Dateline July 19, 2011, End of Walkabout Canada-Alaska: The Canadian Rockies, Jasper, Lake Louise, and Banff

This was the final leg of the Walkabout Canada-Alaska.

As if Alaska had not been enough for our adventure, we continued on into the Canadian Rockies. John had wanted to visit Jasper, Lake Louise, and Banff ever since he was growing up in Seattle. Two months after we had started at Mile Marker One back in Dawson Creek, we drove out from there to Grande Prairie, Alberta.

We spent the night planning to play golf in the morning, but rain, rain, rain had been the weather for at least a week in Grande Prairie, and it did not disappoint the ducks. The ground was saturated, so we took a pass on golf and used the day to catch up on laundry, wash the RV, and pick up some supplies. After a stop at the Visitor Center, we picked up a brochure on the local casino and went off to try it out.

With the ball rolling toward Janice's numbers, we did win a little and had dinner at the casino. You could not go wrong with the two-for-one steak dinner.

We got an early start in the morning for Jasper. Leaving the Alberta plains and heading back into the mountains was a beautiful drive.

We arrived in Jasper in the early afternoon and parked to check out the town. Saturday was designated Park Day, and the streets were full of activity setting up for the events. Jasper is like a movie set, with all the shops you would expect in an alpine village along with well-kept small homes lining the streets. We stayed at a Parks Canada campground.

We had a beautiful wooded site at the end of a loop. Sitting at the picnic table around 6 PM, an elk walked right by the site. Unfortunately the camera malfunctioned and we did not get the picture. According to Ruth, no picture, no sighting. But that is the story and we are sticking to it. We did have two ground squirrels

on the site and had a lot of fun watching them play.

On Park Day we went into town early to walk around and see all the activities. The park wardens put on an interesting demonstration of their dogs' capabilities. One of the wardens played the part of a car thief, and the dog pulled him from the car.

A group of native dancers from Oklahoma entertained the crowd. There was the usual assortment of tents offering fudge to junk for sale. The main event of the morning was raising a new totem pole, which we enjoyed.

We then left town and drove out to Maligne Lake. A sensational drive through the mountains, ending up at the beginning of the lake.

Maligne Canyon and falls, which we viewed on the way back to Jasper, was a geological wonder.

The bridges over the rapids and falls gave a view down hundreds of feet to the flowing river below. Back to the Whistlers campground for another great evening.

It included a group of wardens who put on a show.

We finally caught the elk on camera over by the shower area. In the morning it was on to Lake Louise and Banff via the Icefields Parkway, Highway 93. There were many photo ops along the way.

We arrived at the Columbia Icefield, where the Athabasca Glacier sits on the continental divide. Water flows from here to three different oceans: the Atlantic via Hudson Bay, the Pacific, and the Arctic.

Continuing on toward Lake Louise, we stopped at Bow Glacier. We continued to be in awe of the beauty. The experience kept on as we arrived at Lake Louise. The town was so crowded that we took in the surrounding views from a distance and headed over to the ski area for lunch. On to Banff on a back road, where the rocky peaks left us stunned as we rolled into town.

A really nice alpine town, and a mecca during the summer for tourists. We checked into the Parks Canada campground on Tunnel Mountain with amazing views of the surrounding peaks. One of the most photographed sights at Banff is the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel, originally built by the railroad. We drove over and had lunch on the patio, where you could see the golf course below and all the peaks surrounding you.

The beauty is astounding, and wow is a word that cannot be overused here.

It would be another unbelievable experience to come back and see all of this in the depths of winter. Just great.

And with that, the Walkabout Canada-Alaska wrapped up. We pointed the FedEx truck south, back across the border, and on toward Glacier, the Black Hills, and the long road home.