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-   -   ZR-1 Alaskan Adventure Travel Log (http://zr1.net/forum/showthread.php?t=17990)

QB93Z 08-11-2012 01:58 AM

Re: ZR-1 Alaskan Adventure Travel Log
 
The highpoint of the Glacier was the visit to Surprise Glacier. As we approached the glacier, we encountered quite a bit of wildlife.

Here are some sealions basking on some rocks:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/p...e/DSC_0432.jpg

Here are some seals on the rash ice (floating chunks) near the glacier:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/p...e/DSC_0772.jpg

Here are a group of sea otters checking out the boat to make sure we don't get too close to their raft:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/p...e/DSC_0865.jpg

And then we spotted a humpback whale. After several tries, I caught this photo as the whale put on a display right in front of the boat:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/p...e/DSC_0176.jpg

Surprise Glacier was amazing. The front of the ice at the waterline is about half a mile wide. The colors in the ice are amazing:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/p...e/DSC_0798.jpg

Jim

QB93Z 08-11-2012 02:44 AM

Re: ZR-1 Alaskan Adventure Travel Log
 
On Thursday, we left Anchorage and drove up the Glenn Highway to Tok, Alaska. Of all the roads we have driven in Alaska, The Glenn Highway has the most stunning views of the mountains. The highway runs along the north side of the Chugach National Forest which contains the Chugach Mountains:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/p...e/DSC_0716.jpg

http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/p...e/DSC_0973.jpg

About 100 miles north east of Anchorage, Mantuska Glacier is very close to the highway. There are many views of the ice and the Mantuska River:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/p...e/DSC_0816.jpg

We stopped at the Long Rifle Lodge for lunch. Here is the view from the dining room:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/p...e/DSC_0838.jpg

Further up the Glenn Highway, the upper reaches of the Glacier can be scene:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/p...e/DSC_0899.jpg

Along the road, Lyndi got this photo of another Bald Eagle:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/p...e/DSC_0439.jpg

Jim

QB93Z 08-11-2012 03:04 AM

Re: ZR-1 Alaskan Adventure Travel Log
 
On Friday, we left Tok, Alaska and drove east on the Alaska Highway, reversing our route of a week ago. The morning started out could and cloudy. It was 38 degrees when we left Tok:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/p...e/DSC_0557.jpg

Tok is about 80 miles from the Canadian Border, and after 9 days in Alaska, we left for the last time:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/p...e/DSC_0662.jpg

The drive from the Canadian Border to Whitehorse, Yukon starts off with the worst road surface on the Alaska Highway. Other than getting some dirt on the Z, we made the trip with no problems.

We drove past the Kluane Mountains again and as the day got warmer, the sky cleared and the views got better:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/p...e/DSC_0002.jpg

On the other side of Kluane Lake, Lyndi caught this photo of a Bald Eagle landing on a tree top:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/p...e/DSC_0068.jpg

As we approached Whitehorse, we came across one of the most rural post office boxes we have seen. In this shot you can see how dirty the Z got from driving through all of the road construction:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/p...e/DSC_0030.jpg

After many days of seeing one-horse towns on the Alaska Highway, we were surprised by Whitehorse, Yukon. It is a modern, vibrant city that has not lost its pioneer roots. We were very impressed:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/p...e/DSC_0069.jpg

Jim

tomtom72 08-11-2012 06:15 AM

Re: ZR-1 Alaskan Adventure Travel Log
 
Ya know after further review.....I stand by my thought that you two are for sure having way too much fun! =D>

I haven't seen a pit since my friend's first shop and that was back in the late 70's! :-D

Oh those Eagles.....they have tail numbers and have to file flight plans right? :jawdrop:

Kudos on the photography, those guys on the Discovery channel have nothing on you two!:thumbsup:


Thank you both again for letting us "tag" along on your fantastic trip!

