Ice Exploring

     We started out our third day traveling all the way to Jasper (like going to ATX from Houston) to take the Columbia and Athabasca Glacier tours. My pictures and words cannot do this scenic drive justice. We had talked to a lady earlier and she had given us an alternate to the Trans Canada highway (which is also stunning), so we took IH 93, or better known as Icefields Parkway. She suggested this route, explaining that it's a good trip if you want to see bears. We wanted to see bears so badly, and we got to see SEVEN! They were scrummaging along the sides of the roads, digging for roots and berries. Several cars, including us, pulled over to snap some shots and the bears were not the slightest bit phased. I mean, they didn't even look at us and we were ten feet from them! The first one we saw was so adorable and was the largest. He really did look like a giant teddy bear. Then we saw a second smaller one, on our way back, we saw two more searching for food.

      When we arrived at the glaciers, we couldn't believe how massive the glaciers were. We got our tickets and immediately got on a bus up the mountain to get on our next ride: the ice exploration vehicles, Terry Trucks. This huge bus type mode of transportation would make your dog look like a crepe if it crossed this monster's path. The tires were 5 feet tall, and there are only 20 in North America. Eight belong to this company, others are being used in the military and for ice exploration in Antartica.

Columbia Glacier

        From the mountain we went down to the glacier. The slope was at a 42% grade. This means for every 100 feet forward we were dropping 42 feet in height. We were all leaning against the seat in front of us; it was steep!  When the Ice Explorer reached  the glaciers we couldn't believe how tiny we were in comparison. It was crazy! You had to be careful not to slip, fall, and die in one of the crevaces. The glacier water was the clearest water I've ever seen. Walking on the ice was extremely slippery and you had to take every step with caution. Luckily, William and I made it out alive. We decided to go visit a few places in Jasper National Park including the breathtaking Tangle Falls. Once again, William somehow convinced me to climb the side of the water fall and people pointed, again. At one point I got stuck. I was too scared to go up and panicked when I looked down. So, I just hugged the rock and William talked me through it. When I reached up, I walked right up to the water and splashed it on my hands and arms. We were touching the water fountain! Then began the scary descent. Wasn't as bad as I assumed it would be and I'm glad I did it! Other places we visited this day included: Peyto Lake, which looked like a lake filled with blue Kool aid, Crowfoot Glacier, Herbert Lake, Bow Lake, and Bow Summit. I am going to miss all the beauty in Banff!

Peyto Lake