camping at the next highway exit. Once dumped, we headed to overflow. Like the Icefields we were happy to find a spot in the overflow. There was a shuttle bus from the overflow parking so after setting up the rig we hopped the school bus directly to the Lake Louise Chateau. The shuttles were operating with long lines and the crowds at the Lake were epic. I was certain there was little hope of dining in the hotel like before. We really enjoyed the views of one of our most favorite locations ever. We wandered into the hotel and were quite surprised that we could be seated right away at one of the restaurants. We sat outside in the rather hot direct sunlight but the view was magnificent. We had two appetizers for lunch that were just fair and pricey but we were happy anyway. After lunch we enjoyed an ice cream from a sidewalk vendor and simply enjoyed the surroundings. There is a reason the crowds are here, it is an amazing place the shouldn’t be missed. We had to wait in line about 30 minutes to catch the school bus back to overflow parking. It was pretty quiet tonight but it was a bit warm to sleep comfortably.

Today we arrived at the Icefields Visitor Center and found that it included a large parking lot that allowed dry camping. We hadn’t been successful making any reservations anywhere in the Lake Louise, Banff, or Canmore area so we were pleased to find a spot here. We setup and then had lunch in the visitor center. It was very reminiscent of a ski lodge during ski season. The crowds were unbelievable. After lunch we took Maverick and joined what seemed like thousands of others to hike to the Athabasca Glacier. The hike wasn’t long but was steep. The best part was the wind off of the glacier was very cool. After the hike, Donna, Maverick  and I hung out on the patio of the visitor center and enjoyed the nice weather, beautiful views, and a cold drink. The temperature here was quite pleasant so no A/C was not a big problem.

This morning our plan was to snap up a first come, first serve camp site at the nearby Wapati Campground. Yesterday the ranger at Whistlers Campground said that arriving at 11 we might get a parking lot site with electric. Since we didn’t have any other options near Jasper we decided to try. We showed up at Wapati at 1030 to see what our chances were. The ranger said he wasn’t sure if the campsites would support a 40’ motorhome. We drove in to check them out and reported back to the ranger that sites 18-26 looked good to us and 18 would be the longest. The ranger put our name down and said we could come back after 11 to claim the site. We did as directed an by 1130 we were setup in our new parking lot site with 30AMP. Later this afternoon two other rigs arrived that were even longer than us so obviously we weren’t the only ones.

Donna had bought steaks a few days ago for my birthday so we decided to cook these on our $20 Walmart gas grill for lunch. The steaks were good and after lunch we headed out for the Maligne Road and lake. This road starts a little East of Jasper and goes about 40 miles South. The drive would have been spectacular but……today there is so much smoke in the air that you can barely see the nearby mountains. The drive goes by Medicine Lake where we let Maverick have a nice swim in the clear waters. The road ends at Maligne Lake where there is a nice lodge where you can take a boat tour, rent canoes and kayaks, and swim. We walked a little ways along the shore and it is a really beautiful lake. On the way back we stopped at a picnic area where the Maligne River runs.  We checked out the Skytram attraction and if the visibility had been decent we probably would have taken this tram to the top of the mountain. On a clear day the views would be great and there is a restaurant at the top for a snack. Today the visibility makes taking the Skytram a poor proposition.

This morning we quickly broke “camp” on the parking lot and headed into Jasper National Park. The entrance was about 10 miles from Hinton and the town of Jasper is about 40 miles from Hinton. The drive in was really scenic and we saw a Big Horn Sheep. Since we couldn’t check in until the afternoon at the campground we parked the coach in RV parking just off of downtown Jasper. Jasper is part ski town and part national park village. There are many nice restaurants, outdoors stores, and gift shops. We walked the main downtown strip with Maverick and then returned to the coach. After getting Maverick settled in, Donna and I walked to the nearby Montana BBQ and Bar for lunch. The food was excellent and we dined outside on the 2nd floor patio where the view was super nice. After a nice lunch we headed the couple of miles to the Whistlers Campground. If you wish to come to Jasper and camp in a motorhome, I suggest making reservations far in advance if possible. I was lucky to find 1 day open for us between August 1st and mid-October. While Whistlers offers full hookups in some sites, all I could get was one day in a dry camping site. The site itself was located in a beautiful wooded area and the sites are spacious with lots of separation from neighbors.

Once setup we decided to drive the Icefields Parkway about 1 hour South to see two waterfalls that are key attractions in the park. The first waterfall was the Athabasca Waterfall. This waterfall is quite spectacular with a very powerful flow that has carved a narrow canyon down to the continuing river. The park has done a great job of providing easy access to the fall with many viewpoints of both sides of the falls and the narrow canyon with paved trails.  Continuing down the road a little farther is the Sunwapata Falls. Again, the falls were very accessible and the multiple viewpoints give great viewing opportunities within an easy walk from the parking lot. Both falls were covered up with tourists like ourselves so be prepared for the crowds. We are here during the peak season. The drive to the falls and back is very grand and the mountains are very dramatic. Even if you don’t stop in the park, this drive is one of the most scenic in the world.

Sorry no pics for today.  The drive and our camping site didn’t offer too much memorable.

The drive from Dawson Creek to Grand Prairie AB was pretty easy with really nice roads. We were surprised by the size of Grand Prairie and we stopped there for lunch at Five Guys Burger. The drive from Grand Prairie to Hinton was much more tedious with lots of construction. We couldn’t get any camping reservations in this area so we looked for a parking lot overnight spot. We chose Freson Brothers grocery store because it advertised RV overnight parking with large spots. We ate dinner at Canadian Steak Out and it was pretty good.  The parking lot was reasonably quiet for the night and the trains didn’t seem to keep us up.

I think this is the first time we didn’t report every day. Why? Because we are retracing our steps down the Alaska highway to its start at Dawson Creek B.C. Not much new to report. We start August by leaving Discovery Yukon Lodge near Beaver Creek YT. Our route took us through Whitehorse, Watson Lake, Fort Nelson, and ended the Alaska Highway at Dawson Creek on August 4th. We leave Dawson creek tomorrow along a new route towards Jasper National Park.
Along the way we did see a Black Bear, a large herd of Bison, and a Big Horn Sheep. Because our driving segments were a little long Donna did ½ the driving. She did an amazing job through narrow mountainous roads. Way to go!