Tuesday, July 1

Canada Day! Celebrating their confederation in 1867, it is Canada's equivalent to our Fourth of July . We awoke to a cloudy day, but after all the sunshine we experienced yesterday it was almost welcome. We had scheduled an 11 o'clock boat tour on Maligne Lake, a very long glacial lake southeast of Jasper. They take you about halfway up the lake to Spirit Island, where you can get out, walk around, and take classic Canadian-Rockies pictures. The Maligne River flows, partly underground, northeast to the Athabasca, and shortly before that it created a magnificent canyon in the limestone rock, with beautiful, twisting waterfalls. A trail goes alongside it with six bridges crossing it at scenic points.



Back in Jasper, we drove part way up Pyramid Mountain to check out the lakes up there, and on the way we encountered a bunch of parked cars along the road. That usually indicates a wildlife sighting, and sure enough, there were two male elk with impressive antlers grazing there. We had a late dinner at Andy's bistro, the third excellent restaurant that we have enjoyed here. We are not expecting gourmet food along the Alaska Highway, so we have been splurging in Jasper. And finally the most important event for Canada Day: the fireworks! It stays light so late here at this time of year that they did not begin until 11:15 pm, but they were well worth waiting for. After 2-1/2 weeks in Canada we have very warm feelings toward this country, and we were happy to be here with the Canadians to celebrate their big holiday.