Rainy Wednesday in Jasper

When we visited Sonoma in October of 2007, we stayed at the Jimtown House adjacent to the Jimtown Store in Healdsburg, California.  It's only fitting then that this time we are staying at an inn on Patricia Street in Jasper.  We couldn't resist getting this photo:

Wednesday has been a rainy day.  It's not a big storm with torrential rains and winds thankfully but just a nice light rain and drizzle.  Unfazed, Colin and I took an early morning drive today to look for wildlife near Patricia Lake and Pyramid Lake just north of Jasper townsite.  A Parks employee was out early this morning as well and he pulled up next to us at one pullout and mentioned that he had just seen a cow moose with her calf next to the lake (Pyramid).  I think he figured out that we were looking for wildlife; we thanked him for the tip and turned around to look for them.  Sure enough, about 50 yards down the road, we spotted the mom and calf trotting in the middle of the road and within 30 seconds they had vanished onto a trail.  VERY COOL!   Colin managed to get one decent photo.

We went back to the inn and picked up Mom and Dad to take them to a cafe a few blocks away.  We had some good coffee, croissants, and bagels, and Colin managed to stuff an entire Cinnamon Sticky Bun into his stomach along with an entire bagel.  Ah, to be young...

After breakfast, Mom rested back at the hotel while Grandpa, Colin and I went for a wildlife drive.  Just as we were headed out of town, I noticed a car stopped by the side of the road and immediately spotted the coyote they must have been watching.  We watched the coyote sneak up after and then sprint to catch its prey.  We think it was a failed attempt.

Here's a photo of Colin standing on Sixth Bridge over the Maligne River.  Yes, that's a fake smile...

While we were driving I noticed these beautiful orange flowers by the side of the road.  It's the western wood lily.  SHWEET!

Here's a brown-eyed Susan:

Later in the day, after lunch we checked out the Jasper Museum.  This was the perfect activity for such a wet day.  Very nicely done, small museum.  The highlight was an exhibit about "Windy" Carr, a Canadian cowpoke who was quite the drawer, photographer, and writer.