Jasper, AB (6/29/23 Thu)

In the morning I took advantage of the campground laundry and showers. Since I figured in the resort areas I would end up staying in the provincial parks. They generally have pit toilets and no running water. Laundry gave me a little later start, because I required one more loony for the washer and the office opened at 0830. Once on the road my first planned stop was to be a breakfast cafe located about half way to Jasper, but it was closed.

I rode into Jasper and cruised the strip looking for another bike to park with. After finding one I checked parking and it's by plate number. So I payed to park for two hours. I wondered up and down the tourist shops. Bought stickers, looked at some cool art and rocks, and picked up more water and oatmeal packets at the grocery store. I also had breakfast. Apparently this is a busy long weekend, and during the season peak. So I opted to secure my tent spot early. I drove into pouring rain all the way to my campground. Picked a sheltered spot and then waited for the rain to pass. While waiting I looked over a guide book and talked with some frequent visitors to this area. They said all the really good areas would be busy and required a hike to see. They also said it would be best to go early or late in the day to avoid the masses.

When the rain stopped I setup the tent and decided I should go explore until dark. I wanted to backtrack to Athabasca Falls. But once at the highway the sun was out to my south and the traffic was better that way. So I continued south. I took a number of photos along the road at photo turn outs. I also hiked into a view that goats frequent, and hiked a few kilometers into a the upper and lower Sunwapta Falls. There is a resort lodge at the entrance to those falls, so I decided to have a good dinner on my way out.

I continued north by my campground to the Athabasca Falls, and hiked their trails too. Amazing falls and the lighting really improved things. The storm cells leave dark skies and brightly lit areas that add a lot of accent to the photos.

This morning a few kilometers north of my campsite all the cars had stopped to take photos of a black bear walking along the grassy side of the highway. When I crested the nearby hill on my way between my fall hikes the traffic was stopped again. I figured the bear was now closer to my campsite. But it turns out there was a rainbow behind me and that was the car stopping photo opp. However while I was typing this back at my campsite the guys about a hundred feet away made a racket. I figured they had a game going, but more people joined in. Apparently the black bear did visit, and I tried but failed to get a photo. A half dozen of us walked along the river in his direction and someone spotted him again, but he can disappear really well in the dense woods. But we all agreed to clean up well before we go to bed.

There is a campfire ban in effect, but the campgrounds provide free wood and there are a number of fires going. So I started one too. It's kind of damp and it should help keep the bugs down a little more. It's cool and a very light breeze, so it's really pretty nice out at the moment. I think dusk is at 2220, and dawn around 0400. So last night felt almost normal. It's 2100 as I finish this up. So I can enjoy my fire and maybe watch another Netflix episode of Treason.