Day 19 and back on level ground

A hearty hello from Red Deer. We are back on the bikes and heading east. We only had a couple of days in Jasper, so Linda and I went into the town of Jasper and did the tourist thing. It is a really nice little place. Very tourist oriented (no duh!) but pretty just the same.

From Jasper we went to the Athabasca Falls,
and on to Mt. Edith Carvell and the glacier trial. Definitely very worth the walk. We have both decided that this is one magnificent part of the world. We are very lucky to have been able to see it.All to soon it was time to repack and get back on the road. Besides, Jeff and Gloria needed their shower back, and seeing that that was where our luggage was stowed.
Shortly after heading down the highway, we came to the Columbia Icefield. Talk about amazing. Just the mountains and the sheer size of the glacier, and the beautiful sky and on and on. Probably one of my biggest regrets is that I can't take pictures to show all the beauty and grandeur.

Too soon we were saying so long to the glaciers, and hello to the foothills. We stopped in to Norbegg for some gas, and left with full bellies and some new-found respect for the coal miners and loggers we read about in the museum at the Miner's Cafe.

Just after we left Norbegg we saw what we think will be the last glimpse of that awesome aqua-marine coloured water this time in the Saskatchewan river reservoir near Rocky Mountain House.

Amazingly enough, we were right back onto the prairies in the blink of an eye. Actually it was about an hour of driving, but the transformation from mountain to flat prairie was surprisingly fast. A short time later we were snuggled up in our Holiday Inn bed, and looking forward to tomorrow and Saskatoon. See you then.