Journey to Jasper

Leaving the city we passed  the docks and the older port town of Gastown before travelling through East Vancouver: decidedly less affluent and desirable . Many homeless people were camped on the street and in small parks: the difficulties associated with living clearly displayed.

Our journey today will take us 800k following the Highway from Hell, as it sometimes called to "Hope" for our first stop.

It has been a fascinating day: the landscape changing constantly as we negotiated 5 different mountain passes.

The initial drive was through satellite cities and developing towns as the quest for housing escalates and Vancouver is very expensive.  Known as a food bowl,  housing gave way to farms and fields of raspberries   blueberries and corn. We can attest to their goodness because we have two bowls of fruit on board to snack on.

The forest is mainly Lodgepole pine valued for lumber and the temperate rainforest ensures very thick growth.

"Hope" is an interesting little town where we met three delightful "greeters". They gifted us with local information and a Canada pin.

The town is known for the Rambo movie and chainsaw carving. It is overlooked by mountains.

The landscape changed considerable after this - evidence of heavy snow which in winter forms avalanche alley. The road is often closed so avalanches can be triggered by cannon, snow is cleaned up and the road reopens.

Kamloops next for lunch. Here the sparsely treed landscape is not cleared: it is simply too dry for much tree growth because of rain shadows which halves rainfall from the Vancouver side. Pines here are Ponderosa - not highly sort after.

Forest fire has decimated some forest and in 2003 a huge fire destroyed a whole town, sterilised the soil and recovery is hardly noticeable. Much like our 2003 fires.

Mining, lumber mills and ranching predominate - 1 ranch is 1 million acres! Kamloops is home to the longest trains in the world - 4k long, requiring 3 engines to pull the loads of coal, potash and other goods. Back in heavy coniferous forest.

WE SAW A BEAR! He was sitting on the road but quickly scrambled back into the trees as we approached.  Still - a bear is a bear  is a bear.......

We moved quickly and reached our last stop for the day at Mt Robson Provincial Park. Wow! Tallest mountain in Rocky Mountains. 

This photo doesn't do it any justice.

It is climbable during July/August but only 20% of climbers are successful.  First climbed in 1914 in very primitive conditions.  Many challenging hikes and activities in area.

It has been a fabulous drive with variety but we were glad to finally stop at our hotel in Jasper. We have never seen so many buses, trains, cyclists, hikers and pedestrians. It is crazy busy! Today is more leisurely- ice fields, walk and more stopping to explore.