Summary
Leaving the Metterra hotel, as we hurried through breakfast, eager to hit the road early, I remembered something we’d missed out on the entire time we stayed there – Happy hour.
And no, not the kind of happy hour where the drinks are half-price – it’s the kind where the drinks are free! I suddenly remembered the lady at the reception telling us about this and usually this would be one of my favourite parts of the day but between the stunning Ice Castles, running around different amazing restaurants and walking over frozen lakes, I totally forgot all about the free wine. Darn!
Anyhoooo, Jasper was calling and I was particularly excited as this would be the first time I would get to visit one of Canada’s stunning national parks.
Journey to Jasper National Park
Once we were out of Edmonton, the drive to Jasper was fairly uneventful – the roads are straight and the journey easy. Close to Jasper, however, with its magnificent jagged mountains in sight, the excitement really starts to kick in!
Visiting Pyramid Lake
There’s no way to do the drive into the park without stopping for photos! The scenery here is absolutely incredible and a fantastic taster of things to come.
This is what the rugged Canadian outdoors is all about and winter adds that extra special touch (though I imagine summer, with all its greenery is pretty special too). I asked someone what one of the nicest things about living in Canada was and they said it was having clear and distinct seasons – winter that are truly cold, long hot summers, deep rich orange autumns… you get my drift.
Exploring Jasper’s Natural Beauty
We hurriedly chucked out stuff into the rooms and went off in search of more of what Jasper had to offer. We were originally due to do a canyon walk that afternoon but moved it to the next day so the rest of the day was pretty free.
Dining at Evil Dave’s Grill
This made for a perfect ending to our day filled with exploration. What’s more, Evil Dave’s is a popular local favourite offering exquisite food. The cocktails here are pretty great too, making it an ideal stop after a day of exploring Jasper.
We started with some oh-so-delicious skewered prawns and calamari… (which totally reminded me of how hungry I was).
Dessert was a sundae for myself and an ice cream sandwich for Lloyd.
Conclusion
Stuffed and truly content, we headed back to the Crimson and I decided to call it an early night as tomorrow, we would have to be up bright and early for a day filled with some of the best of Jasper!