:cheers:
Tom

-=Jeff=- 08-11-2012 09:30 AM

Re: ZR-1 Alaskan Adventure Travel Log
 
I always love seeing the Bald Eagle in the Wild. Lst time I was in Northern Wisconsin I saw at least 6-8

Such a great bird to see

scottfab 08-11-2012 10:22 AM

Re: ZR-1 Alaskan Adventure Travel Log
 
Well I am fortunate enough to see a nesting pair of bald eagles in my area almost everyday this time of year but getting a shot like that of a landing is rare. They usually are just beginning their flight here and circling up catching the thermals.

The whale and other pics are outstanding.

So have a safe trip back!
Thank you for the great picture essay. It's like reading an issue of Nation Geographic combined with Road and Track :)

Blue Flame Restorations 08-11-2012 10:50 AM

Re: ZR-1 Alaskan Adventure Travel Log
 
After following along the adventure, I must say that I envy you two love birds. What a time to remember. Most of us will never take the time to do what you have done.

:cheers:

WARP TEN 08-11-2012 10:53 AM

Re: ZR-1 Alaskan Adventure Travel Log
 
Great Pictruers Jim! That photo of the Humpback whale looks like the advertisement for Pacific Life!!! And Lindi's photos of the eagles are also great!. --Bob

QB93Z 08-11-2012 11:24 PM

Re: ZR-1 Alaskan Adventure Travel Log
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by tomtom72 (Post 147414)
.....I haven't seen a pit since my friend's first shop and that was back in the late 70's! :-D

Tom

Tom, the neat thing was that they let me go into the pit and check out the underside of the Z.

It was like a submarine engineroom bilge down there. They had grease lines, drain lines, and who knows what else in there.

Except for the dirt and dust the Z looked good.

Jim

QB93Z 08-11-2012 11:32 PM

Re: ZR-1 Alaskan Adventure Travel Log
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by Dynomite (Post 147430)
......Jim: I think you are taking the same road back to MD but am not sure.

Hi Cliff, We are returning (continuing) our journey on a different route. Today we started south on the Cassiar Highway which runs down the west side of the Canadian Rockies. Tomorrow we will visit Stewart, BC and Hyder, AK. Then we will head east toward Jasper, Alberta to visit Jasper National Park and Banff National Park in the Canadian Rockies.

Jim

QB93Z 08-12-2012 01:39 AM

Re: ZR-1 Alaskan Adventure Travel Log
 
On Saturday, our underway was delayed due to a dead battery. Apparently I bumped the courtesy light switch and they were on overnight. Luckily, my Emergency Road Service works in Canada and I got a service truck to give me a jump start.

We left Whitehorse and headed east on the Alaska Highway. The weather was similar to the last few days, cool in the morning with cloud cover; The landscapes east of Whitehorse are beautiful:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/p...DSC_0068-1.jpg

The were a few more cars and campers on the road today, but we still had the road to ourselves most of the time:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/p...e/DSC_0151.jpg

We turned south onto the Cassiar Highway to head down to the Canadian Rockies. The Cassiar Highway is a lightly traveled route with very few settlements and services. The road surface is excellent, but narrow and unlined:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/p...e/DSC_0237.jpg

We entered an area that was heavily burned by a large forest fire last year. The fire area was very large, and a local resident told us that the Cassiar Highway was closed for 4 months after the fire:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/p...DSC_0268-1.jpg

http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/p...e/DSC_0301.jpg

We came upon an accident scene. The previous afternoon, a camper had driven off the roadway. The man was not injured, but the crew was removing parts of the camper from the lake:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/p...e/DSC_0352.jpg

QB93Z 08-12-2012 01:51 AM

Re: ZR-1 Alaskan Adventure Travel Log
 
After we got rolling again, we entered the Cassiar Mountains and wonderful Alpine landscapes:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/p...e/DSC_0473.jpg

Just before we reached Dease Lake, our destination, we met a black bear on the highway. The bear was on the right shoulder and crossed the road directly in front our car:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/p...e/DSC_0582.jpg

