We were all ready by 9am this morning, for heading off.  Last night we had sat watching the mountains bathed in sun, whilst it snowed, rained and there was a rainbow.  A stunning place to spend the night indeed.

The rain had continued heavily all night, but it was clear this morning, with the mountain tops shrouded in mist and cloud. Also, a rather chilly 9 degrees when we set off.  We had decided we would eat breakfast along the way, and stopped off at the Athabasca Glacier Visitor Center for a quick bite.  From there we could see the glacier, and people going out in buses to visit and walk on it. Apparently this glacier has a thickness as high as the Eiffel Tower.

Whilst we passed through this particular part of the Parkway, the Icefields were numerous and It was still extremely cold, although perhaps not for Nick and Jane in their Mustang with the car’s heated seats on!

The parkway was 120 miles long, and as we got to within 20 miles of Jasper at the very top the weather began to change and heated up very quickly, whilst the skies changed from overcast to blue.

Past Jasper, we turned just before Hinton, onto road 40 Northbound, ‘The scenic route to Alaska’, we shall be heading North for some time, with Nick and Jane for company for another few days yet.

Up early for leaving at 8.30am.  We were off and on our way to Banff, specifically to Tim Horton’s fast food, because our two very good friends Jane and Nick had arrived in Calgary yesterday.

They have come to join us for 12 days, on our trip, which we are thrilled about. 

Anyway, there they were waiting as we rode along, and we spent a good couple of hours catching up and laughing together, before heading off for the Icefields Parkway.

Although we had already been travelling with the Rocky Mountains as our companions for a while, what we had seen before was nothing compared to today in the Icefields. Wow! The glaciers were endless, glacial rivers of icy blue, the steep and jagged mountains went on and on.

It is, as you would imagine much busier here, a smaller roadway to take through this landscape, and many holiday makers, but worth every step of the way.

We are stopped for the night at The Crossing Resort, at Saskewatchan Crossing, about halfway up through the parkway towards Jasper.

Of course, our stops have been numerous today, for catching up, and enjoying the views together.

The joy of  having Nick and Jane rumbling along behind us in their rented Ford Mustang, 5.0 V8, is immense.

Roll on tomorrow………

We left later this morning, about 11 am, because we were in no hurry today, we only had 130 miles to ride to our next stop.

It’s slightly cooler now, between 20 and 23 degrees, which is much more pleasant for riding in than the 30-38’s we were in previously!

Today was a public holiday in Canada, Civic Day, so everyone was out doing outdoor activities.  On first impressions they seem to love the active outdoor, healthy life and clean living here.

We have a constant companion of the Rocky Mountains by our side, which is a rather beautiful backdrop, and I think we shall continue to do so for a long while to come.

We stopped off for a great meal in town, at a pub overlooking Lake Invermere. Food was good, and they had English Cider for Paul to drink.

We are looking forward to tomorrow, because it’s going to be very exciting………………