Jasper, Alberta: This is about as far north as civilization gets in Canada, here and Edmondton which is basically east of here some four hours drive. North of here things get frontierish, little islands of habitation surrounded by miles of forest. At this time of year it's nice up north, but only for a couple of months a year.
Three days ago we tried to drive to Lake Louise from Banff as a day trip, and when we got there the traffic looked like people pouring into Pasadena for the Rose Parade. Unbelievable, a bumper-to-bumper crawl. All parking near the lake was full, and they were routing people we know not where. We bootlegged a U-turn and got out of Dodge.
As an alternative day trip we took a leisurely drive down the Bow River Parkway - an overly fanciful name for what is basically the old road, before the Trans Canada Highway was built. It proceeds south on the east side of the Bow River whereas Highway 1 - the Trans Canada - runs down the west side. The speed limit is slow, and that is fine for sightseeing. And it wasn't a bit crowded.
Tomorrow we head back south down the Icefields Parkway, overshooting Banff by 15 miles to camp for the night in Canmore. It was a sleepy little town with not much happening when we first came here 40 years ago. In the interim it has exploded, now it feels like Vail or Aspen on steroids. Its footprint is far larger and its offerings are far grander than before.
