Day 97 – July 9

We wanted to tour some of Prince George before heading towards Jasper, our ultimate goal for the day. Our guide book recommended the Two Rivers Gallery as a highlight so it was our first stop after the 13 kilometre drive into town. While we enjoyed touring the beautiful building, the gallery was between shows so the displays were limited. However I did buy a small very reasonably priced framed watercolour in the well stocked gallery shop.

The Two Rivers Gallery was designed by Barry Johns, a well known Canadian Architect who graduated from the now DalTech School of Architecture in 1972. Its name was based on the confluence of the Fraser and Nechako Rivers where Prince George is situated and the curved douglas fir facade of the building is representative of the undercut banks of those rivers.

Two Rivers Gallery

When we asked the staff for a recommendation for a good coffee cafe we were directed to Simmy’s Bistro on George Street which we were told was run by a Newfoundlander who served great fair trade coffee and made an awesome seafood chowder. We headed in that direction, taking in some of the downtown scenery as we went.

Simmy’s was a nice clean cafe with a New York City decor theme. We were just about finished our coffee, tea and scone when the owner walked out from the kitchen. We struck up a conversation about Newfoundland and Corner Brook, where he was from, and before long he was showing us around outside and telling us about his plans to expand and put in a fish and chips side using his mother’s beer batter recipe. When we left he gave Diane a package of his special blend Fair Trade coffee. Again, one of those happy accidents that started out as a simple cup of coffee and ended up as a glimpse into someone’s life.

After a stop for gas we headed east on the #16 towards Jasper. We didn’t have much by way of tourist info for Jasper so we were going in without much of a plan, which was fine. At a prolonged traffic stop for road construction we had a chance to talk to a First Nations woman about the food fishery she was involved in when she wasn’t doing traffic control. Clearly very proud of her province she was pleased we found it so beautiful.

Further down the road we saw a couple of black bear cubs but no signs of momma. We were also slowly starting to catch glimpses of the Rockies rising around us. We stopped mid afternoon at McBride, population 740 for a break and lunch. Our guide book had recommended a restaurant in the train station which in a town of this size was easy to find. Our sandwiches were delicious and the locals very friendly, taking great interest in our trip.

The Rockies raise their head

As we continued on to Jasper the weather began to close in and we passed through periods of showers. Ahead the skies were clear, providing views of Mount Robson, the highest mountain in the Rockies. However behind us the weather appeared ominous and was closing fast. Each time we stopped to take pictures the front seemed to gain on us. As we drove into Jasper two elk grazing along the road were causing a small traffic jam as cars pulled over to take pictures.

Mt. Robson

Here comes the rain

Rush hour in Jaspar

Having lost an hour as we crossed into Alberta, we arrived in the town of Jasper just after the information centre closed at 7:30 so in the rain we headed for the closest campsite, Whistlers, where all the serviced sites were gone but dry camping sites were available. As it was raining I didn’t mind not having to work outside making all the connections.

The storm front quickly moved through and we were treated to a spectacular complete double rainbow. I can honestly say that I have never seen such an intense rainbow! At its end the rainbow literally glowed like it was plugged into some source of neon light.

Somewhere over the rainbows

Bluebirds fly

We are now really starting to see the light change as it is getting dark at night, al be it late at night, making it seem much more normal when we go to bed.