Apparently the vegitation was not as tasty on the left side so the bear crossed in front again:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/p...DSC_0557-1.jpg

He (she?) proceeded along the right shoulder eating the plants:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/p...e/DSC_0711.jpg

We followed along as he went, for about 15 minutes. Lyndi was walking beside the Z with the door open, as I crept forward. The bear was completely uninterested or concerned about us:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/p...e/DSC_0625.jpg

He seemed to like the clover, but we couldn't tell for sure what he was eating:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/p...e/DSC_0675.jpg

Jim

QB93Z 08-12-2012 02:22 AM

Re: ZR-1 Alaskan Adventure Travel Log
 
Thank you to everyone for your kind words and encouragement. I am enjoying writing this travel log because it gives me a chance to reflect of the things we did each day.

In addition to this log, I have been sending updates to Lance Miller's Corvettes at Carlisle Facebook page, Lyndi is posting on her Facebook page, blogging for the Carroll County Times and keeping our friends in city hall updated.

There is a small community of people travelling on the Alaska Highway. We have met many fellow travelers who said they saw the yellow Corvette a few stops back and wanted to meet us.

I met an older couple who told me they had an Aqua 1996 LT4 back home in Michigan. I asked if they knew Robert DeMarco or Joe Thomas and they said that they knew Joe and would say Hi for us when they got home. (I apologize, Joe, that I don't remember their names.)

For anyone thinking about doing a trip like this, GO FOR IT!!! The ZR-1 is a wonderful touring car and the open roads in western Canada and Alaska are made to drive on. We have figured out a lot of tricks that have made our trip enjoyable. I will try to share some of them when I get a chance.

Jim

tomtom72 08-12-2012 05:35 AM

Re: ZR-1 Alaskan Adventure Travel Log
 
Yea, what Cliff said! :thumbsup: This has been almost like being along for the ride! Thanks Jim and Lindi for taking the time to share with all of us.


Jim, for some stuff pits have an advantage, well maybe. It might just be that I'm being 'rose colored' in my memories too! LOL Ya know I still can't get over the traffic density. If that track surface was hot, I'd have just about worn out a set of D3's by now! :mrgreen:

To your point about our Z's serving as great GT cars? JMHO, I think that is their strongest selling point with respect to being "an older generation corvette" by today's standards. I would never contemplate using my 72 LT-1 car, if I still had her, for my trip to BG every year. 14.5 hrs in a LT-1 w/ side pipes is not my idea of how to arrive in an unruffled condition at your destination. The Z makes that trip without beating you up!

You two kids have fun and be safe!
:cheers:
Tom

Paul Workman 08-12-2012 06:11 AM

Re: ZR-1 Alaskan Adventure Travel Log
 
Wow...just...WOW!!!

I've been following along in absolute AWE! What a...ah...I can't find the words to describe it! Ami and I love to travel, and we can't thank you enough for taking us along on this fabulous adventure, and in a Z at that!! I found myself rushing to my computer each day to see the next set of photos. You and Lindi have created an epic saga and we can't thank you enough for "taking us along".

P.

cvette98pacecar 08-12-2012 09:26 AM

Re: ZR-1 Alaskan Adventure Travel Log
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by QB93Z (Post 147524)
After we got rolling again, we entered the Cassiar Mountains and wonderful Alpine landscapes:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/p...e/DSC_0473.jpg

Just before we reached Dease Lake, our destination, we met a black bear on the highway. The bear was on the right shoulder and crossed the road directly in front our car:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/p...e/DSC_0582.jpg

Apparently the vegitation was not as tasty on the left side so the bear crossed in front again:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/p...DSC_0557-1.jpg

He (she?) proceeded along the right shoulder eating the plants:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/p...e/DSC_0711.jpg

We followed along as he went, for about 15 minutes. Lyndi was walking beside the Z with the door open, as I crept forward. The bear was completely uninterested or concerned about us:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/p...e/DSC_0625.jpg

He seemed to like the clover, but we couldn't tell for sure what he was eating:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/p...e/DSC_0675.jpg

Jim

Jim, I am extremely envious of your trip. While in Newfoundland I traveled from Deer Park Northern through Labrador than east to St. Johns and did not see on wild Animal. Have fun, be safe, I will see you in Carlisle.

