July 17: We can now catch our breath

July 17, 2013: We can now catch our breath        

 

WHAT are those BIG dogs?  I have never seen anything like these!  The biggest one has a collar on it.  Not as pretty as mine, but I am sure its owner couldn't find anything pretty for a dog that big.  It is eating grass.  I wonder if its owner lets it in the house?  Where would it fit?  And look, even the smaller one with it is bigger than any dog I have seen.  Wow, they sure grow them big up here!

 

Since Hannah is not at 100%, we decided we should start heading towards the states today.  Maybe we can get her fixed in the Seattle area.   But first, we need to take a hike.

 

We headed 9 km south of Jasper to Valley of 5 Lakes.  The trail is roughly 3 miles (4.5 km).  It starts in a pine forest, but the forest is not so thick that you cannot see the mountains in the background.  It heads through a lush meadow with a stream, then up and around a series of glacier fed lakes.  At one of the lakes, the water is incredibly clear and you can see a gazillion insects feeding on top of the water.  We passed someone who had just seen a mama bear and a cub, but we made noise, and never ran into them.  I have to say that the scenery from the time we entered Kootenay Park until now has been breathtaking.  Every drive, every hike and every walk has been just amazing.

 

We were lucky to get a parking spot at the trailhead with Hannah.  We got there fairly early (around 10).  And when we left, once again there were throngs of people.  In this neck of the woods, they have a very short visitor season.  Essentially , they have June through August.  June can be iffy.  September sometimes might be ok, but it is not unusual for there to be snow in September so if people plan on enjoying the area, now is the time.

 

After the hike, we headed for a short drive up to Patricia and Pyramid Lakes.  There are dozens of hiking trails on this side of town, but for us, we just wanted a looksee.   We passed a small resort where I thought we should turn around.  Towing Hannah means a turnaround has to be big, but Spouse continued till the road ended.  Fortunately, there was just enough room for us to turn around.  It was tight, and we had to kiss a few tree branches, but we made it.  We then bid adieu to Jasper and headed west on Highway 16.

 

Road signs warn of caribou and moose.  We see none.  We then cross over the continental divide one last time, cross into British Columbia, and cross the time zone back into Pacific time.  We start to leave the rugged glacial peaks behind.  Now there are mountains, but the tree line is all the way to the top.  There are streams and lakes and meadows and it is still beautiful, but now we are able to catch our breath!  We pass through the Robson park, past Moose Lake and head ultimately to Highway 5 south.

 

This is still a pretty drive, but we are starting to see small signs of civilization.  A farm here, a house there.  We actually see a town, albeit only a few buildings.  We decided to make it to Clearwater, about an hour north of Kamloops.  We might make the states tomorrow, but there is a scenic route we want to take and we are not sure just how long it will take.  But tonight, we are in an RV park with FULL HOOK-UPS!  This is the first time in a week where we have had electricity (the coffee pot is ready for tomorrow!).  We can turn on lights, run water and everything!  Wahoo!  We could even have a fire with our free firewood... but it is raining...

 

Once we are back in the states, we can kiss kilometers goodbye.  Spouse seems to struggle with that and Crew keeps him on track.  Just for thought... a nautical mile is NOT the same as a kilometer...