Canadian Trip 2014 Day 6 - Jasper - Banff

Good morning Jasper, we will be back to explore you after our visit around your territory. Today is going to be a busy day with too many itineraries cramped together.

Jeff, our Tour Guide started the day with Pyramid Mountain a mountain named after its shape

Through the hundreds of years of craving by the glaciers it has formed the mountain into a pyramid shape and also a lake is formed.... de Lake Pyramid.

Pyramid Lake is such a beauty in a shape of a kidney and it is located in Jasper National Park,Alberta.

Wild Rose is the official flower of Alberta and is easily found in Canada.

The loon is an aquatic bird also commonly found in Canada. In fact the Canadian one dollar coin which bears an image of a loon and the $1 is commonly called the loonie.

The next was Maligne Canyon.

Maligne Canyon is measuring 50m deep with waterfalls, stream outlets and water spray. There are 6 bridges built over the years and the first one was built in 1914. This natural creation is truly amazing with footpaths and bridges built for easy exploration.

The waterfalls are beautiful and so peaceful to view at close range.

These are the public toilets found in Canadian National Parks like Jasper, Banff and Glacier.

Basically it's dry and a pit system.

We were lucky to spot a young black mother bear with 2 baby bears when we were about to board the bus.

It's dangerous to stay too close to the mother bears as they are very protective with their babies around.

Jasper town, is small in size but very popular among visitors during the summer and is located in the largest of Canada's rocky mountain, Jasper National Park. Jasper also has a rich history of the development of the national railway system.

Athabasca Falls is another popular waterfalls in Jasper National Park it has a powerful and breathtaking waterfalls in the Rocky Mountains.

The waterfalls is not deep but the force of the water falling into the gorge is magnificent.

The waterfalls can be easily viewed from various platforms with walking trails around the falls.

We were brought to this restaurant at Sunwapta Falls for our lunch.

I enjoyed this lovely chili stewed beef soup.... it's so thick and yummy.

A peep at the Skywalk from our coach which we have opted for icefields' experience instead of this new attraction. Apparently it was opened on 1st May 2014 after much delay in the construction.

Another lucky moment we managed to see a few mountain goats moving close to our coach when we were approaching the Icefields Parkway.

It is summer time the place was packed with tourists from all over the world. Though it was a short distance to the icefields from the car park we had to used 2 types of vehicles to get there.

This old World War 2 amoured car were used as snowmobile ferrying tourists to the icefields with some modification.

The first mode was a bus just to ferry us across the road which was a mere 5 minutes ride.

Then the ultimate snowmobile capable of going up and down steep and icy road.

Slow but powerful.

Finally I managed to land on the icefields. The feeling was great and exciting.

Collecting water from the glaciers.

The taste is rejuvenating and nice.

Yahoo but unfortunately the experience only lasted for around 25 minutes. It would great if we were given more time on the ice.

According to Jeff we were fortunate again to witness a massive forest fire occurred where such opportunity is very slim for a tour like ours. We were informed on the following day that the fire has actually burnt 1,500 hectares of timber tress and was caused by a lightning strike.

Our next destination was to view a popular bluish lake from a high elevation and it was to see Peyto Lake from Bow Summit and apparently this is the best spot for such view.

Peyto Lake is a glacier fed lake located in Banff National Park. During the summer fresh rock flour from the mountain flow into the lake and the suspending rock particles give the lake a bright blue colour. The lake is really beautifully so beautiful as if it's fake.

So much of the day activities, we saw too many mountains, glaciers, rivers and lakes and I have difficulty remembering which is which when I look back at the pictures but these are truly amazing natural creations and fantastically beautiful. One should see them if given a chance.

Canadian Trip 2014 Day 5 - Vancouver to Jasper by Coach

It's goodbye to Vancouver and hello to Western Trail. We will be travelling to Calgary by coach in a 4D/3N tour and will be experiencing the Canadian Rockies.

One more Urban Fare breakfast before we leave Vancouver.

Thanks to Sook Ying for the meticulous planning of the entire travel. For those who are interested in this Western Trail can check with Key West Travel & Tours.

There were 22 of us in this tour coming from Singapore, Australia, India, South Africa and Brazil. Our first stop was a small town called Hope, a sister city with Izu, Japan. It's a brief 20 minutes stop.

The first touch down was full of eagerness I just couldn't wait to see places, Hope is well known for its wood carving with chainsaw you can see a display of these wood cravings throughout the town. I am impressed with the cycling culture in this country you will fail to see bicycles at every nooks and corners.

As the bus continued to move on we were kept interested in the facts of the rocky mountains by Jeff and at the same time some of us were busy shooting our cameras.

A lunch break at Aberdeen Mall, Kamloop after travelling 352km.

Mount Robson is the highest in the Canadian Rockies at 3,954m, a scenic view from Mount Robson Provincial National Park.

The joy and fun at the Canadian Rockies on a wonderful summer time.

The capacity of this coach is 54 passengers and there were only 22 of us, we could shift freely occasionally when taking pictures. Point plugs for electronic devices are available at every seat but not wifi.

We have travelled 794km from Vancouver to Jasper and checked in to Lobstick Lodge for a night. My salute to Rob, the coach driver for solely driven us the entire journey until Banff.

Let's have pizza and sandwiches for dinner. Til then good night and see you tomorrow.

Canadian Trip 2014 Day 4 - Capilano Suspended Bridge Vancouver

The return journey was an interesting one I took a wrong direction northwards to Grouse Mountain which I thought I could loop back to the city. It was only after a distance of climbing I felt something was amiss and needed a correction immediately.

Destination - Capilano suspended bridge going via Stanley Park. This is the statue of Harry Jerome, a national track and field runner. (1940 - 1982) located next to the cycle lane.

The exit to Lions Gate Bridge was not difficult to find except to be careful when approaching the main road where you might need to go through a bit vegetation. What a cool connection to the bridge.

I was excited when I saw the giant structure standing right in front of me after coming out of Stanley Park. I was not sure whether it was cycle-able or not and was glad to see bicycle and pedestrian lanes on both sides of this green bridge.

ached

Yes Capilano I am coming....

Getting to this attraction wasn't difficult afterall.

It was a busy day at the park with bus loads of visitors coming to check this bridge.

One will roughly spend an hour or so to complete seeing the attractions in this place.

Confused and unsure of the"loop" route back.

My sincere "Thank you" went to this young man for being so helpful if not for him I would have continued to pedal up the wrong way further.

I got lost again trying new ways back to the city and feeling a bit stressful especially at this busy highway junction...

After a couple of trials I was back to the route. Lions Gate Bridge when will I see you again.

A historical site of Canada opened in 1938, a suspended bridge connecting City of Vancouver to North and West of Vancouver.

After all the anxious moments I was back in comfort at the seaside of Stanley Park. What a wonderful relief at last.

A short stint of off road at Stanley Park in one of the many trails.

Lunch at this Vietnamese Restaurant.

Indeed it was a good and delicious Vietnamese beef noodles.

Thank you Spokes for the bicycle rental for 3.5 days and the bike has been part of this memorable ride. I spent $70 for it.