Friday in Alberta, Canada

This morning we left Grande Prairie, went through Grande Cache and on down to Hinton, near Jasper National Park. We saw almost a dozen deers on the roadside, but they are so fast that I got only one picture of one and he was too far away to see good in the picture. Then we did see one moose as he ran into the woods as we passed. The countryside was pretty, rolling hills, and some pretty high mountains to climb as we got farther south toward Hinton. The rain began about noon, not hard, but continuous. This was enough to make the driving harder on Gil and he was very tired by the time we reached Hinton. Hinton is called the "Gateway to the Rockies" here in Canada. It has only one campground with hookups, so we will stay there tonight, then go into the Jasper National Park in the morning. We are hoping and praying for the rain and clouds to lift so we have a nice view of the glaciers and mountains tomorrow. There is a tram that we can ride up into the mountain side to see the glaciers and views, but rain and/or clouds will make that tram ride very unsuccessful (not to mention a waste of about $100 for us four). There is a charge to get into the park, $19 per day, and also camping fees on top of that. When Gil and I were here 27 years ago (in a tent with Ed) there was no charge to go into the park, and camping was very reasonable. Things sure have changed since that time. The views have not changed, even if some of the glaciers have receded. Pictures of Lake Louise (south in Banff National Park) show that the glacier there has receded a lot because we remember that glacier well. We will go from Jasper Park right into Banff Park to see the towns of Banff and Lake Louise. So, until we get free WiFi again, this is all. This is such a nice library here at Hinton, and while I update the blog and check e-mail, Suzanne is reading a book she found and Mitch is off some place playing one of his Ipod games. I know Gil is enjoying his nap in the RV in the parking lot!