Rocky Mountains
Looking over the clear waters of the Athabasca River, Jasper National Park, Alberta, Canada
Clear waters are laughing, they sing to the skies
The Rockies are living, they never will die
– John Denver, Rocky Mountain Suite
As John Denver knew, there is something truly magic about the Rocky Mountains. I can’t help humming or singing whenever I think of them – and Denver’s song “Rocky Mountain Suite (Cold Nights in Canada)“ fits the bill perfectly.
Banff National Park was an integral part of my childhood and I never pass up the opportunity to spend time there. This year, however, we decided to venture further north: to Jasper National Park. It was a fortuitous choice, really, as major flooding from torrential rainfall plus snow-melt in the area just days before our arrival forced the evacuation of numerous southern Albertan cities. Mudslides and flooding cut Banff off from the east, so we would not have been able to enter.
Although it rained much our drive west from Edmonton along the Yellowhead Highway, we were relieved to meet perfectly dry roads and clear skies as the mountains came into view and we neared the boundaries of Jasper.
Jasper Mountains
Looking west along the Yellowhead Highway, east of Jasper National Park, Alberta, magnificent mountains come into view.
Bull Elk
We had no sooner entered the park than we met our first elk or wapiti (Cervus canadensis). He’s so close we can see the velvet on this season’s antlers.
Young Elk
Just down the road, a younger male grazes.
“White Rump”
Herd animals, the Wapiti (“White rump” in Shawnee and Cree) graze in small groups in the fading light.
Bunchberry (Cornus canadensis)
Path to Sunwapta Falls
Morning sun peaks through western red cedar and lodgepole pine.
White Waters
The fast-moving Sunwapta River roars along side the path…
Sunwapta Rapids
… crashing over rocks as it rushes downstream…
Sunwapta Falls
… and over the lower falls.
Fairy Slippers (Calypso bulbosa)
Tiny orchids grow on the forest floor.
Tumbled Trees and Tumbling Waters
Bridge over Upper Sunwapta Falls
Upper Sunwapta Falls
White waters roar down in splashing torrents.
Red Paintbrush (Castilleja Miniata)
Everywhere we walked or drove, the meadows and verges were alive with colour.
American Black Bear (Ursus americanus)
Our Canadian friends get pretty blasé about the black bears which can be nuisance around garbages…
American Black Bear (Ursus americanus)
… but I still get excited seeing them in the wild.
Mountain Roads
The roads were pretty quiet ~ although the park seemed to have plenty of European visitors.
Elk / Wapiti (Cervus elaphus)
We were told that elk numbers were diminishing in the park, but we saw many powerful bulls.
Portrait of a Bull Wapiti
This fellow may not be that old: apparently Alberta’s elk mature quickly and three-year-old bulls can sport large racks.
Bighorn Sheep (Ovis canadensis)
I am used to having to scour the mountain ridges to see these animals – never before have I met them on the road!
Portrait: Male Bighorn
Unconcerned by our presence, the sheep walked straight past our car windows. Medicine Lake, Jasper.
Bighorn Family
As we drove back along Medicine Lake in the late afternoon, a family group were scrambling along the slope.
Bighorn Sheep & Car
For some reason, the whole group decided to lick the backend of another car stopped on the road. Our vehicle was of no interest!
Baby Bighorn Sheep
A little one gives up, and crosses back over the roadway.
Encounter with a Bull
A photographer with a large lens shoots photos of a male elk.
Bull Elk
The bull, weighing in at between 320 and 330 kg (710 to 730 lb), stares back.
Beautiful scenery, beautiful flora, beautiful animals…
It’s enough to make you sing!
Happy Travels,
Cold nights in Canada and icy blue winds
The man and the mountains are brothers again
Clear waters are laughing, they sing to the sky
The Rockies are living, they never will die
– John Denver, Rocky Mountain Suite
Pictures: 23-24June2013
