A bit of a grey old day this morning though it didn’t matter as we were going to drive the Icefields Parkway from Jasper through to Lake Louise. At the start we thought it was going to like driving the Nullabour as we saw no cars, but that changed with a few cars on the road. Our first spot was the Athabasca Falls. These falls cut through the limestone forming a deep gorge. Snow was on the ground and the path was slippery with ice. We are still getting used to walking on ice. The water in the river was an intense blue. It was the most intense blue colour we had seen on the trip so far.
The Rockies are fantastic as we climbed we could see the Columbia Icefield in the distance. It looked cold!!
On the plain at the foot of the glacier we stopped on the side of the road. We could as there was hardly any traffic, something that would be difficult in peak tourist season! Tan jumped out, with out her down jacket (which hasn’t really left her side for the last two months), and we got some photos of the Columbia Ice Field.
It was very impressive and we were about two weeks too late to head up to the Ice Field. The road was covered in ice and when you touched the brakes you slid quite a bit. Even taking off from a stop was hard as the wheels spun with only moderate acceleration. On the way back down we watched a van pull into a siding on the road a bit quick and he was out of control for about 20m!! Dangerous stuff this ice. Funny too think that in the Victorian Alps we would have been driving with chains while here people were ripping past us like it was no tomorrow. The plow had been through days previous and the snow wasn’t too thick.
Coming down some of the hills the views were magical. This one stretch of road had a huge loop in it as you made it to the river valley. 
We passed Mistaya Lake, once again blu-ish, but not post card material. The snow capped mountains and pine trees weren’t too bad though.
We arrived at Peyto Lake and Bow Pass, the highest road pass in the parks area at 2,088m above sea level, Mt Bogong in Victoria is 1,986m from memory! The snow was thick here, as you could imagine being the highest point! We parked in the snow filled car park and made it up the road to Peyto Lake. We followed the track up in 6 – 8 inches of snow, following footsteps most of the way up. Tan’s ankle socks don’t cut the mustard in deep snow.
As we arrived at Peyto Lake, four people left. We had this priceless view to ourselves!! Peyto Lake is glacially fed and brilliantly turquoise and is touted to be the most blue lake in the world!! Breath taking!! It was a little cloudy but still beautiful.
We did a walk the 600m walk around the track above the lake. Powdery snow was blowing off the pines, dusting us with it as we passed. One section was untouched since the last snow fall and snow was deep (for our standards) but so light and fluffy – check the video out. It looks like I haven't got any feet.
Back at Peyto Lake the sun had come out making it more brilliant. As we walked off, an old couple arrived. “You can have it to yourselves!!!” we said. They were the two that beat us to Maligne Lake yesterday and said the same to us as they were leaving!
Locally, the road was very icy coming down off the pass.
We arrived in Lake Louise, a charming little town in the Banff National Park. 
We booked into to our accommodation. The river here had boulders covered in snow and the edges were sheets of ice. As the weather wasn’t too bad we decided to hit Lake Louise and we were so glad we did. Lake Louise, though not a blue as Peyto Lake, is so accessible and so pretty and picturesque. We took some photos of some Aussies there and they did the same. We think this is the best photo of the trip so far. 
That night was hung out in the pub and met this somewhat pissed local. He told us about this Aussie bloke who used to hunting and made him laugh a lot especially with his bird call. I responded with “Did it sound like this Kooka-kooka-ka-ka… a dodgy Kookaburra”. We was instantly laughing. I guess it was the one he was chasing. The waitress lit the fire lit but it wasn’t roaring until I gave it some decent amount of wood. (The wood was sitting there and it wanted to be burnt!)
We walked back to our room and it was really chilly, 2cm of snow had fallen during our dinner and it was still snowing! Check out our car.
