We left Jasper after a decent brekkie and no bear attacks. 2 minutes down the road towards Banff we encountered many, many Elk with babies (Elklets perhaps?) hanging about.

Elks & Elklets near Jasper

Shortly after we encountered a black bear snacking by the side of the road on berries.

Berry Bear

These animal sightings were in addition to the myriad of sights we witnessed along the way. The Athabascan River falls, the Columbia ice fields, a lake where they take Windex from, many more mountains and streams as well as a cable car ride to the overlook of Banff. Banff was too cool although I have seen more Caucasians in Beijing. You are either older (much older than Carla or I) or Asian of any age or young Caucasian (not tourists but someone has to do the work of catering to all these well-heeled (not us) folks. It is a very nice place and was my first time. It was Carla’s third! It won’t be our last.

Very creeping! Columbia ice field.

The Columbia ice field was very neat except for the plethora of signage suggesting all the people who had died there by wandering off the paths sent a chill up your spine. Folks typically die of hypothermia before they can be dug out but they are always well preserved… sorry… This is the place where they drive those goofy buses out on the ice… One of these days, just sayin’

White Flower Thinghies
(anenome somethings or just white flowers in snow also works)

Where Windex comes from…

Lake Louise = imagine how blue they would be if sunny.

Top of Banff Cable Car – (inset – 2 of the few Caucasian tourists found in Banff)

Canada’s oldest national park has parking lots for campsites, $#@^&$#

Hey, but all the free wood you can carry… With the extra daylight these days, dinner was at 10:30PM, fire lasted until 11:00PM and coma started at 11:01PM

Note: It pretty much rain or drizzled all day and yet the vistas were fantastic. This ice fields parkway is a must see and I would happily do the route again, from south to north this time…