Scrrem 08-12-2012 09:46 AM

Re: ZR-1 Alaskan Adventure Travel Log
 
Great Pictures Jim!! Nina and I did some horse back riding and canoeing in Whitehorse when we went to Alaska. It's a really great place!!
Rich

gbrtng 08-12-2012 01:41 PM

Re: ZR-1 Alaskan Adventure Travel Log
 
Even a black bear taking a dump - what could be more better?

CJ_ZR1 08-13-2012 06:12 PM

Re: ZR-1 Alaskan Adventure Travel Log
 
Once in a lifetime trip, thanks for sharing and enjoy
:Eagle:

Jagdpanzer 08-13-2012 06:28 PM

Re: ZR-1 Alaskan Adventure Travel Log
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by gbrtng (Post 147586)
Even a black bear taking a dump - what could be more better?

Which begs that famous rhetorical question "Does a bear sh!t in the woods?"

scottfab 08-13-2012 09:50 PM

Re: ZR-1 Alaskan Adventure Travel Log
 
Aww too bad. Looks like a female.

Could have gotten a "Vett Babe" picture with the car.

"Vett Bear Babe" would grab lots of attention!!!!

anyone good with photoshop?

QB93Z 08-13-2012 11:53 PM

Re: ZR-1 Alaskan Adventure Travel Log
 
On Sunday, we left Dease Lake and headed for New Hazelton, BC. Several of the people we met in Alaska suggested that we drive over to Stewart, BC and Hyder, AK on the way to New Hazelton so we modified our plan to do that.

The drive from Dease Lake continued on the Cassiar Highway. There was a little more traffic, seems like more campers and motor homes. The road conditions were good except for a few places where repairs or resurfacing were in progress. These areas caused some delay while traffic could only move in one direction at a time.

The weather was cloudy in the morning but the temperature was nice. We stopped by a stream next to the road:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/p...DSC_0020-1.jpg

The scenery was beautiful. As we proceeded south we started to see the Coastal Range mountains:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/p...e/DSC_0101.jpg

http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/p...e/DSC_0236.jpg

Then all traffic was stopped because of helicopter logging operations. We waited about 45 minutes before we were allowed to pass:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/p...e/DSC_0426.jpg

http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/p...e/DSC_0434.jpg

http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/p...e/DSC_0464.jpg

After we finally got moving again we headed for Stewart.

Jim

QB93Z 08-14-2012 12:33 AM

Re: ZR-1 Alaskan Adventure Travel Log
 
The spur road off the Cassiar Highway that leads to Stewart passes thru the Costal mountain range that forms the western edge of Canada and the pan handle of Alaska. The road follows a glacier fed river and gives access to many glaciers, streams, and waterfalls.

Here a glacier comes all the way down the mountain to the waters edge:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/p...e/DSC_0577.jpg

In this area there are three hanging glaciers. They flow to a drop off high up the mountain:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/p...DSC_0542-1.jpg

On the opposite side of the canyon, facing the sun, here are no visible glaciers, but there are many waterfalls that are probably more than 700-800 feet tall:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/p...e/DSC_0602.jpg

We arrived in Stewart, British Columbia. It is a very small town with a stunning view:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/p...e/DSC_0762.jpg

The really neat thing about Stewart is that west of Stewart is the town of Hyder, Alaska. Hyder is in Alaska, but the only road in or out of town is from Stewart. There is not any US Customs station at the border. You can drive directly from Stewart to Hyder. When you return to Canada, you have to pass through Canadian customs. Hyder is a very small town that looks like it is populated by people who want to be on the edge of civilization:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/p...e/DSC_0728.jpg

Here is the Hyder post office:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/p...e/DSC_0673.jpg