The Rockies are fantastic as we climbed we could see the Columbia Icefield in the distance. It looked cold!!On the plain at the foot of the glacier we stopped on the side of the road. We could as there was hardly any traffic, something that would be difficult in peak tourist season! Tan jumped out, with out her down jacket (which hasn’t really left her side for the last two months), and we got some photos of the Columbia Ice Field. It was very impressive and we were about two weeks too late to head up to the Ice Field. The road was covered in ice and when you touched the brakes you slid quite a bit. Even taking off from a stop was hard as the wheels spun with only moderate acceleration. On the way back down we watched a van pull into a siding on the road a bit quick and he was out of control for about 20m!! Dangerous stuff this ice. Funny too think that in the Victorian Alps we would have been driving with chains while here people were ripping past us like it was no tomorrow. The plow had been through days previous and the snow wasn’t too thick.Coming down some of the hills the views were magical. This one stretch of road had a huge loop in it as you made it to the river valley. We passed Mistaya Lake, once again blu-ish, but not post card material. The snow capped mountains and pine trees weren’t too bad though.We arrived at Peyto Lake and Bow Pass, the highest road pass in the parks area at 2,088m above sea level, Mt Bogong in Victoria is 1,986m from memory! The snow was thick here, as you could imagine being the highest point! We parked in the snow filled car park and made it up the road to Peyto Lake. We followed the track up in 6 – 8 inches of snow, following footsteps most of the way up. Tan’s ankle socks don’t cut the mustard in deep snow.As we arrived at Peyto Lake, four people left. We had this priceless view to ourselves!! Peyto Lake is glacially fed and brilliantly turquoise and is touted to be the most blue lake in the world!! Breath taking!! It was a little cloudy but still beautiful.
We did a walk the 600m walk around the track above the lake. Powdery snow was blowing off the pines, dusting us with it as we passed. One section was untouched since the last snow fall and snow was deep (for our standards) but so light and fluffy – check the video out. It looks like I haven't got any feet.Back at Peyto Lake the sun had come out making it more brilliant. As we walked off, an old couple arrived. “You can have it to yourselves!!!” we said. They were the two that beat us to Maligne Lake yesterday and said the same to us as they were leaving!
Locally, the road was very icy coming down off the pass.We arrived in Lake Louise, a charming little town in the Banff National Park. We booked into to our accommodation. The river here had boulders covered in snow and the edges were sheets of ice. As the weather wasn’t too bad we decided to hit Lake Louise and we were so glad we did. Lake Louise, though not a blue as Peyto Lake, is so accessible and so pretty and picturesque. We took some photos of some Aussies there and they did the same. We think this is the best photo of the trip so far. That night was hung out in the pub and met this somewhat pissed local. He told us about this Aussie bloke who used to hunting and made him laugh a lot especially with his bird call. I responded with “Did it sound like this Kooka-kooka-ka-ka… a dodgy Kookaburra”. We was instantly laughing. I guess it was the one he was chasing. The waitress lit the fire lit but it wasn’t roaring until I gave it some decent amount of wood. (The wood was sitting there and it wanted to be burnt!)We walked back to our room and it was really chilly, 2cm of snow had fallen during our dinner and it was still snowing! Check out our car.
We got our car from the snow less undercover car park and we were off to explore. the town and then the surrounds.
We weren’t even out of the town when we stopped to let two white-tail deer cross the road. Well, one did and the other was like an emu constantly changing lanes and indecisive. It finally made it in the headlight of some large utes (trucks).
As we approached Medicine Lake there was only one set of tyre tracks in the snow. The weather was cold, but pleasant, the trees and mountains were white and we literally had this normally busy part of the parks to ourselves!
Having the park to ourselves meant we could stop in the middle of the road, take photos and suck it all in, such as stopping along side the river above the lake. 
Maligne Lake is deep, up to 96m and is glacier fed and under this bridge I saw a nice trout. 
We went for a stroll on the snow covered path along the lake edge and we found the culprits who put those tyre prints in the snow. They were leaving though. We had it to ourselves, for now. Animal tracks littered the paths, mainly squirrels and the odd bird and now two more humans. The view of the mountains and green colour to the lake and the isolation made it pretty special. Tan played in the snow!
I touched up the snow covered 3D model of the mountain range to make it more realistic.
In the car park I had a little play and all I can say is the snow and ice can be very slippery. I have greater respect for the road surface now.
