On The Road 7 (OTR7) 2014: Days 20-22, Tuesday-Thursdsy, 9/23-25, Whistler Camp, Jasper National Park, Alberta, stay put days

I am writing this on 9/28, a few days behind schedule.

I decided as soon as i got here to stat for four nights here and then two nights at Lake Louise in Banff. This place is too extraordinary to just pass through, even though i have been here three times before, but just passing through.

Tuesday

Awoke at 5:30 to a fantastic symphony of birds calling each other this morning. No symphony i ever attended could match this. You could head the calls of birds rippling through the forest.

The campsite we are in (1L) is simply splendid, set in a forest of pines, a little bubbling brook in our backyard The area i am in is only for tenters, so we are among like-minded people. This is mating season for the elks and we were warned to be on the lookout for a rutting bull who roams the camp looking for challengers, sometimes mistaking a vehicle for another bull. Bears, too, stop by for the occasional visit. To spare the Defender, i store our food in a locker not far away.

Drove the 3km to the small, lovely, picturesque town of Jasper and first visited Scoops and Loops where Erde got her treat of the. See photo. Then went to the fantastic The Other Paw Bakery Cafe for my own treats. If you come to Jasper, you have to try this place. Picked up a vegan somoa for dinner.

This trip has seen many highlights so far, but one stands out among all the others. Last night, Two sites down from us, on the other side of my wonderful and adventurous neighbors Ian and Steph from Winnipeg, i saw a 1971 blue chevy truck pull in, and out climbed a lone man, who promptly set up camp, and then kept to himself, quietly going about his business. As I passed by his site today, i saw that there was this beautiful Leonberger puppy, a large puppy, 12 weeks old, named Shaylee. Erde and Shaylee introduced themselves, and then went about their business. The gentleman, Barry P from nearby Bar Head, as it turns out, is the consummate outdoorsman and dog guardian. He is on a bonding and training mission with Shaylee here. What a wonderful and beautiful dog she is. She challenged Erde only once, when she saw that Erde had a flashing ball she wanted, so i gave it to her, one of three i brought for Erde on the trip. Barry and i talked for quite a bit and discovered a lot of similarities in our outdoor and dog guardian activities, almost to the point where i could finish his sentences, although his experiences are a bit more extreme than mine. We also discovered we had one other sad similarity, we both lost beloved dogs to bone cancer three weeks apart this summer. I am therefore adding Zoewy, his beautiful 8-year old female Leonberger to the dedication page for this trip.

Erde continues to try to better her meal at night, and i usually give in. The most stressful part of the whole trip is getting her to eat her food, which most dogs would kill for. She requires enzymes in her food so anything she eats off if her regular food causes downstream problems, literally.

Wednesday

Took the usual trip into Jasper today and visited our favorite haunts, Scoops and Loops, The Other Paw Bakery Cafe and another great vegan cafe, Coco's Cafe. Thank goodness these are not franchises with outlets back home.

Took a long drive down to Maligne Lake today (see photo), stopping at Medicine Lake, also known as the disappearing lake. (See earlier photo.) The drive there was just splendid, with Autumn putting on her finest display in this heavenly forest. If i knew that heaven was like this, i would raise my annual church contribution. Just driving through scenery like thus expands your mind and clears your thinking.

The rain came down just as i entered the tent for the night. How i love the soothing sound of the rain falling on that tent. That, too, is nourishment for the soul.

I read an interesting paragraph in Proust!'s Remembrances if times Past, which i am attaching. Reminded me somewhat of the purpose of this trip with regard to Leben. I believe that we are made up of the memories of our past and hopes for the future, and that the present is nothing more than a thin line we crossed that turns the latter into the former.

Thursday...

Rain stopped just before dawn, and then the beautiful bird symphony started. I wish i could understand what they are saying to each other.

Accomplished the usual camp chores today, and then went to town to the usual haunts and then off to Maligne Canyon for an impressive display of nature. See photo.

Erde is in her element again in this setting, showing behavior i haven't seen in years. On walks, she tugs on the leash in a way i have not seen since she and Leben were pups, and now i finally know who started it. But her treating ever lake or river as a huge sit-down water bowl is something knew, and so i think she inherited that from Leben. See photo.

The temperature here was just fine, high 30s-low 40s at night, and low 60s during the day. I am back to using my summer sleeping bag, the tent is so warm, esoecially with Erde right next to me. We avoided the real cold and snow i was expecting and secretly hoping for.

Tomorrow we head down to Lake Louise for a few days, just down the road 150 miles through a spectacular display of mountains, lakes, rivers, and fields. One can never tire of this, although Erde sleeps right through all of it until the breaks, then she basks in splendo of new smells everywhere.

Photos...

This is what Erde loves about Jasper most. Priorities are priorities.