After captivating three days travel on the luxurious Rocky Mountaineer Train (encapsulated in Part 1 & Part 2), you alight at a beautiful small mountain town. This island of civilization in Wilderness, is the Gentle Giant of Canadian Rockies – “Jasper”.
Moment you are out, you are welcomed by unbearable shivering cold. Incidentally, the hotel where you stay for next two nights is situated close to the station and also downtown Jasper.
Later, lying on the bed, facing a large window of your corner room, you are in for some incredible sight. The delightful cloud filled sky and snow-capped mountains ratchets up your excitement. Naturally, you are compelled to be drawn to this mesmerizing beauty.
The axiomatic words that come to your mind at that moment are as such : “Nature holds the key to our aesthetic, intellectual, cognitive and even spiritual”.
E.O Wilson
Motorcycle Sidecar Tour
Following morning after a gastronomic breakfast you prepare to embark on a pre-planned two hour ‘Motorcycle Sidecar Tour’. During this supposedly exciting tour, you expect to reach the famous Lake Maligne passing through some enthralling terrains of Jasper.
‘Rob’, presumably short name for ‘Robert’, reaches with his mini-van to take you to his shop located in downtown. Once there, after you are given few safety orientations, you are made to wear a specially insulated suit. Presumably to protest you from freezing cold during travel.
As you look in the mirror, with this dress on, you smirk finding yourself look like a cow-boy san gun. You proceed nevertheless.
Just as you sit beside Rob on his impressive, well-polished jet black Harvin Davidson Motorbike, he takes off. No sooner he speeds his bike out in the open, the cold breeze gets increasingly intolerable. Overwhelmed by the cold, you begin to shiver, and shiver hard.
Soon, you find yourself on a forty km long scenic road leading towards Lake Maligne. The Athabasca River interestingly keeps flowing along on most of your way.
(Athabasca River originates from Columbia Icefield in Jasper National Park and after traveling for over 1200 km drains itself into Lake Athabasca.)
Braving the cold breeze you wind through the awe inspiring vistas of the Jasper National Park. Here you watch copious tall pines of distinct hue pass by.
Soon, Rob points towards the top of a a rock Mountain. On the top of one of its peaks. you notice a huge Rock having a massive hole in it. According to Rob this hole is so large that a huge truck can easily pass through it.
Further along the Maligne Lake road, on your left you see the scenic Maligne Canyon. Unfortunately, due to the paucity of time, you are compelled to give it a miss. Maligne Canyon presumably is a 50 meters deep limestone canyon that has few impressive waterfalls around it.
Then passing through the secluded conifer forests, you see alpine infected with pine-beetle-viruses. These virus affected trees thus get vulnerable and become easy victims to the wild-fires.
Rosemary’s Rock
A few kms ahead, in the middle of Maligne River, to your right, is the famous Rosemary’s Rock. Rob halts while you arrange your camera you take few pictures of this famous landmark. This stone plausible has earned its moniker ‘Rosemary’sRock’ after it was showcased in the 1953 film “Rose Marie”. This popular Hollywood movie had Howard Keel and Ann Blyth in lead roles.
Incidentally Rosemary Clooney too had climbed this rock once and the beautiful Marilyn Monroe too did the same during the shoot of her 1954 movie ‘River of no Return’.
Moving ahead, you cross huge swathes of eerie dark burnt forest. Sadly, this portion of forest was incinerated due to lightning strike in 2015, that subsequently turned into wild-fire.
After a couple of short halts in-between, you reach this 22 km long scenic Maligne Lake. Maligne Lake is touted to be the largest natural lake in Canadian Rockies. This place is also popular for Whitewater Rafting and Kayaking.
Lake Maligne
Moment you reach the banks of this lake, you are awe struck looking at its vivid aquamarine waters. Nestled within towering mountains and glistening jagged glacier-studded peaks, you are mesmerized watching its grandeur.
Moreover, from the pier you see visitors queued up for a 90 minutes boat ride. This short voyage takes its passengers for a round trip across the picturesque Spirit Island.
By now, you are literally frozen. So you hop into the visitor’s center around. The temperature inside is reasonably controlled thus giving you a much needed respite. An unassuming cafe and a reasonably good gift shop is here too. However, the visitors who have come in seem to be here more to escape cold rather than to buy.
Following cursory look at the display shelf in the gift shop, you find nothing inspiring, so you leave. Once out, you urge Rob to ride you back to your hotel asap.
Downtown Jasper
Perhaps to warm-up your body, you decide to spend little time in your Hotel. Soon you decide to walk the way up-the street to help explore Jasper’s downtown.
Jasper has just two lanes.This small beautiful place is also known as the ‘Gentle Giant Of Canadian Rockies’. On its main road you see Jasper Station on one side and a slew of restaurants lined on the other. Here, in any one of the places you can sit and satiate your hunger with Italian, Indian or Continental cuisines.
Then there are also few gift shops in-between that will allure to come within. Picking-up a souvenir or two can be a good idea.
By now, your stomach is compelling you to draw your attention towards its hungry state. Oh!… time to grab some meal you realize. Looking around, you think of having Pizza to placate your taste buds. So you choose a cozy Italian Restaurant nearby and get seated. Once replenished with requisite energy, you now move on.
Jasper is a haven for the adventurous souls. Being here, you can chose to canoe or raft on the Athabasca River, hike through appealing trails, or even get soaked in the natural hot water spring for complete rejuvenation.
It is a quintessential natural playground that stands up to its reputation. A place that can leave its mark on memory of a true nature lover.
Moreover, on return, you observe few attractive houses built along the way.
On reaching the Hotel you decide to have dinner in one of Hotel’s reputed restaurants; after which you pack your bags once back in the room. Subsequently, the next morning you bid adieu to this sweet little Jasper with memories along.
Like they say : “He who returns from the journey is not the same who had left.”
Chinese Proverb
So in pursuit of sustained happiness, you endeavor to explore the next place in these amazing Rockies; the fabled hamlet in Alberta – ‘Lake Louise’.
There you are; in another bus, to another place……..
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