At Maligne Canyon, the water appears and cut through soft limestone. Waterfalls to 38m are present and the walk along the canyon and across the bridges was pretty, albeit slippery with all the ice on the smooth limestone. 
Back in the main river valley the suns display on the mountains made them like big ice cream sundaes!
A quick detour via town and we took the road to Whistlers, the base of the gondola which was closed for the summer tourist season. The views of Jasper town were impressive and snow was 8cm thick and really fluffy and light. 
On the way back we saw another five deer and just past the entrance to town, our first elk. Two does were eating grass on the hill on the side of the road. On the way through town we spotted two bull elk, majestic on the side of the road. They walked off out of view and we were stopped on a corner (damn tourists) so we were off again. Patricia Lake was also nice but the wind coming off the lake surface was the coldest Tan had been for the day.
Back in town, we were on Elk patrol. Within minutes we spotted the two bulls, eating grass on the verge outside of houses across from the fenced in playground. We worked out why some people have big fences in town now. We had to laugh when one of the bulls broke through the gate on one house making a racket. We were in our car across the road when some one peered at us from the curtain. Minutes later, the elk ran out of the yard through the broken gate with an irate man throwing sticks at him! He joined his mate on the verge two doors up seeming non-plussed by the event. 
About 500m up the road in the car park, there were another seven elk eating away and then further along another three having a fresh grass feed. 
The fence in this yard was pretty ineffective. 
Once again, like every other animal today they walked past the vehicle, close enough to touch.
Approaching Hinton, and the puddles were frozen and there were lots of big trucks, F150’s and up, everywhere and lots of compressor trucks for oil drilling. Our little Yaris had an inferior complex around these big machines. Near Hinton, there was snow on the ground, the occasional white tail deer and Tan was first to spot the snow covered Rockies in the distance. We were wrapped to see them.
After 385km of touring we made it to Jasper. A late lunch, and then we booked in to the Park Place Inn. Tan’s research paid off with a great off season deal in a big room with a spa and views of the mountains. Good score Kitchy! We walked around town and went into the Parks Canada Info centre. We had a great chat to the ladies there, found out some good info, saw a stuffed wolf, played with dead animals, ate their Halloween candy and checked out their Jack-o-lanterns. Outside there were heaps of droppings, most probably elk, but the wildlife were far and low. The lady said “There are elk everywhere, I even had to go home a different way as a bull elk was working the streets!”
Oh well, our walk was fruitless. After a big drive, we hit the spa with a nice drop of Canadian chardie. No photos!
Today we decided to head out to the West Edmonton Mall, (I may have mentioned once or twice that it is the biggest in North America.. hehehe). After breakfast, we headed out to the mall following Heathers instructions with a quick detour via the University of Alberta). We arrived at the mall and it looked big but not huge. We headed inside and the first thing we saw was an ice rink – with Seniors hour on. We were to embarrassed to give it a shot as everyone of those oldies would have been able to skate far better than either of us. 
The mall also has an area that has seal shows, underwater diving and snorkeling and flamingos – as you would expect at a shopping centre. 
There were also lots of aquatic inspired statues such as this whale. 
First things first, Dan had to go and get the afro removed again (I’m not missing the fuzzy hair or the Newfie porn mo). We wandered around the shopping centre (which was massive as we never saw the whole lot) and finally found a Starbucks (no crappy Tim Hortons coffee for us… EVER) and had our first latte and chai latte in five weeks…mmmm.
We both went down the Twister next when it opened. Lots of fun and we did another couple of times again racing each other.
Eventually we decided to call it a day. Dan said it was the best day at the mall he had ever had (just need an aquatic centre with slides installed at Garden City and all will be good!!).
We met a lovely chap from Regina in Saskatchewan who sold surgical instruments (?). We was very nice, and later on in the evening we ran into him again in the Mexican Restaurant next door. We continued chatting washing it down with Mexican, Sangria and Pacifico beer. 
We later found out this lovely man had bought us desert without us knowing so we enjoyed that too. What a cheap night out – we should do this more often…hehehe. 
