Having slept in on the wonderful Fairmont bed, we packed up and headed for breakfast about 10:30 AM in the Poppy room. At $56 for breakfast, we decided that tomorrow in Jasper we would head to town for breakfast, rather than pay Fairmont breakfast prices. After stopping for 94 octane gas, we headed up the Icefields parkway to Jasper. We had intended on stopping at the Athabasca glacier for the ride on the "bus" on the glacier, but we were not impressed with the glacier, after having been to Norway and Alaska and walked on much bigger glaciers. We hear it has decreased in size immensely over the part 15 years (an article in the local newspaper talked about it disappearing in the next 50 years ) A few people went on the ride and thoroughly enjoyed it. I can't believe that having buses drive over it can help save it. I doubt in the US, it would be allowed.
We arrived at the Fairmont Jasper Lodge at 4 PM, only to find the rooms not ready yet. A complimentary drink, a few words with the head housekeeper, and our rooms were ready by 4:30 PM rather than the 5:30 they first told us. That is unacceptable for a high caliber hotel to not have rooms ready by at least 4 PM. It is a very spread out hotel with bungalows of a few rooms stretched out over a lot of acreage. A lad on a bicycle lead us to our room and helped with the bags. Arrangements had been made to park our cars in the staff parking lot, so there is a lot of calling for the golf cart to move us about, or walking a lot.
As it was my birthday, and my dinner was at the Jasper Brewing Company, we called cabs for the 4 mile drive to town. Everything was set up as requested. We had a delicious, although noisy, dinner with several Happy Birthdays sung.
Tales of bear sightings including watching a bear devour a tourists picnic we shared (pictures coming). 14 of us crammed into the cab van to return home with laughter all the way. Linda called us shortly to say that Ken and Pats daughter had had her baby daughter, Phaedra, just a bit ago, on my birthday. I had predicted that when first told of the due date which was several days earlier. We are wondering if Pat loosened up that filter so she wouldn't miss her grandchild's birth? They intend on meeting us Sunday in Quesnel, if they can tear themselves away from the new baby.
Tomorrow is another "lie in" day, and opportunity to see more of the Jasper area. Linda wants to shop, and of course, it is again laundry time.
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