Jasper

I have to say I liked Jasper. Tiny place but it meant that everything was a short walk. And since it is totally geared to tourism and there is nothing else for miles around, its got everything you want.

We stayed at the Whistlers Inn, which was very satisfactory. Not flash, but just neat. Was one of the stops on our trip that was two nights, to accommodate our white water rafting day (which actually took up a morning) so leaving us another afternoon for hiking

 And one of the odder sights in Jasper is the train station complete with steam locomotive parked outside.

But main feature to record is the backdrop to the town. Mountains.

We decided to walk the Maligne River Ravine. This was a fine idea. Two catches. A lot of climbing to do between the various bridges (6) that criss cross the ravine. And the weather turned against us. Absolutely tipped down while we were walking. Thibault wasn't really dressed for the weather, and so we turned back before the end of the hike. He kindly offered to let me finish the walk and pick me up by car from the bottom. Pride (and not being quite sure how far we had to go) made me refuse and pant my way back up the Ravine. Tough work out for me!

It was a shame about the conditions as it was one of the more striking hikes of our journey. So wish the weather had been better, and that we had spent longer in this area. There are lots of hikes to do. If you like deep ravines and roaring falls, this is the walk for you. And steps. You have to like steps.

I was particularly taken by this natural cascade - the water fanning out over the rock rather than gushing into the river below.

The walk was steep - you wouldn't want to trip and fall off the path. In parts the Ravine is over 50 metres. That is a long way down.

 After that rather wet expedition I persuaded Thibault to drive on to Maligne Lake. Bit misty but still worth some photos.

Actually I think the above photo is of Medicine Lake which is on the way to Maligne Lake

One, to me, odd feature of this area is the lack of birds. I think the problem is that the summer season of plenty is too short for birds who rely on say, catching small insects. Plenty of food here, but for short periods, and if you can't hibernate or migrate, well its not the place for you.

While driving back to Jasper we encountered a deer on the road. Well there were enough warning signs for deer crossing, so was pleased to actually see one.

 After all that we deserved a good meal. For a small town Jasper does have some fine dining establishments. I think this was "Syrah's of Jasper". Not cheap but we were well looked after. Just a nice place to be.

After which we walked back to the hotel Still light, the weather cleared a bit, low light....