We had explored the Grand Canyon and Salt Lake City in Utah en route from our home in Florida before arriving in Montana.
We drove over into Alberta from Great Falls in Montana on July 1, 2008 ( Day 10). We passed through Calgary and stay overnight in Red Deer. We drove onto Edmonton, Canada's northern most major city the next day and stayed for 5 nights at Alberta Place in a room with full kitchen facilities. The hotel was located in the downtown area so we could conveniently explore the city.
West Edmonton Mall
Beach & Wave Action inside the Mall
It is a mall unlike any Tom, Bruce and I had ever seen. West Edmonton Mall is the largest mall in North America and the 10th largest in the world. It was truly a feast for the senses.
People were lounging on beach chairs while others were swimming in the water churned up with man-made waves ... It was surreal as this part of the mall !!!
Maligne Canyon
The hike on July 7 (Day 16) took several hours but it was well worth the effort as we were rewarded with stunning vistas along the way. There was only one other couple at the bottom of the canyon while we were there. The scenic beauty and solitude was almost magical !!!
Edmonton City
It is Canada's northern most major city and is quite cosmopolitan culturally as it has a very marked Asian influence. It is a clean beautiful city with very varied cuisine.
Pyramid Lake - Jasper National Park
We drove to Pyramid Lake the next morning on July 8 and came upon a
very scenic resort on a turquoise lake with mountains as a backdrop and paddle boats for recreation. We left in the early afternoon to go onto Maligne Lake for our boat excursion.
Maligne Lake & Spirit Island
Spirit Island is a tiny spit of land above water at low tide in the middle of Maligne Lake and is accessible only by boat as Maligne Lake is atop a ring of snow-capped mountains without roads. You get a very surreal feeling as though you have stepped through a time warp.
Mt Edith Cavel
It is hard to describe the stunning vista of Mt Edith Cavel with its hanging Angel Glacier overlooking the turquoise waters of Glacial Lake at its base. The surrounding majestic pine trees shooting up high into the sky only added to the sheer scenic beauty.
Mt Edith Cavel ( Day 18 )
We didn't have our camcorder with us but did manage to record a short snippet with our Kodak camera. I simply love the hue of the glacial waters and wish that our lakes in Florida have a similar look.
You can check out videos of Athabasca Falls and the massive Athabasca Glacier by clicking here. Join us for a virtual tour of the world famous Lake Louise, Johnson Canyon and Moraine Lake.
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