Glacier National Park got it’s name not because it’s covered with Glaciers but because it was formed by glacial activity. It’s a small but truly striking park offering lots of hiking (front and backcountry). The east/west road that bisects the park is well worth the visit.
We stopped through Calgary in hopes that I would be able to renew by passport (no dice). Trying to save some money, we slept at a campground outside of the city. Our campsite included a manicured lawn and shrubs. It truly felt like we moved into the burbs temporarily.
We walked around the city a bit. It was sad to see the olympic flame from the ’88 Calgary winter olympics sitting off in a corner of city hall all but forgotten.
The picture of the elk was taken seconds before he charged the truck. My window was down. We were trying to get past the line of tourists parked outside of Jasper, AB. It was rutting season. As we tried to sneak past, this bull was not having it. He started to charged, kicked up a bunch of gravel, but luckily stopped before he rammed the truck. My takeaway – don’t mess with a bull elk when he’s trying to get some.
In general though, Alberta and the National Parks around Jasper and Banff are well worth the visit. When I think about Canada, I tend to focus on the coasts (BC, Ontario, Quebec, and the Maritimes). I was honestly blown away with what Alberta has to offer in terms of outdoors activities. Keep your distance from the animals though.
We hopped on the Alaska Highway in Yukon and drove it into British Colombia. The Alaska Highway was built during World War II to connect the contiguous US to Alaska. On the highway George and I experienced our first deep freeze of the tent, saw plenty of wildlife, toured through a signpost forest, and took a dip in some hot springs.
