Day 12: Around Jasper

An Inadvertent Hike

Looking Down on Jasper

Today we hung around the town of Jasper with the aim of hitting a museum, doing some shopping, and taking the "path" around town.  We did all of those, but not exactly in the way we intended.

We began at the Jasper Yellowhead Museum and Archives, drawn in by the sign for a used book sale.

It was a cute little museum.  We particularly enjoyed the exhibit on Bears in Jasper over the years. Before the 1980s, the bears basically shared the town with the humans, feasting on their garbage, from their refrigerators, and from any other human food they could find.  When the town finally standardized on bear-proof dumpsters, the bears began to look for foot elsewhere.  Here's a picture from the exhibit:

Bear Exhibit at Jasper Yellowhead Museum and Archives

After the exhibit I wanted to take the "path" around Jasper.  We had picked up a map from the Information Center earlier, and I thought it would be a paved walkway around the town.  (Bob insists that he knew it was a "hike" but couldn't convince me to give it up.)

We picked up the trail head at the museum, and even though it was a dirt path at this point I was sure it would turn soon-- after all we could see people's back decks from the path.  (I was thinking that walk through Boston with the feet painted on the sidewalk.)

Turns out "path" means rocky dirt trail through the woods with lots of uphill sections.  The whole loop was 8 miles.  About 500 feet in I'd had enough and wanted my sidewalk back.  Unfortunately it took about another mile and a half on the path for an exit out.

On the bright side, it was beautiful up there.  Here is a shot from an overlook on the path/trail. (The main pic on the blog is from the same place.)

Looking down on Jasper, from the top of the trail around town

Bob took this video from the same spot-- it seems the train is following us.  However, they appear to have regulations that force it to proceed slowly and quietly through Jasper.

We finally exited into a parking lot, and then took the city walk I was hoping for back to our hotel. Jasper really is a lovely little town.

After a brief rest and a drink we headed back out for the shopping part of our day.  Keeping with the native stone collection I'm compiling, I purchased an Ammolite necklace.  What is Ammolite you ask?  It is an opal-like organic gemstone found primarily along the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains of North America, that is made of the fossilized shells of ammonites (snail like creatures).

I didn't opt for the very expensive Korite, but picked a pretty silver set pendant from another mine.  It is a lovely shimmery blue and green-- but I couldn't get a good picture.  So, here is a brochure on Ammolite instead:

Ammolite-- Lisa's Latest Gemstone

Gemstone in hand, we headed for a late lunch.  We actually found a very good, authentic Korean restaurant in Jasper (yes really!).  I had Kimchi and the tofu hotpot--and when they say hotpot they really mean it.  Watch this:

This evening we went to the movies-- the latest Planet of the Apes (which I had successfully avoided until now-- Bob's choice).  And came back to the room to eat a takeout dinner and pack up to hit the road tomorrow.

Now for the picture request section of this blog:

For Toni: Little pinecones at the base of trees (This feature was only found at the visitor's center)

LIttle pinecones at the base of trees

For Gene: Sunset in Jasper (BTW-- we are starting to get way longer days now. Sunset in Jasper is just a bit before 10PM.)

Sunset in Jasper

Tomorrow we start our drive North towards Alaska. Until then...

--Lisa