Happy Birthday Gretchen! - Icefield Parkway

Happy Birthday Gretchen!!  It’s 6C--a heat wave!!  One less layer of clothes this morning!  We’re off for another great day of the Icefield Parkway.  

 We started out along the "wasteland of till and a distinctive terminal moraine left behind by the retreating Dome Glacier." according to Moon's Canadian Rockies book. 

 It's miles of rocks, wandering water with high peaked mountains with glaciers above.  After miles of this we took a side road at Sunwapta Falls Resort to Sunwapta Falls.  

 The upper falls were pretty but the book said to continue down to the lower falls.

The trail along the canyon was a downward slightly root 

and rock path, but a lot of soft underfoot.
 
 The rosehips have come into their own--everywhere!

 As you got near both falls there were fences so you could see the falls safely.  
 

There the river changed direction abruptly and fell into a deep canyon.

We spent a good hour just fascinated with this waterfall and the area below it.  We then headed back up to the road and went on down the road.  

The Anthabasca Falls

Again, it impresses you what a power water, sand and rocks have.  

A lot of small and more huge potholes that rocks being ground against the stone by the crashing water have created.

 

  

As the river is coming out of the canyon 

  

And the river runs on...

 

and we climbed back out of the canyon.

We headed back up to the parking lot and found a picnic table and had a quick lunch.  Off to Jasper.  We got into Whistler, our campground and put up the tents and then headed to town, just down the road.  We to the Visitor’s Center and checked emails and got info and then to the Grocery Store for a little shopping…expensive!  Then home to leftovers (we’re doing Gretchen’s birthday meal later in the week at a restaurant) and then a fire, a banana boat and somores for the Birthday Girl.  Wonderfully warm and beautiful day.  Even saw the stars in the dark tonight.