7/23/17 Even More

It was a day of extremes.

Waking to a rainbow arcing over the mountains, we took it as a fortuitous sign and faced the weather that it brought by putting on a  positive attitude and rain gear. Back to 16 we headed into Jasper, but today we veered off onto 93, The Icefields Parkway. Last year as we headed up to Alaska, I was thrilled to catch a glimpse of any glaciers in the mist and rain that followed us on this road, but today we got a full-on show. 

Even now, I am having trouble describing the emotional impact that this expanse of primitive beauty had on me. My eyes widened at every turn as the impossibility of more grandeur became a reality. To hold all of this within the base humanity that I am is nearly impossible, as my insignificance bore heavily on me. Yet I soared with every peak, reveled in every crevice and joined in the flow of time that made my moment here possible. Yes, I cried again.

Clouds, then sun, then maybe a spritz of rain altered the complexion of the glaciers. As we took each curve, sunlit peaks turned dark and angry then brilliant at the next turn. We rode warm, then cold then wet, never being distracted from the view by changing weather. Some days we cannot escape the rain clouds. Today our early morning rainbow saw us through and we skipped over most of the weather and followed the path of the sun.

Thinking that we had drunk in all the emotional landscape that was possible, we turned down route 11 only to be served another round of immense beauty. For miles we followed the eerily blue North Saskatchewan River fed by the stunning white glaciers that bordered it. A surprise for us, this leg of the journey was meant as a means to get us to the end of our ride, away from hotels crammed with tourists and fire evacuees. But riding out to Rocky Mt. House was the icing on the day. 

Moments after we parked the bike (under cover, thankfully),  a nasty hail storm erupted! So fortunate that we were also under cover, we hugged each other in safety and warmth.

Boots off, wine poured, digesting  all the dramatic scenery of this leg of our journey, we congratulated ourselves on being "extreme"bikers. Not in the sense that we ride dual sport motorcycles up cliffs, jumping ravines and scrabbling through miles of rocky terrain, but because we are extremely gratified by all the experiences we encounter and the joy that our days on the road together bring.


A rainbow graced our wake-up view

First the rain 

Leaving McBride our home for the night 

The Icefields

95 miles of geological wonder

The Columbia Icefield

At every turn

The North Saskatchewan River

Color beyond belief 

Look what just missed us 

In from the hail 

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