Day 8 Valemount to Jasper

"It's good to be Alberta bound " (Gordon Lightfoot)

The Canada's Best Value Inn at Valemount was very suitable for us and we left with our engines well fueled for the day. The first section was along the Rocky Mountain Trench to Tete Jaune Cache. Then we headed eastward on Hy 16 and did our vertical for the day over the ensuing 25 km. By midafternoon we were taking pictures at the Yellowhead Pass sign. We kept crossing the Fraser River almost right up to the Alberta border.

Today we saw more wildlife - a black bear and some elk. In talking with a CN worker we learned that there are lots of bears around but they are mostly by the railway tracks because there are so many grain hopper cars and they leak a bit of grain all along the tracks. 

The main views of the day were the mountains. Everywhere we looked we saw beautiful mountains and had to keep talking pictures. Mount Robson was impressive, but it had lots of competition. 

On arrival in Jasper we looked for one of the chain hotels but didn't find what we thought we needed so we looked at whatever was close to where we were standing. We are staying in a private suite that had a no vacancy sign and a child play out front. After talking with her and her father we ended up being the first clients of the season. Our host knows some faculty at Queens.  The town of Jasper is not as big as I remember; it didn't take us long to walk the entire business section. Everywhere we looked from the town, we saw snow capped mountains.