The visit to Heritage Park was a little disappointing. It is a very interactive life size museum of the history of Canada through the ages and is aimed very much at children. However, I did get to do a Huck Finn turbine boat ride so all was not a complete waste J

We left from there to make our way through the Rockies to our first destination. The mountains do not hit you in a breathtaking manner but rather gently introduce themselves and become more magnificent the further into them you drive. They are indeed very Rocky J Shale tops where nothing grows except glaciers and pine forests up the very steep slopes. We struggled to find our first stop-over in the Rockies, but after enquiring at the overflowing Lake Louise Parking lot, we were on our way to the Takakkaw (meaning "Magnificent") Falls to stay in the Hi Whiskey Jack hostel. This turned out to be a very rustic mountain cabin set-up with a hot shower that trickled a miniscule stream of droplets for your waking moments' pleasure. The falls however, were breathtaking and jumped out at you from the side of the mountain as you rounded the corner of a very windy-windy road. After booking ourselves into this little bit of mountain luxury (at least there was a flushing loo), we forward trotted to the falls themselves. These were truly beautiful and roared with meaning (all 54 m of them). Fortunately we had had the forethought to waterproof ourselves for this visit, since we were drenched by the time we returned to the hostel. Good old pasta was on the menu and I hit the sack soon after that since jetlag was still the order of the day and my chest was telling me that only a few days before I had thought I was dying.

Graeme was up before any birdlife to do a gruelling hike up the side of a mountain. I took my time since a gentle stroll along the river banks was my intention for the day. It was a really lovely walk through the woods and I got a true feeling for the Canadian countryside. Visited the Point Lace Falls and then made my way back to find Graeme champing at the bit and ready to move on. So, into the car we hopped and meandered our way up higher and deeper into the Rockies. What should have been a 4 hour drive to Jasper turned into a 6 hour drive. This was because at every corner there was awe-inspiring scenery and views that simply had to be photographed. We missed the next hostel (I suspect not so mistakenly on the part of the driver) and we ended up at the Wapiti Nature Reserve to camp for the night. Out came el cheapo Walmart tent and mattress. The tent was easy enough to erect, but getting the mattress through the eensy-weensy oval zipped entrance to the tent was another matter altogether. I frankly, simply could not wait for the process to be finished since I had been feeling quite queasy for about an hour before we arrived and all I wanted was to crash. Well…..let me tell you what is good about tent-crashing at 2000ft up into the Rockies……..N O T H I N G!!!!!!! No…let me not lie….the hot shower the following morning to defrost the marrow in your bones was absolutely heavenly!! While I was defrosting Graeme returned to dismantle the tent and returned with icy hands from the transfer of cold from the bottom of the mattress. Couldn't get out of there fast enough. We had breakfast en route to the Maligne Canyon. We joined a party of Korean tourists and deliberately took the path less travelled to avoid the nerve-piercing chatter and incessant photo-ops. So, we started again with a stunning walk through the woods that meandered alongside a bubbling river and then joined the paths that took us along the sides of the canyon itself. Wow, wow, wow!!!! Now….I begin to feel I am on holiday!!! So, so beautiful…along the lines of Bourke's Luck Potholes, but very much grander and very much louder and very much windier, and very much forestier!!! After the walk we stopped I at the visitor's centre for a bite to eat and a cuppa and then made our way towards the Maligne Lake. My cold and sleepless night caught up with me and I cat-napped all the way there. We continued to ziz a little in the parking lot, but Graeme was on the sunny side of life so decided that we could nap later. And so we started our stroll around a very large, but very tranquil lake. Afterwards, we found our way to a picnic site to have some cheese and bicky lunch and to tidy up and organise the car….it is after all, going to be our mobile home for the next month and a half or so. So…hopefully we have found a method that works.

And then onward bound to our next nightly stop-over at the Hi Maligne Hostel. And I thought Whiskey Jack was rustic!!!! No flushing loos and no showers at this one!!! So, it will be a one-nighter. Also not very reassuring to be told that ALL eating and cooking will be done indoors due to the grizzlies in the area tending to join the party uninvited. And this brings me to where I sit now…outdoors at a picnic table with the wondrous sound of a bubbling brook in the background. Chat again soon dear friends J