Day 33: and How We Gained Another Hour

Zion National Park, UT to

Lake Powell @ Page, AZ

Total Miles: 110

Total Distance: 4635

Our Route:

We left Springdale, UT heading  back through the Mt. Carmel Tunnel Rd. on hwy 9, which is the scenic drive through the hairpin turns and switchbacks.  This is where Nana closed her eyes and put her head down til we reached  level ground again. 

RV backup traffic. They have to close part of the tunnel whenever an RV goes through the tunnel. It's not wide enough for 2 way traffic. 

Looking into the next tunnel on Mt.Carmel Rd.

Fascinating layers of sandstone and mudstone.

When we got on the other side, we turned south on hwy 89 heading to Kanab. 

Still lots of hills and curves on this hwy.

Dad doing his thing behind the wheel. Both eyes on the road. 

This is what he wanted to look at.

We crossed over the AZ state line and gained one hour. We didn't know that AZ doesn't follow the Daylight Saving Time. So when we went into the Visitor's Center the time was all off for us. Took us a while to figure it out. They are in Pacific Time zone til the rest of the area falls back one hour then they are the same?? But the Navajo Indian Reservation does follow Daylight Saving, so they keep with the rest of us. Clear as Mud?? I'm confused too. 

A view of Lake Powell.

Natalie took this picture from Wahweap Lookout. She's doing a great job!

Our campsite at Wahweap Marina RV park.

Finally, we had hamburgers for supper. They were excellent.

Sunset view.

Day 22: How Natalie met the Athabasca Glacier

The Columbia Icefield and

Jasper National Park

Total Miles: 155

Total Distance:3065

Our Route:

Today, we left Lake Louise campground and drove about an hour up to the Columbia Icefield on Hwy 93. 

The scenic drive was one of the best I've ever seen. It's absolutely fantastic.

Once at the Icefield, we took the Brewster Ice Explorers out onto the surface of the Athabasca Glacier. 

Natalie found one of the many holes on the glacier surface and stepped into it up to her calf. 

It was cold. She said her foot went numb. 

The glacier surface is dangerous and is constantly moving.

Then we drove on up to Jasper National Park for the evening. 

We stayed at Whistlers Campground, where we found many elk around the campsites. Even coming out of the bathhouse last night, we found a female elk munching on grass right outside the door. It was quite an experience. Not one we are used to. It was quite entertaining watching the ladies come out of the bathhouse and stop short, not knowing whether to move on or stay put. The male elks are very aggressive this time of year and we were cautioned about not getting in between the male and female elks. So we have been very careful about wandering around the campground at evening and night. We also received much information about bear proofing the campsites.

Day 21: Plain of 6 Glaciers Trail Ride

Trail Ride to Plain of 6 Glaciers and Teahouse

The kids and I took a half day trial ride up the Plain of 6 Glaciers. We can't remember the names of the 6 glaciers though.

It was magnificent.

My horse was named Spam. Natalie's horse was Kidd and Adam's was Cherokee.

Our trail guide was Chuck.

Not sure if that was his real name or not. Sounds like a cowboy name though doesn't it. We skirted around the base of Lake Louise and then rose steadily on the plain. The plain looked like the remnants of the receding glacier. There were rocks and boulders all over the terrain.

Some of the trail was a bit scarey and steep. So I didn't look down at those points. We did have one lady who decided she was afraid of heights. She walked some of the way up and down.

Once we got to the top, there was a nice teahouse up there in the clouds. We stopped for tea. We had creme caramel. Plus Adam sampled the rice crispie treats and Natalie and I shared the chocolate cake. All were delicious.

On the way back down, one of the horses threw a shoe and the guide had to walk a ways. We had to swap horses around a little and I rode Peaches on the return trip. He was nice too.

This is Lake Moraine. Natalie and I drove up there early this morning to take in the view. The sun was just coming over the mountain top.

You can see the reflection clearly.

Natalie and Kidd

On the way up. We are skirting around the right side of Lake Louise.

You can see the largest glacier in the foreground. We could also hear loud crashes as the snow melt caused avalanches.

Adam says he wants to be a cowboy when he grows up.

Adam riding Cherokee

Looking back toward Lake Louise. Can you see it? Barely visible in the middle.

Plain of 6 Glaciers Teahouse. Serves the best tea and chocolate cake. The wait staff pack in all the fresh fruits served there when they hike up. They typically live there for 3 to 4 days at a time and hike down for their days off. Once  a year, a helicopter delivers all the flour and sugar and other supplies needed for the entire summer. The rest is brought in by the staff. They also have to pack out all the trash.

The view from the Teahouse.

Not as crowded as the Lake Agnes Teahouse. It's alot further hiking. Glad we came by horseback.

Adam wonders what his dad would say if he brought a Canadian horse home as a souvenir.

So now it's getting dark and the sun is setting behind the clouds. We're all tired again. Tomorrow, we set out for the Columbia Icefields and Jasper National Park.

Day 20: Lake Louise

Lake Louise 

and Lake Agnes Teahouse Trail

Today we left Banff very early to drive up to Lake Louise.

They don't take reservations at their campground this late in the season. So we were a little worried about our accommodations for the next 2 nights, if we couldn't find anything at Lake Louise.

Thankfully, they had lots of availability. 

we checked in about 9:30 am and had the rest of the day to take a hike and see the area.

We drove up to the Chateau Lake Louise and saw the beautiful hotel built by the Canadian Pacific Railroad as a way to attract visitors to the Rocky Mountains.

Then we took at 3.7 km hike to the Lake Agnes Teahouse for lunch and tea, of course.

Natalie says,

"There's always time for tea!"

The view from the Lake Louise Chateau.

The water was milky blue/green.

We heard an avalanche in the distance. Must have been from the snow melt today.

At the Teahouse. This is Lake Agnes named after the first white woman to visit the area, or the Prime Minister's wife, Lady McDonald, whose name was also Agnes.

Natalie tried the Jasmine Green tea, and the rest of us tried the Orange Blossom. We also tried the apple/peach cobbler.

It was very tasty.

The top was very cool and windy. I'm glad we took our jackets and hats for the top. But the day was absolutely beautiful. We have a great time. The hike was refreshing, but tiresome. I think we'll all go to bed early tonight.