Wild Rose Country

Greetings from Alberta!

We have finally entered the third province/territory of our journey. But before we tell you about that, here's how we got here. 

We left off in Teslin, YT, our last full day in the Yukon. The next day, before heading out to BC, we visited the George Johnston museum where we learned about the first car in Teslin and the photographer who owned it. George was a member of the Tlingit tribe, and captured much of their lifestyle with his camera. Since there were no roads yet in Teslin, George and some friends built one. In order to earn money to hire workers to maintain the road, he gave taxi rides to his tribe members. This road actually became part of the Alaska highway built during WWII. In the winter time, he drove along the ice and used his car to hunt. He painted it white in order to camouflage it. 

Next we visited the Teslin Tlingit Heritage Centre where we got to look at some beautiful Tlingit artwork including masks, moccasins, and purses. We also got to try Bannok--a traditional bread-like treat. 

Our last stop in the Yukon was Watson Lake. There, we visited the signpost forest. It began because a soldier building the Alaska highway was homesick, so he decided to put up a sign with the mileage to his home town. Other soldiers began copying him and the forest grew to what it is over 70,000 signs. 

Our first stop back in BC was the Liard hotsprings, which are pretty self-explanatory. They were very beautiful and relaxing. We camped for the night in Toad River. Wildlife count: unknown. We saw 4 black bears, and a whole bunch of bison including 3 herds (and their babies!!!). 

The next day we mostly just drove all the way to Valleyview, AB. On the way we passed through Beaverlodge and saw the world's largest beaver (don't get too excited, it was a statue...). Wildlife sightings included waking up to a moose in the lake at Toad River. On the drive we saw 4 bighorn sheep, 1 black bear, and 1 baby moose. That night we also saw a doe near our campsite. 

The day we finally arrived in Edmonton. First stop was the Royal Alberta Museum where we saw lots if cool displays of animals extant and extinct (including dinosaurs!!!). We also saw tons of geodes and other precious stones (bling bling in layman's terms). Our next stop of course was the West Edmonton Mall. It was a really really big mall. And no. We didn't get you anything. 

The next day was Canada Day! (or Dominion Day as we spent it). We spent the day traveling back through time and visiting 4 different eras of Edmonton's past. We went to the 1920s, 1905, 1880, and the 19th century when the city was used as a fort for the fur trade. An interesting fact about the 1905 era was that the town grew so quickly, a tent city was developed. New residents could live in a tent for up to two years while they waited for their house to be built. Before you feel too bad for them, they weren't living in a tent like ours. Some had oil paintings and grand pianos. 

We spent the evening with a quiet, delicious dinner. And what better end to a perfect Canada day than fireworks!!! 

Thanks to Brett for being such a great Edmonton host!  

On our way out of Edmonton on Saturday morning, we stopped by the farmers' market in an effort to stock up on some fruit. Despite being unsuccessful (apparently they don't grow fruit in Edmonton), we did have some delicious free samples. 

From there we headed off to Jasper National Park. We took a scenic drive to Maligne lake where we had a picnic lunch. We also went on a walk to Moose lake in hopes of finally seeing a moose with antlers (so far all the ones we've seen have either been calves or females). But alas, no such luck. 

From there, we ventured back into BC in order to see the highest peak in the Rockies in Robson Provincial Park. We then set up camp for the night in Valleyview, BC. 

Wildlife count that day: two herds of bighorn sheep and a ptarmigan. 

Sunday, we returned to Jasper. Despite waking up to find it pouring on us (hey, what can you do? It is BC after all...), we decided to start our day with a ride up to the peak of the Whistlers mountain--not to be confused with actual Whistler. Despite it still be cloudy when we got to the top, we hiked to the summit and had a nearly 360 degree view of the Rockies and the town of Jasper in the valley below. 

We then drove down the Icefields Parkway towards Banff. The drive provided gorgeous views along its entirety, but the highlights were Athabasca falls and Athabasca glacier. The glacier was very cool (haha get it??!). It has been receding for the past 150 years, and its waters feed into the many glacial lakes of Banff and Jasper. Which means that mere hours before we gaze upon the water in these lakes and rivers, it had been ice since the most recent Ice Age (over 10,000 years ago... Imagine the freezer burn...). 

As we entered Banff National Park, the weather began to clear. Our first stop was Mistaya Canyon,  where we saw giant potholes that had been carved in the limestone by the water's current. We continued our drive south and camped for the night in Canmore, AB. 

The wildlife count for Sunday was: two caribou, one black bear, and a weasel.