On the road to Jasper

This morning, we left Edmonton under the rain and the cold, and we headed to Jasper’s National Park. We decided to take the back road to avoid Edmonton and his vicinity…It’s a city way too big for us!!
After almost 4 hours of driving, we stopped in this city called Hinton to fill up our tank and get a map from Jasper and what to see on the road. Then, again on the way to the entrance of the National Park. We decided to visit Pocahontas Falls, and this one was the wrong decision as we got a flat tire! So I had to find somewhere to find a garage which was opened on a Saturday afternoon at 3: 30 PM (a lot of them are closed). Still, I was lucky as a nice woman who gave me a phone number, and an address in Hinton ( we learned that we went to the wrong address where again another woman helped us find the right place) and they were opened until 5 PM! So we drove for half an hour backward to see the garage, and we were so closed to get by that we got stopped by a train (it’s not a bad thing, but when the wagons of it are more than 180, you become crazy because you know that the garage is going to close!!!!). Finally, we did it, and in 15 minutes even less, it was done with less than $30 to pay!
We went back to the park and Jasper, and we made many stops, and I saw this crazy blue water for the first time! It’s so beautiful! We drove near the Athabasca River, where I put my feet inside (as usual), but I was not ready to swim (I will probably do that tomorrow!). We made a stop to see where was initially built Jasper Houseand we made a little hike (we need to buy some bear spray just in case). Jasper House was part of the fur trade network that stretched across North America during the 19th century. From 1829 to 1884, this small post provided food and transportation for people traveling through the Athabasca and Yellowhead passes. Today Yellowhead Pass is a significant transportation corridor while Athabasca Pass remains a remote backcountry route. The Athabasca River was essential for Aboriginal peoples, fur traders, travelers, and missionaries during the 19th century. Its use in Jasper National Park as a travel route for fishing, hunting, and goods’ movement has secured its designation as a Canadian Heritage River.
We made a stop to see the Pyramid Mountain viewpoint and the Talbot Lake.
We went to the 5th bridge, where you have the beginning of Maligne Canyon. Then we drove to Medicine Lake who is supposed to have magic powers and some healing properties! The place is so peaceful, calm, and amazingly beautiful!
Finally, we got back to our hotel, and we tried to find a place to eat! Due to the COVID, we have to wear a mask even outside in Jasper’s streets, and everyone in the downtown had one.