After driving back the same road through the glacial canyon, we drove east to New Hazelton, BC

Jim

QB93Z 08-14-2012 01:48 AM

Re: ZR-1 Alaskan Adventure Travel Log
 
On Monday we left New Hazelton and headed into the Lakes Region of British Columbia. After two weeks in the frontier, we found ourselves back in civilization. The traffic was heavier and there were houses and businesses along the road. Central BC is a an argicultural and logging region. But it is still near the mountains:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/p...e/DSC_0029.jpg

We even sighted another glacier:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/p...e/DSC_0042.jpg

For the first time in a while we saw cleared fields being farmed:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/p...DSC_0115-1.jpg

The logging industry is very active around Prince George, BC. If you need a 2 by 4, there are plenty here:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/p...e/DSC_0310.jpg

We watched this loader unload a truck in one claw full:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/p...e/DSC_0345.jpg

Prince George is a large and busy city:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/p...DSC_0722-1.jpg

Jim

scottfab 08-14-2012 06:10 AM

Re: ZR-1 Alaskan Adventure Travel Log
 
Great pic of the car w/glacier.

mike100 08-14-2012 10:35 AM

Re: ZR-1 Alaskan Adventure Travel Log
 
Makes me feel better about all the dust and grit I picked up this season just driving this car. Also cool equipment pics- A russian helo and a diesel electric log loader- neat.

QB93Z 08-15-2012 01:27 AM

Re: ZR-1 Alaskan Adventure Travel Log
 
On Tuesday, we left Prince George, BC and headed for Jasper, Alberta in the Jasper National Park. As we headed from the plains of British Columbia to the Rocky Mountains of Alberta, we had several hours of heavy rain. Luckly as we climbed up into the mountains, we left the rain behind and were able to do some sightseeing and hiking.

Driving in the rain:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/p...DSC_0038-1.jpg

As we arrived in the town of Jasper, the weather improved and we got to look around:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/p...e/DSC_0172.jpg

We drove out to the Malign River canyon. The canyon which is 150 feet deep at some places was amazing. It was formed when this part of the rockies was covered with a glacier (now long gone) for thousands of years. The melt water was trapped under the glacier and it dissolved the softer sandstone in the rocks under the glacier. This is the same process that forms lots of caves. After the canyon was formed it became the path of the melt water that shaped the walls by erosion. We hiked several mile along the river:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/p...e/DSC_0170.jpg

As we drove up into the mountains to see Malign Lake, the source of the river in the canyon, we drove along Mystery lake:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/p...e/DSC_0091.jpg

On the way up we found this elk grazing on the plants in the woods on the edge of the road. He was a very large animal and his horns were about 4 feet across:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/p...DSC_0023-1.jpg

On the way back down the mountain we found a deer along the road:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/p...DSC_0136-1.jpg

QB93Z 08-15-2012 01:38 AM

Re: ZR-1 Alaskan Adventure Travel Log
 
At the end of the day, we enjoyed a burger and a beer at one of the many bars in Jasper:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/p...e/DSC_0188.jpg

We have been on the road for 22 days and have driven about 6,600 miles. The ZR-1 is running great and there have not been any problems with our schedule or reservations. As we head south through the Canadian Rockies, we have modified our plan a little to add some things that we want to see.

Jim

tomtom72 08-15-2012 05:18 AM

Re: ZR-1 Alaskan Adventure Travel Log
 
I was just looking at the new pictures and thinking the last one will be in the dictionary next to the word "relaxed" or maybe next to "happy". I can't make up my mind which, but you two keep on truckin'! :thumbsup:


Hey Jim, isn't the yellow Z the one you found in the corn field? :mrgreen:

:cheers:
Tom

ZZZZZR1 08-15-2012 09:19 AM

Re: ZR-1 Alaskan Adventure Travel Log
 
22 days and another 7 plus days to go!!!! Your face must hurt
from the permagrins. :-D

Finishing up @ corvettes of Carlisle, Jim you are my hero!

