I love day trips...road trips...mental trips...international trips...national trips...dream trips...I LOVE TRAVELING! Day tripping is no exception. I suppose the Beatles song "Day Tripper" might come along side the idea of my day-tripping, except that's actually not what the song was about. So my version of day tripping is just that. It's a trip you take within a day and it is necessary for a healthy mental state, in my opinion. I take several day trips a year, sometimes with my husband or with a friend(s), but often times by myself to have some quiet time and think outloud. Last year, I counted 28 day trips! 2010's first day-trip would prove just as interesting as any other. This particular day trip would be a 3 hour drive to Jasper National Park, Alberta and it would be taken by my mom, my cousin and, of course, myself (for more info on Jasper, check out the Jasper Journal ). We decided we would leave around 8:00 am knowing that if we said 8:00 am we would at least be on the road no later than 9:00 am (Nason's are a lot of wonderful things...punctual isn't often one of them). So we loaded up into Luther's VW Jetta and headed west on the Yellowhead Hwy to Jasper. It was a slightly overcast day and by slightly I mean the fog was so thick you couldn't see 20 meters ahead of you. There had already been a couple of accidents on the Yellowhead (very typical) that morning, so we took our time getting out of the city. FYI - someone could make a TON of money if they opened a Tim Hortons somewhere between Stoney Plain and Edson...as Lu quickly discovered...there isn't one! I had promised Lu there was indeed a TH in Edson as we had stopped there last year on our way to Jasper with my aunts who had been visiting. I was told that if there wasn't a TH, I would be "allowed" to exit the car and walk back to Edmonton. Luckily, my memory served me correctly and we all stopped into TH for some tea, coffee and a necessary "p break". Lovely. We didn't tarry long and were continuing on our way to Jasper within about 10 minutes of stopping. The drive up was gorgeous! Overcast but the trees were all frosted with snow and it was just so beautiful and romantic...well, romantic in the sense that if you had been in a horse drawn sleigh or settled into a cozy cabin somewhere with someone of fancy it would have been the perfect setting! I was nervous that Lu wouldn't be able to get any of the pictures he was hoping for of the mountains due to the cloud coverage, but wouldn't you know it, as soon as we entered the park, the skies cleared and we could see the snow covered mountain tops all around us and sparkling in the sunlight! God is good! I go to the mountains about 3-4 times a year but everytime I see them, I am just as amazed as the time before. Their beauty and natural majesty never cease to thrill me to my very tips. We stopped here and there along the road to get some pictures and then made our way to Jasper Park Lodge - one of my favorite stops in Jasper. It is owned by the Fairmont group, but it is quite old and oh-so quaint. I love it. The log cabins on the lake, the beautiful lamp posts, the fact that it is cuddled down right in between the beautiful Canadian Rockies...what more could a girl ask for! This was Lu's first time into Jasper and so he was really enjoying everything as well. We walked about the grounds for a bit and then headed into the Jasper township. We had some lunch, snapped more pics, and then got back in the car to head back to Edmonton. Three hours driving plus three hours sightseeing plus another three hours driving equals...day tripping...wonderful day tripping. Such a great day! Here are some pictures from day tripping to Jasper. Enjoy!
Skies clear as we drive into Jasper National Park...
Driving to Jasper
First view of the glorious Rocky Mountains...
Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge...
A view across the frozen lake...
My two day-tripping travel companions...
Lu and I...
My beautiful momma and me...
The consummate day-tripper...
The lamp post I found where I pretended I was in Narnia...
Caribou in the park...
The caribou's view...
As sure-footed as a mountain goat...so sweet these creatures...
Nice pictures and post! Yes, it is a long drive from Edmonton to Jasper, but the drive is worth it.
I've been to that Tim Horton's in Edson, a good place to get a large coffee to stay awake during the flat section of Highway 16 that seems to go on forever.
http://jasperjournal.com
Posted by: Jasperjournal | Sunday, 31 January 2010 at 09:24 AM
You are so right! That section does seem to go on and on...and on. A coffee from Edmonton to Edson would make it bearable and a coffee from Edson to Jasper would then just be enjoyable instead of beyond necessary! It is so worth it though. Jasper is raw beauty and perfect calm! Thanks for the comment!
Posted by: J | Sunday, 31 January 2010 at 11:44 AM
If the money is in the hands of you, you don't want to this fetish grace, Because the sage once such instruction: hardworking than gold.Do you think so?
Posted by: Asics shoes | Saturday, 18 September 2010 at 12:48 AM
Ah yes, but other sages have said thusly..."I would rather be rich in experience than rich in gold" and "Success should never be measured by a person's wallet" and yet other sages have said "You can't take it with you"...I tend to follow this kind of advice. But to each his own.
Posted by: j | Wednesday, 22 September 2010 at 08:15 AM