We decided to take a day trip to the nearest of the points of interest in Jasper, so we drove west towards the town of Jasper, and then south towards two special lakes and some hot springs. On the way, we saw some of the scenery that Jasper is famous for.
A short side trip to Punchbowl Falls led us to an unusual sight! A walkway spans a creek; on the upstream side, the water looks perfectly normal, flowing along a rocky streambed, several yards wide. On the downstream side of the bridge, the water falls into a circular rock bowl at a tremendous pace. This is a pic from above the falls.
We stopped briefly at Miette Hot Springs, expecting to see hot water bubbling up out of the rock, but the spring has been channeled into a commercial swimming pool, with hundreds of visitors. Not our style. The area in front of the pool was graced with a herd of Mountain Goats, however!
On south we drove, with awesome mountain views around every corner.
The roadsides were covered with late spring flowers.
Eventually we arrived at Medicine Lake. This body of water is created every spring by snow and glacier water. Fractured rock has created underground channels that drain the water, and by winter, there is only a meandering, lazy stream wandering along the muddy lake bottom. Believing the lake had much magic, the local Indians both feared and respected the lake.
Again with the Jasper mountains!
The road ended at Maligne Lake. This beautiful lake now hosts a lodge, reasaurant, and boat excursions as well as hundreds of kilometers of hiking trails. It was so crowded that we simply stopped for a pic and a short walk. The smell of the forest was exquisite!
Returning to the main highway, the Yellowhead, we stopped to view The Arch, a formation we had missed on the way to Maligne Lake. If you look closely, just to the right of center at the ridge top, you can just make out a natural arch. Created by fractured rock below a hard limestone ridge, it is estimated that the arch required about 10,000 years to form.
Normally, I would post another day's trip as a separate entry, but today, Monday, was a bit of a washout. We drove west (again) through three construction zones (read 2 hour wait), and finally arrived at the road to Marmot Ski Area. We hoped to get a good vantage point to view the entire Jasper area. After a half hour driving up a crooked mountain road, we reached an iron gate blocking entry to the ski area and the view. Bummer! Driving back down the mountain, we stopped along a creek for a picnic lunch.
The sky has been murky all day, and smells of burning wood. The local cable system includes the NBC channel from Seattle, and the evening news has been full of information about the many fires in British Columbia, as well as across the entire west coast of the United States. The nearby mountains are obscured by a white haze, and the views are essentially nonexistent. We had been somewhat disappointed by the days events, so we trekked into downtown Jasper to try to find some solace.
As we were approaching town, Donna began to search for a point of interest....
It so happened that we found ourselves right across the street from the Wicked Cup! This is a cool bicycle themed shop that makes wonderful coffee drinks! A couple of mochas later, we hit the road for home.
Tomorrow will be a better day, I'm sure!
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