My Wild Backyard

We went to the Canadian Rockies to see a fantastic display of wildflowers...and now there's another great display right in my backyard. We have asters, potentilla, daisies, paintbrush, sego lilies, lupine, cone flower, clover, salsify, saxifrage, all vying for attention.


Of course you have to be "brave" to have a garden of wildflowers (or as my mother would have called them "weeds.") Brave because the landscape is overgrown with greenery that is disorganized and untidy. If you like the look, it's beautiful. If you don't, it's a bunch of weeds.


No matter--we like it and in the end, that's what counts.


On the other hand, you get to see some interesting things in the wild garden. As I was snapping away this morning, I heard just the slightest movement, and there, not too far away was a doe, doing her best to stand still. We stared at each other for a minute, then I took her picture and thanked her for adding to the beauty of my garden.

Back in the USA!

Scenes of Jasper National Park
We are back where the aircard and satellite dish work, the speed limit signs are in mph, and I don’t have to convert liters to gallons to determine mileage. In other words, we’re back in the US of A. It’s nice to have all the conveniences when you camp! (Yes, we are camping, but in style!)

Crossing the US/Canada border was a non-event. We were asked if we had fruit, veggies or meat onboard. Since we are a camper the answer was yes, then I told him how much we had of each. Another guard wanted to see the back seat of the truck. I unlocked the door and he looked in. Lastly, I was asked to show proof of citizenship, so I handed him our much-used passports. After a brief look and a swipe in a computer, they were handed back to me and we were told to have a nice day. It took me longer to write about the event than the event itself.

Our 16 day sojourn into Canada was great fun. We were there during one of the biggest wildflower displays I’ve ever seen, and we saw them ‘just in time’ as the flowers were starting to disappear on the trip back from Jasper. The mountains, always a favorite, were tall and proud, and they will lure me back time and again. I don’t know when, but we’ll be back.

Thoughts on Jasper

Jasper is a huge park, yet it does not have a lot of venues where you can “do” something. If you go to Yellowstone, there are several stops where there activities, walks and hikes, the same with Bryce or Grand Canyon. Jasper has just a few “stops” and they seem less organized and maybe more interesting.

For “organized” events, you can drive the switchbacks up Mt. Edith Cavell, ooh and aah at Athabasca Falls,

marvel at Lake Maligne, ride the Athabasca whitewater, take the tram to get a bird’s eye view of the park, or visit the townsite. However, the best thing to do in Jasper is enjoy the mountains, lakes and rivers in an “unorganized” way such as strolling around a jewel-like lake,
or hiking a trail to a glacial pool, or gazing at the reflection of a mountain in a glass-like pond. There are ponds and rivers for canoeing, trails for bike riding, hiking and walking, and then there are just places to “be” and enjoy the beauty of nature. That’s Jasper. It’s not for folks who have to go to the mall for a good time.



Mountain Names: One of the towering mountains in Jasper is named after a World War I nurse, Edith Cavell. During the Great War, Edith Cavell, RN, was stationed in Belgium when it became overrun by Germans-- she stayed on and nursed soldiers from both sides. Then she committed the ultimate crime…she smuggled a number of “her” soldiers to safety. She was arrested for her deed, executed and earned the title “Martyr Nurse.” The mountains in Jasper and Banff National Parks were named soon after World War I, and the grandest mountain in Jasper was named in her honour.

The “Angel Glacier” clings to the side of Mt. Edith Cavell, along with several other glaciers all contributing to a glacial pool that has a milky turquoise color.
The glaciers have a turquoise tint too. Walking to the little glacial lake or stacking rocks are two things that folks do in the area. I stacked rocks, while my friends meandered over the boulders to the pool

Lake Maligne

Mt. Edith Cavell

Wild Sheep on the Yellowhead Highway

Beautiful Lake Maligne


After an evening of rain and cooler temps, we did not know how much we could do today, so we went for a ride. We ended up at Lake Maligne--pronounced Lake Maleen. It’s one more of the pretty lakes in this part of the world. Maligne however, is not a glacial jewel like either Moraine or Louise; it’s an ordinary lake in an extraordinary setting. It’s a water wonderland where you can boat and fish as well as hike in the nearby area. We did none of the above—just looked. It’s a long drive to the Lake but well worth the trip. Along the way we saw a black bear and a herd of mountain sheep, all woolly and unkempt.
If you are a fan of very old movies, Rosemarie, with Nelson Eddy and Jeannette McDonald was filmed in this area. Twenty-plus years later, The River of No Return with Marilyn Monroe was filmed here and in Banff. I don’t know if any recent movies have been filmed in this pristine environment, but if you should see a movie set on a beautiful mountain lake that is edged with razor sharp peaks, it might have been filmed in this neck of the woods.

Icefields Parkway

One of the prettiest drives in North America is along the Icefields Parkway from Lake Louise to Jasper. Today we were lucky enough to take that wonderful highway in perfect weather. I only took 100 pictures along the way and it's hard to choose which one to place here.

However, all is not wonderful as my computer had a glitch, for lack of a better word. All of my files for my summer class have disappeared. When I click on a file, stuff I wrote from last semester shows up instead. This makes no sense at all. I have no idea what happened, but when I searched for the files, I get a message that says they are not in my computer any more. I've written a note to my students asking them to send me their grades. This is embarrassing, but what else can I do? Aren't computers fun???

Tomorrow we'll explore Jasper National Park--Lake Maligne and Miette Hot Springs, and Mt.Edith Cavell and more are waiting for us.

Wandering in the Valley of the 10 Peaks

Concealed in the Valley of the 10 Peaks is Moraine Lake. It is a glacial lake like Lake Louise, yet it is even prettier. Lake Louise has world wide fame and a wonderful old railroad hotel, The Chateau Lake Louise; Moraine Lake has more beauty and fewer visitations. It’s nestled in a narrow valley amid 10 huge mountains decorated with glaciers. At the far end of the valley is a cascade which feeds the turquoise waters. Walking the path around the lake you are treated to thick forests dotted with colorful wildflowers. There are folks canoeing in the clear water, just adding a picturesque flair to the landscape.

In the afternoon, I decided it was time to learn more about the wildflowers so I bought 3 books: “Alpine Beauty” by Neil L. Jennings, “Wildflowers of the Rocky Mountains” by George W. Scotter and Halle Flygare, and a beautiful book of photographs and prose titled “Wild Colours: Canada’s Rocky Mountain Wildflowers” by Paul Gilbert and Kathryn Graham. Once back in the RV I started to identify all the flowers I’ve taken pictures of the past few days. I’ve identified most of them and I’ve learned so much.

Yellow Columbine

The locals say that Banff stands for “Be Aware, Nothing For Free.” With that in mind, I found a FREE wifi connection at Lake Louise, at the Chateau no less! There is a small catch--you need to belong to Fairmont’s President’s Club. So far we have found that Safeway and Bruno’s Pub in Banff have free wifi, and the Chateau, in Lake Louise. I wonder what we will find in Jasper (which is our next stop)?

Lovely Lake Louise

We are in grand country. Today we are in Lake Louise, a tiny gem, sparkling along the backbone of the Canadian Rockies. We walked along the blue-green glacier fed lake marveling at the abundance of wildflowers. Once again, the display was wonderful.


Our campground is filled with the aroma of pine trees. The air is clear, and it’s not raining. We have a “double campsite” so we are camped next to our friends. Tonight we had spaghetti in the woods for dinner, a camping favorite. Life is good.