Canada

Thursday, May 16^th, 2024

As we got coffee, I noticed they sold beer.  One of them was called “Jasper, the Bear Ale”, I found it funny.

We boarded our tour bus “333” to explore the sites around Jasper.   It was a small group on a large bus, plenty or room to spread out.  Our first stop was Medicine lake which is a mysterious lake due to the fluctuating water levels with no visible drainage channels.

Even the Indians wondered, “where do the waters go?”, and thought it was due to the spirits.  In more recent times, they discovered sinkholes and underground cave systems, like a bathtub with a drain, the water is drained out through the bottom.

We spotted a lot of wildlife around the like including an eagle, a couple of Moose and a Mule Deer.

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May 15th, 2024

We checked into the Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge which sit on Lac Beauvert, a lake surrounded by pine trees with snowcapped mountains in the background. As we entered the park, we spotted Mule Deer and Elk and were once again reminded to keep our distance.

The setting reminded me of summer camp with a main lodge surrounded by cabins but obviously, a bit more upscale with spas and find dining.   There were plenty of outdoor activities from hiking to kayaking on the lake.

At one point, I joked about how this felt like Crystal Lake from “Friday the 13th” and that the main lodge felt a little bit like “The Shinning”.  The place also reminded me of the lodge’s in the Catskill Mountains where they filmed “Dirty Dancing” as well as a few episodes of “Mrs. Maisel”

After we checked in, we walked around the property for a bit, took some pictures.  There were plenty of ground hogs everywhere, I had no idea groundhogs looked so much like squirrels .   We also noticed that the trash receptacles were bear proof.  I would not want to run into a bear! Continue reading →