BEAR!!!

 

Today I finally saw my own personal bear. He was a two-three year old black bear, a herbivore, munching by the roadside on the Icefields parkway. He was definitely not interested in us. We shared him only with a four guys in an RV. (see video in the photo album)

The Icefields Parkway is one of those most magnificent of places. We drove it today with the same wonder as two years ago. We did not stop at every lake, waterfall, and glacier as we did then, but tried to stop at places that were new to us. For that reason, if you want to see more of the Parkway, check out our photos from 2006.

The Mistaya Canyon was one of those new places. Daisy and I took the hike about 30 minutes after we left camp this morning. The hike was advertised as 10 minutes, .5 kilometers. Of course it was straight downhill and then back up. Daisy was no help going down, but coming back up, I let her pull as much as she wanted. I thought I did a little better with the lung power today than yesterday. I am planning to buy a bear bell for her so I will be less concerned on walks.

The canyon has been carved over millenia, and looking down at the current river carving away is about 50 yards deep. Just breathtaking.

We continued on to the famous bear stop and then the Columbia Icefield. The Icefield center is quite wonderful, and they have plans to change their exhibits in the next year or two. Looking at the shrinking footprint of the icefield and the shrinking glacier is a mind expanding experience. And the gift shop had my bear bell. Great stop.

Columbia Icefields facts:
+The ice cap is 200 km square, 250 m thick in come places
+The average snowfall on the icefield is seven metres
+Ice in the Athabasca Glacier takes 150 years to flow from the icefield to the glacier's toe
+Between 1870 and today, the glacier has loss more than 2/3 of its volume and more than half its surface area.



Our next time out was at Athabasca Falls, a repeat visit but so incredible. Roar! While there, Daisy was ambassador again, and I have a photo to prove her good will. This time it was a family from Edmundton with a little girl, and then a couple expecting their first child in 5 weeks who just moved to Saskatchewan.

We proceeded west out of the park, and stopped at Mt Robson Provincial Park for Daisy in a field of flowers photos. We met a couple returning from Alaska to Ohio. They bought an airstream just for this trip. When they get back they are going to sell it.

They loved Haines. Since they went so early, many things were closed, but they did get to drive Denali in their own car since the tours had not started yet.

Tonight we are at Irvins RV Park in Valemount BC. The lady with the British accent said she would put us in Number 18, right next to the pet walk area, because if she was a dog, she felt she would be happiest there. She is definitely correct. The pet area is a meadow, and little trails for walking have been mowed throughout. Just lovely.

We are within two days of the Alaska Hiway now.....jitters!