Mt. Robson and Beyond

When we turned inland from Prince Rupert and started heading back to home base, there was a bit of sadness I felt, since on this months long journey we hugged the coast for thousands of miles, walk tens of miles of beaches and spent as many days as we could camping close to the water's edge. The numerous bald eagles, sea gulls and pelicans were in some way our friends. We shared the same area and respected each other's ground. But, I also knew there lay ahead of us other somewhat different scenes of splendor. One such spot was Mt. Robson, known as the most prominent mountain in North America's Rocky Mountain range and also the second tallest of the Canadian mountains, all of 12,972 feet high. What makes Robson different of its neighbors to the south is the elevation difference when standing on the valley floor before it. It is not like the Colorado Rockies where you stand at 5,000 or 7,000, or in Leadville, 10,000 ft. looking up at fourteeners. Many of the Canadians valley two or three thousand feet. The contrast in height of ten or eleven thousand feet is startling.

This was my second time visiting Mt. Robson; the first was with kids along and that meant a shorter visit and less viewing as we kept on eye on them. So, this was a treat, particularly since I possessed a nice digital camera (a Kodak) and the clouds, sun and shadows were all cooperating. Let me share with you a few of these photos.

(A reminder- to see the pictures in a large format, double left click on your mouse, right click and select open in new window and then left click once. Many of the pictures may fill your screen)

That afternoon we continued to head south and east to Jasper, Alberta. For some reason I didn't take any pictures of this quaint, tourist-oriented town, nestled just north of the spectacular Columbia Ice fields. If you do not intend to travel widely in Canada, please don't skip a trip to the Columbia Ice Fields with their glaciers you can tour on, soaking in the sights of milky torquoise-colored lakes and just overall great scenery. Anxious to head home and also to see new territory, we turned north and then east from Jasper heading to Edmonton Alterta, the Devonian Botanical gardens and the Ukranian Village east of Edmonton.
Here are a few more pictures you may enjoy along our way...

The Elk I took as I drove past it along the highway. Traffic was stopping en mass both directions. The picture is not my best, but it may be one of the best looking racks I have ever seen at such a close distance.

The Devonian Botanical Gardens south of Edmonton, a city much like Denver in size and looks

Resting tired but happy feet and legs at the gardens, Louise and Floyd, my constant companions

My next entry I will talk about the Ukrainian Village east of Edmonton, a thoroughly interesting place to visit with a lot of history and interesting original buildings including places of worship. Stay tuned!