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On The Way To Jasper Tuesday, August 24 We rose fairly early, packed our things, hooked-up, went to the dump station, and were finally on the road at 9:30. We had over 400 km (250 mi.) to travel on the "Yellowhead" (Provincial Highway 5) before reaching Jasper. The scenery gradually changed from dry mountain desert to greener forest filled with lodgepole pines and grasses. And the sun began to hide occasionally behind the clouds. Apparently it rains more here as we begin to ascend into the Canadian Rockies. Beautiful terrain.
At one point, we stopped at a rest area. I guess there was a guy named Terry Fox who had cancer. To raise money for research, he attempted to run from coast to coast and collect a dollar from each person he met along the way. Well unfortunately he didn't make it as his disease progressed before he finished. But in a tribute to him, Mount Terry Fox was dedicated in his memory.
Anyway, we finally made it to the Alberta border. Here the time changes to Mountain Time, one hour ahead. A few miles past the border, there was an entrance gate to the Jasper National Park. So $70 later we had an annual pass for the Canadian National Parks. It seems that these gates are located throughout the national parks and you have to have a pass to get through. You also have to show it when registering for camping. But of course camping fees (about $24 per night) are in addition to the park pass. What a racket! But once in the park, it didn't take long to see elk grazing on the side of the road. I attempted to take some pictures for your enjoyment but I couldn't get close enough to get a decent picture. It's elk mating season and the literature warns that during this time, the males can be quite aggressive. So I decided not to press my luck. We finally made it to our destination. We're staying at Whistler campground which is (as you may have guessed) at the bottom of Mt. Whistler. This campground is HUGE! It has over 700 sites. Once we got set up, the elk were grazing right near our campsite. They seem pretty used to people and aren't easily startled. So we made a margarita and watched the elk.
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