We will have a few cold ones waiting for you. :cheers:

Drive safe

David

oricale 08-15-2012 12:12 PM

Re: ZR-1 Alaskan Adventure Travel Log
 
Outstanding Mission Log!:icon_thum......I will see you at carlisle.:cheers:

GOLDCYLON 08-16-2012 09:33 AM

Re: ZR-1 Alaskan Adventure Travel Log
 
Outstanding post up! I plan on doing this someday Jim. Nothing like driving there in style. GC :cheers:

vilant 08-16-2012 09:27 PM

Re: ZR-1 Alaskan Adventure Travel Log
 
You're travel log is awesome, and I'm jealous. Would love to travel across the country some day. Keep the pics coming, they're great. Enjoy the rest of your trip.:cheers:

QB93Z 08-16-2012 09:37 PM

Re: ZR-1 Alaskan Adventure Travel Log
 
Wednesday night in Lake Louise, our internet connection was blocking uploads so I got behind.

On Wednesday we drove from Jasper, Alberta to Lake Louise. This route is the Ice Fields Parkway through the Canadian Rocky Mountains. It is advertised as one of the more beautiful drives in North America, and we would agree with that.

As we left Jasper we were greeted by three pretty ladies on horses:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/p...e/DSC_0022.jpg

Just a few miles out of town we found this female elk walking down the roadside. She was calling out, and seemed upset about something:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/p...e/DSC_0063.jpg

http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/p...DSC_0046-1.jpg

About an hour south of Jasper we stopped and made a very short hike to Athabasca Falls. The head waters of this river is the Columbia Glacier, 50 miles to the south. The river has carved a deep gorge and these falls are about 30 meters tall. There are excellent hiking trails and overlooks. In this shot, Lyndi is standing in the overlook area to the left of the top of the falls:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/p...e/DSC_0199.jpg

This shot is looking across the gorge. You can see people on a viewing bridge in the upper part of the photo as a measure of the height:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/p...e/DSC_0223.jpg

On the way back to the car, we met a nice couple from Ontario who were having wine and muffins on a picnic table:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/p...e/DSC_0262.jpg

QB93Z 08-16-2012 10:00 PM

Re: ZR-1 Alaskan Adventure Travel Log
 
As we continued south on the Ice Fields Parkway, the clouds burned off and the weather was perfect. Looking to the west the mountians were getting larger and more rugged:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/p...DSC_0291-1.jpg

The Parkway runs down the east side of the two ranges and here is a nice shot looking south of five peaks:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/p...e/DSC_0336.jpg

At one of the many, convenient rest areas along the Parkway, we met this Raven who was content to hold a conversation with Lyndi as long as she didn't get too close:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/p...DSC_0155-1.jpg

This is on of the first glaciers visible when driving south on the Parkway. The shot is looking west, and a nice hanging, horseshoe glacier is visible:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/p...DSC_0515-1.jpg

While I was taking the pictures of the glacier, a hawk circled over the parking area and I got a picture as he was landing in a tree just in front of the Z:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/p...e/DSC_0527.jpg

Here is a nice view of the Athabasca River and some more glaciers to the south west:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/p...e/DSC_0452.jpg

ZZZZZR1 08-16-2012 10:04 PM

Re: ZR-1 Alaskan Adventure Travel Log
 
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/p...e/DSC_0452.jpg

WOW what a picture!!!!!

