St Lawrence Market, Downtown Toronto

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This is a bit late, but we visited this market back in September, fantastic weather, awesome variety of food, beautiful architecture and not too far from downtown Toronto where I went to later on with Fatimah and Maryam, what joy!  Will hopefully be visiting some more markets during our stay, I believe Kensington Market is in the plans, at least that’s what the girls keep telling me!

St. Lawrence Market is one of two major public markets in Toronto, the other being Kensington Market. It was named the world’s best food market by National Geographic in April 2012

http://www.stlawrencemarket.com/

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British Colombia – River and Jeep Safari…Bears!

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(My solo road trip of western Canada – Saturday 26th September)

I find it difficult to explain how I was feeling driving from Mount Robson to my first ever river and jeep safari where there was a very high chance of seeing bears.  My mind was totally preoccupied, I was nervous, excited, anxious and very focussed on getting to my destination as soon as I could.  Blue River is on Yellow Head Highway Five, halfway between Jasper and Kamloops, as well as halfway between Mt. Robson and Wells Grey Park.

An absolutely fascinating fact is that I was driving towards the only inland temperate rainforest on the planet!!  If time allowed, there was up to 12kms of bear territory to explore.  When turning off the main highway to enter the entrance, you follow a dirt track which crosses over a railway line where I just happened to be at the right time and place to witness a very loud train crossing, you then pass over a small bridge where only one car can pass at a time.  When I arrived at the main building, like a child in a sweet shop, I decided to upgrade my tour from just a river safari to include the jeep safari too after I was told that there was over a 90% chance of seeing bears.  For me this was worth it as it was highly unlikely I would return to this place for a long time, and even if I did, there would be no guarantee of experiencing this with such beautiful weather and with the likelihood so high of seeing bears.

It turned out to be one of the greatest experiences of my life, without a doubt!  What I saw was much more than I expected…

We saw a large black male following a trail along the coast, popping in and out of the water as it sniffed its way along the trail.  It was quite a formidable sight to be honest.  It was very bothered by us as it was focussed on the trail it had found, not sure where it lead.

We then carried on our tour to a couple of different parts of the river but with no luck.  We then journeyed to another part of the river where we approached a large black female with three cubs (unfortunately I did not capture a photo of all three cubs together as one of them quickly climbed up a tree behind its mother, but in one of the photos, you can see the cub in the tree).  Our guide told us that this sight was quite rare.  The cubs were about nine months old and it was quite common that at least one of them would have died by now or the mother would have at least abandoned one of them.  It shows the resilience, love and care of an amazing mother.

Once the river safari was over, there was a short break before I commenced on the jeep safari.   Other than the river, there was a couple and one other guide.  I was given a choice as to where I would like to sit and I chose to stand at the back of the jeep and have a strap tied behind my back which was attached to the jeep railings. The jeep safari blessed me with the opportunity to see a young brown male, who at one point showed who was boss by standing high on its back legs, a beautiful sight. It seemed he could sense something we could not, it was going up and down the hill behind it, and then at one point crossed the road right behind me and very close to me!

Soon after, it became clear what was bothering the young brown male.  A huge black male came around the corner, totally and utterly awesome and exhilarating!!! A truly fantastic few hours of my life which I will cherish forever and not forget!

http://riversafari.com/

http://www.blueriverbc.ca/planning-your-trip/about-blue-river


  


  


  




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British Colombia – Mount Robson

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(My solo road trip of western Canada – Saturday 26th September)

It was time to leave Jasper and head towards my next destination, Kamloops (over 4 hours away), I would be entering British Colombia, which I will tell you know, I have fallen in love with, breath taking landscape and nature.  Along my way I was to pass by the most prominent mountain in the Rocky Mountain range in North America, Mount Robson, it also happens to be the highest point in the Canadian Rockies at 3,954m (12,972ft) wow!  Along this route, it is apparently the most photographed feature and it is the second highest peak in the whole of British Colombia.

I was happy to have been able to visit and see this place as it closes in mid October.  The mountain is ridiculously huge, so huge in fact that you have to be quite fortunate to see it in all it’s glory and majesty…I was not fortunate as the weather was a little overcast and the clouds were veiling its beauty.  However, I saw some sun sneaking through the clouds and decided to be patient and wait.  I waited an hour and the wind picked up and some clouds gave way to offer a glimpse of this truly gorgeous mountain, you can see through the photos how it became slightly visible just after an hour.  There are two photos I took from within the information centre as it shows it in all it’s splendour.  The last photo is just a real cool trailer, maybe one day?

