I left Jasper and headed south on Hwy 93, the Ice Fields Parkway. If that sounds familiar, it's because I came up the Parkway from Banff to Jasper when I was heading north. First stop along the way was the Jasper Tramway, which climbs Whistler Mountain. The view from the top was very nice, but I didn't realize how much smoke there was in the skies until I looked at the pictures. Anyway, here are a few pics from the top of the mountain:
This is the town of Jasper from the top of the mountain:
After enjoying the ride up and down and the views, I headed on down Hwy 93 toward Banff. Here are some shots along the way:
These are from the Visitor Center at the Columbia Ice Field:
And further along Hwy 93:
Just for the record, I crossed the Continental Divide today:
I continued along Hwy 93 to the town of Radium Hot Springs and then south on Hwy 95 to Cranbrook, where I'm spending the night. I had noticed a haze in the air and the occasional smell of wood smoke off and on today, and the area near Cranbrook is where some of the wildfires have occurred. About 30 miles north of Cranbrook, I came upon what appeared to me to be a site where the fire had jumped the road:
You can see burned forest on either side of the road, and there are firelines cut in the forests on either side of the road. Fortunately, it appears the current wildfires are further north.
Tomorrow, it's back in the USA and I'll be heading across Washington state to the town of Ellensburg, near Yakima.
Miles today: 321
To Date: 9,858