:salute:

David

QB93Z 08-16-2012 10:29 PM

Re: ZR-1 Alaskan Adventure Travel Log
 
As we continued south on the Parkway, we came to Triangle Falls on the east side of the road. The falls are over 120 feet high are are easily accessible from a nice parking area on the opposite side of the road. I did a north-bound drive-by before we explored the cliffs:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/p...e/DSC_0655.jpg

Lyndi and I took turns climbing up for photos and then we went way up, handed our camera to a couple from Edmunton that we met on their way down and asked them to photograph us from the road. Luckily, they were trustworthy and we got some great pictures and our camera back when we got down off the falls:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/p...e/DSC_0643.jpg

We continued south to the main attraction of the Icefields, the Columbia Icefields. Athabasca Glacier has been retreating for decades and is now accessible by a hiking trail over the terminal moraine:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/p...e/DSC_0793.jpg

Here is the view from the top of the moraine, looking back to the east across the Parkway to the Icefield Centre:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/p...e/DSC_0894.jpg

In the very center of the that photo you can see the ZR-1 parked:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/p...e/DSC_0897.jpg

As we hiked up and over the valley floor and the moraine, the power of the glacier to shape the valley was clearly evident in scratches in the bedrock floor. Another 1/8 mile hike brought us to the toe of the glacier:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/p...e/DSC_0814.jpg

It is very hard to get a good picture of a glacier up close. The surface is very "dirty" with rock chips and dust, so it blends in with the terrain. We were not allowed to cross the melt streams along the front of the ice without a guided tour group. Standing there, looking up at the mass of ice that has shaped that valley for hundreds of thousands of years was awe inspiring.

QB93Z 08-16-2012 11:01 PM

Re: ZR-1 Alaskan Adventure Travel Log
 
About another hour south of the Icefield Centre, the Parkway rises to a high crest and then descends down a switchback to a bridge across a river. The parkway can be seen way in the distance in this beautiful view:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/p...e/DSC_0984.jpg

Here is another nice view of the river and the mountains. The interesting green-blue color of the river is very beautiful and is characteristic of a stream that is glacier-fed. The color comes from the minerals disloved in the water and the very, very fine silt suspended in the water:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/p...DSC_0041-1.jpg

When a glacial stream forms a lake, the color is even more damatic. Here is a shot of Bow Lake:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/p...DSC_0063-1.jpg

In the south, where the Icefields Parkway joins the Trans-Canadian Highway, we turned west into Yoho National Park and drove toward Field to see the Canadian Pacific Railroad's Spiral Tunnels. Completed in 1909, the tunnels solved a problem the railroad had getting trains over the very steep grades at Kicking Horse Pass. By tunneling two mile-long spirals into the mountain, the over-all grade of the route was reduced enough to make rail connections to the west coast economical.
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/p...e/DSC_0120.jpg

Here you can see the two portals (openings) of one of the tunnels. A long freight train will exit the upper portal before the last car goes into the lower portal:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/p...e/DSC_0114.jpg

QB93Z 08-16-2012 11:23 PM

Re: ZR-1 Alaskan Adventure Travel Log
 
We returned to the Icefields Parkway and arrived at the town of Lake Louise:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/p...e/DSC_0135.jpg

Here is the very beautiful and very famous view of Lake Louise, the surrounding mountains and the glacier at the far end. We found the view wonderful, but the crowds of people at the attraction spoiled the thrill. On a busy day, 10,000 visit the lake:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/p...e/DSC_0141.jpg

We decided to drive further up the mountain to see Moraine Lake. We were rewarded with a beautiful drive up a steeper, windier road, surrounded with beautiful mountain views:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/p...DSC_0233-1.jpg

Moraine Lake is a wonderful place:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/p...e/DSC_0302.jpg

The lake is very calm and the resort cabins facing the lake are very beautiful:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/p...e/DSC_0275.jpg

Since I haven't shown a wildlife photo for a while, here is one:
http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/p...e/DSC_0295.jpg

The travel planners for this part of the world make a big deal about how bad the bugs are. We did get a few mosquito bites, but we never had a problem. The Cutter Insect Repellent Spray we used ocassionally worked fine. We learned to not leave the car doors open at night, or the bugs would come in for a take-out meal.

Jim

Tyler Townsley 08-16-2012 11:54 PM

Re: ZR-1 Alaskan Adventure Travel Log
 
Saw you guys today. Friend and I were en route to Jasper and saw you going south, south of Banff. We are in Jasper tonite and out tomorrow.Tyler


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