Tuesday, July 5th - The Icefields Parkway

The sun arose again at 3:30am and interrupted the few hours of sleep we were able to get.  At 4am we were on the road.  We drove to fuel up in Banff, where gas was $4.50 a gallon.  At 5am not much is open but we did find a family restaurant and sat down for breakfast.  By 6 we were on the road again with full bellies and fuel tanks to meet up with the rest of the group.  We met the group at Lake Louise, which is similar to a typical ski resort that you would find in like Vail, CO.  After a short drivers meeting, we went to see Lake Louise and the surrounding area.  With the morning quickly disappearing, it was time to hit the Icefields Parkway.  The Icefields Parkway is 230km long and is loaded with breath taking views of what remains of 10,000 year old glaciers.  The crystal clear blue lakes remind you of Caribbean waters and we found an abundance of wildlife including moose and deer.  I took no less than 1000 pictures today, to give you an idea of the beauty of the area.  By 6pm we reached the end of the Icefields Parkway, in Jasper, BC.  We set up camp, reorganized the Jeep and headed to town to scout things out.  At 11pm, we filled up with gas and went back to camp, still in bright daylight.  Now, it is midnight and darkness is finally falling.  Tomorrow at 3:30am I'm sure the sun will rise again and we will be on our way to Dawson Creek and the beginning of the Trans Alaskan Highway.

 Lake Moraine

Bow Lake

 Athebasca Glacier

ZJ at Bow Glacier

 Mountain Goats on Icefields Parkway

Athebasca Falls