I found out at the information centre that along my way to Kamloops was a bear safari in a place called Blue River and the chance of seeing bears today was over 85%!  This was not part of the plan but I decided to buy the tickets and take this opportunity to see bears…it was bit of a risk as I did not want to drive on any mountain ranges towards Kamloops after sunset, not sure if I was going to be let down, I suppose we will wait and see…

http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/bcparks/explore/parkpgs/mt_robson/

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Robson

  

    


  


  


  
  
  

Jasper National Park: Downtown Jasper

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(My solo road trip of western Canada – Friday 25th September)

Jasper downtown was nice but did not have the character I loved in Banff, much more happening and much more vibrant.  However, there was a different type of character in Jasper, more rugged, more rural, more isolated, more connected with nature.

This is true as far as the wildlife is concerned.  In the largest national park in the Canadian Rockies, it is no wonder you will find elk, caribou, moose, mule deer, white-tailed deer, mountain goats, bighorn sheep, grizzly bears, black bears, coyotes, beavers, Rocky Mountain pikas, hoary marmots, grey wolves, mountain lions, and wolverines!!!  I know I had already seen Elks, but to see some fighting got my adrenaline going, the sound which I could not capture  (as I did not have enough time when I sawe them) was a bit scary but truly wonderful!

My favourite part of  Jasper downtown without a doubt were the trees, they were so amazing, different colour trees side by side on a day where the weather was wet, miserable and overcast made the trees splendour stand out more…

http://www.pc.gc.ca/eng/pn-np/ab/jasper/visit/info-jasper.aspx

  
  
  
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Jasper National Park: Spectacular Maligne Canyon

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(My solo road trip of western Canada – Friday 25th September)

Oh my word, what a stunning place this was, the trip continues to amaze my senses in so many ways and this was no exception, the way it is likely to have been created over time by the melt water is incredible, I mean this dates back to the Ice Age!!  If you have time to read the information posters I took photos of below, you will surely appreciate how fantastic this place is.

It is always exciting to visit a place that is a Heritage site, something that has been deemed so amazing and special that it is protected.  There were six bridges to explore which took you beauty to beauty.  I wasn’t actually planning to spend very long here, the day was already getting tiring, but I ended up doing the longer walk as I was awe inspired by every aspect of this place, as soon as I visited one area, I longed to moved to the next to see what lay in store for me, and every time, I had no words to explain what I was seeing, remember, this is natures art work where you could say the tree trunks are the paint brushes and the water is the paint!

One of my favourite aspects of this canyon were the log jams which you can see in a couple of the photos below, it is so cool that they are submerged under water when the water level rises so cannot be seen, and when the water level drops, the log jams are revealed once again!

After this spectacular place, I drove back towards Jasper downtown where I was staying the night.  I saw more Elks on a a small hill, there were quite a few of them and lots of people stopped on the roadside to take photos, some people with humongous camouflaged lenses!  There was a ranger in his jeep carefully watching the Elks and the public, who after a short while came out with a gun, he basically went up the hill and started shooting in the direction of the Elks which sure enough scared them away.  This really upset so many people who had stopped to see the Elks and take photos and videos of them, apparently he did this to scare them away from the road side and keep the public safe.

http://www.pc.gc.ca/eng/pn-np/ab/jasper/activ/explore-interets/canyon-Maligne.aspx

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maligne_Canyon

http://hikejasper.com/Hiking-Maligne-Canyon-in-Jasper.html


  
  
  
  



  
  


  
  



  
  


  
  


  


  


  

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Jasper National Park: Maligne Lake

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(My solo road trip of western Canada – Friday 25th September)

Although the sun was not out and it was quite overcast, the magnificence of Maligne Lake was quite obvious, a lovely water colour nonetheless, stunning peaks surounding it, low set clouds, there was still some reflections and a lovely setting with the chalet and boat house nearby.  One of the first things I was greeted with was the warning sign about Moose, I would have liked to have seen some, but today was not going to be that day…maybe next time?

I went for a short walk which was pleasant, I was glad I came but it left me wandering how stunning this place would have been if the weather was clearer and if the sun had blessed us with it’s presence, some of the links provided below show this…if the conditions were better, I would have definitely gone on one of the many hikes that are advised around and beyond this lovely lake.

http://www.malignelake.com/

http://www.pc.gc.ca/eng/pn-np/ab/jasper/activ/explore-interets/lac-maligne.aspx

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maligne_Lake


  


  


  


  

Jasper National Park: Drive to Maligne Lake…wow!

