Today, we checked out of Jasper to retrace our route to Canmore.  We thought it would be good to see the scenery from the opposite direction and we would be able to have a closer look at some of the sights that there hadn't been time for before. 

We started by visiting some more of Jasper's beautiful lakes.  We were very impressed with Annette Lake and Lake Edith where we saw the most amazing reflections.  Then, we drove around the Jasper Park Lodge which is another Fairmont Hotel.  We took photos of the numerous Cow Elk which were grazing in the grounds.

Back on the Parkway, we stopped at Athabasca Falls where there was a massive flow of water from the melting snow.  Next, we stopped at the Sunwapta Falls road house for lunch.  Back at these Columbia Icefield, we found a road that took us to the toe of the Athabasca Glacier which is receding at an alarming rate... This was evidenced by a marker showing where the Glacier had reached in 1925.

At our next stop to look at a viewpoint, we were approached by a young Spanish guy who was quite distressed.  He had ridden quite some miles on his pushbike from the resort where he worked and was stuck with a flat tire.  His English wasn't too good and he had been pleading for a lift back with anyone who stopped at the lookout.  Eventually, I weakened and offered to drive him as it was on our way.  I thought I had reached agreement that he would leave the bike behind as we had no room in the car.  But when he eagerly started to disassemble his bike it became clear that he still thought it was coming too.  So I had to knock him back which disappointed him immensely.

We carried on through Banff and stayed the night  in Canmore art the Rocky Mountain Inn.  I did a bit of shopping at a large supermarket and was surprised to find Tim Tams there which felt quite homey.  We ate at a Chinese restaurant.