The high life, and more ice

Now...we both actually slept quite well!!  A bit of road noise but not much, temperature OK, no nocturnal visits...the only complaint was that the pillows were a bit "bouncy".  We even had time for tea/coffee and a relaxed breakfast before completing the blog and managing to upload down at reception.   It was bright but very cold (below freezing according to the weather forecast) so thermals were donned!

Our first stop was the train station in Jasper to confirm the check in etc for the train on Saturday, avoiding the need to telephone.  A most helpful lady also gave us some ideas for a walk as we would be without a car, with somewhere we could get lunch and warm up before returning.  We then checked out where to return the car - just as well as it is virtually impossible to find with just an address!

We headed out of town on the 93 for a short while to find the turning to Whistler and the Jasper Skytram (cable car).  A bit more pricey than the "Glacier Skywalk" but definitely worthwhile.  If we thought it was cold down in Jasper it was bitter up at the top but some people braved the elements to walk to the summit.  We merely took photos and admired the lovely views before descending to lunch in the car park (running the car briefly to warm up!).

As summer had ended, we were not sure if the road to Mt Edith Cavell would be open but were in luck.  The road had warnings that it was steep, winding and narrow but was nothing compared to many a mountain pass (or even some European sightseeing routes) that we have managed!!  The end of the road looked like a construction site but this was ongoing work to restore the area to pre-2012 conditions when a huge chunk fell off the glacier into the "pond" below causing a huge flash flood through the valley.  A short but very steep path (very well maintained) led to an overlook of the pond and glaciers - absolutely breathtaking with superb colours and well worth the effort.  Some wildlife on the return journey - deer grazing by the roadside.  We saw a buck yesterday but he was not evident today - probably another herd.  We've seen a few chipmunks, mostly trying to avoid them as they scurry across the road just when we are approaching instead of waiting a few more seconds - the roads are really not busy so why do they cross when a car is approaching?

We are now back at our cabin, basking in the sunshine on the little porch - making the most of it because the temperatures will plummet as soon as the sun goes behind the trees.   Dinner tonight is a complete frozen meal - including pud - will let you know tomorrow how it went!