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(My solo road trip of western Canada – Friday 25th September)

Never expected to see so many Elks, I suppose the timing was right and I was in the right place, a really good continuation of the day.  I got quite close too which made it more interesting, I have to say the heart was beating a bit.  When I was visiting the Athabasca Glacier, I saw a video of Elks charging at cars and causing some serious damage, I was wise to keep sensible distance and I was always ready to run just in case!

The drive was truly awesome, I had no idea what lay ahead of me and as I said before, the weather really made it for me.  The mountain drive kept me alert, and the view was just spectacular.  The road, the autumnal trees and some of the rocks on the edge of the roads were very nice.  As you can see from these photos, the most fantastic part of this drive was the forest that had been totally obliterated as a result of a devastating forest fire.  I can tell you that this experience was like no other I have had, the smell from the destroyed trees was amazing, like a huge BBQ that has just been put out during camping.  I was left with black marks on my hands and clothes as I brushed through the trees into the forest, it was actually quite sad, I don’t know if you can tell through the photos, but the forest was huge, it just left me imagining what the forest must have gone through as the fire relentlessly ripped through each square km of this land…From all the beauty I saw throughout my trip, there was something very, very special about this devastated forest, the smell, the colours, the story…wow!


  




  


  
  


  
  


  
  
  

Jasper National Park: Lake Edith and Lake Annette

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(My solo road trip of western Canada – Friday 25th September)

I got up this morning and the last thing on my mind was the weather, it has been so beautiful so far that I did not think of checking the weather.  Anyway, I got up this morning and it was pouring down, it was miserable and cold…I was not happy!

I decided not to waste any time and start exploring, I ended up visiting a few lakes, a canyon and finished off with time around Downtonwn Jasper, it was also a very good day for seeing Elks…during rutting season!

I heard about Maligne Lake and Maligne Canyon but passed by a couple of other lakes on the way.  The beauty of these places I am visiting is they highlight different beauty no matter what the weather, these lakes were very nice, but some of the other stuff coming up truly took my breath away because the weather was so different from what I has experienced so far, the fact that the clouds were so low created quite a spooky atmosphere…

https://www.theswimguide.org/beach/366

http://www.todocanada.ca/city/jasper/listing/lake-annette-lake-edith/


  


  
  


  
  

Jasper National Park: Athabasca Falls

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(My solo road trip of western Canada – Thursday 24th September)

I was looking forward to visiting these falls as I read that the rock formations around the area were pretty dramatic, I had decent weather so was happy to be visiting.  Walking around I was struck by the multitude of natures designs in the rocks around the landscape, really fascinating.  In some areas, as you will see, the trees were beautiful and the fact that many trees had fallen, created their own unique tapestry within the woodland area around Athabasca Falls.

One of my favorite places during this visit were the steps that had absolutely amazing rock formations on either side of them, you can see these in the few photos.  The way the water is eroding the rock is truly incredible which is why my second favourite place was where the potholes are, you could easily imagine that a human has created these with her or his hands from clay, the fact is, that these are all unique designs created by the caressing of the water over many, many years.

While walking around, you come across benches which have been placed in certain locations in memory of people who underestimated the rocks and how slippy they could be, and unfortunately fell to their death.  Being in those areas were stark reminders that you really cannot mess with nature and feel you are invincible, caution must be exercised and respect given to natures gift to us, always!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Athabasca_Falls

http://www.albertawow.com/hikes/Athabasca_Falls/Athabasca_Falls.htm.

http://www.todocanada.ca/city/jasper/listing/athabasca-falls-jasper-national-park/

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Jasper National Park: Sunwapta Falls

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(My solo road trip of western Canada – Thursday 24th September)

I loved this place, there were so many aspects of this ladscape that were very cool and original.  For example, the pathways that were interwoven with the roots of the trees was absolutely amazing, no steps needed here, nature was providing its own staircase for the benefit and comfort of its guests…tread with gratitude.  Another thing I really liked about this place was the island of trees that was being caressed by water around its sides  with the magnificence of the mountains in the backdrop.  Although the sound of the water was refreshing and soothing, my favourite aspect of this place was the formation and the setting of the trees and their roots.

http://m.sunwapta.com/

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunwapta_Falls