Grande Prairie

Leaving Jasper and the Canadian Rockies area is not easy. We certainly hope the pictures we have taken will firmly embed the memories of Banff, Lake Louise and Jasper. If anyone reading this blog has ever considered a trip through this place, we would highly recommend it. You will not be disappointed. You know how sometimes the anticipation of a trip or destination is better than the spot? How your daydreaming and anticipation are so strong that the location itself cannot live up to the expectation? I know that has happened to me before, but not in the Canadian Rockies. In fact, it has been far better than either of us could ever have imagined.

Our last night in Jasper found us camping at Wapiti (emphasis on the first syllable) National Campground. Unlike the night before, we obtained a site with electricity and a “clear view of the southern sky” (haven’t seen television for a few days so we will catch up on the Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan, Alberto Gonzales, Michael Vick and Albert Gore III “news”. Lol We had a significant rain about 3:30 in the morning. Since the area has an “extreme” fire danger warning, this is much needed rain.

We stop at the local post office to mail some postcards and a birthday card. The post office is one stop shopping for all mailing needs. They even have a Hallmark card rack for last minute card shopping, “when you care to send the very best”. It costs 99 cents to mail a card first class to the states. Estimated time frame? If we’re lucky, one week. I’ll stop complaining about the U.S. Postal Service.

As they say, all good things must come to an end and so it is true with this portion of our trip. We leave the campground bright and early, first destination Hinton, Alberta. Hinton is a strategically placed town where many folks taking the northern Alberta route to Alaska stop for a night’s rest before heading into British Columbia and the beginning of the Alaskan Highway. We make a stop for a quick and reliable McDonald’s breakfast. In the forty-five miles we travel from Jasper to Hinton, we exit Jasper National Park. This is not without seeing three caribou, one coyote and three deer. We had hoped to see some mountain goats, as there were significant rock formations along the side of the road. The GyPSy system had explained that the goats need the minerals from the rock and so will often graze in these areas. None to be seen this morning. They must have taken their Flintstone vitamins with their breakfast.

We then gassed up the rig and began our trek on Highway 40, the scenic route to the Alaskan Highway. Our final destination for this evening is Grande Prairie, Alberta. This town has the tourist gig nailed down. They encourage you to stop at their tourist information bureau when you enter town to receive free tickets to the Wednesday night Bison Barbecue. The local Rotary Club also offers tours of the town three days a week at no charge. If we stay in town for an extra day, which we may do to prepare for the road ahead, we will certainly take in the barbecue. Not so sure about the tour with the Rotarians. We also read that Grande Prairie is a great place to stock up on food and essentials before we begin the Alaskan Highway. We will also be doing some laundry before we exit the town. Grande Prairie is about 240 miles from Jasper.

Along the way, we will be stopping at a picturesque (go figure) spot, called Grande Cache. It is located on a bend in the Kakwa River. It’s claim to fame? A spectacular waterfall, called Kakwa Falls. We must get a photograph of this natural wonder.

On our way to the falls, we pull into a scenic drive. A rough and twisting road takes us to several viewing areas. Our GPS system (Garmin) keeps repeating, “recalculating, recalculating, recalculating…” Hmmm, looks like they need to acquire these coordinates.

We don’t see any wildlife, but Dennis spots a beaver dam. Better get some shots of t his exquisitely crafted dam. He has sold pictures of other beaver dams he has photographed. This one is a keeper. No beaver to be found, but not necessary. We also see a couple self-register campgrounds deep in the woods. Hope these campers brought their bug spray with them. They had a rainy night last night and probably are drying out their tents this morning. With a temperature of 51 degrees, the campers are surely huddled around their campfires. This could be the end of shorts for short sleeves for us as well.

At last! We arrive in Grande Cache, anxious to find the beautiful waterfall. We locate a tourist information center. This town is known for world-class snowshoe competitions. I think I’ll pass. Upon entering, I ask the $64,000 question: “Where is Kakwa Falls?” I could tell from the pained look on the face of the information person that I might not like the answer she was going to provide. We learn that the only way to get to the falls is a six hour ride on an ATV. The road is nearly impossible to traverse any other way. This isn’t going to work with a 23-foot motor home. Significant disappoint washes over us. Upon returning to the motor home, we examine the photo of the falls depicted in the Alberta Visitor’s Guide. Looks like the photo might have been taken from a helicopter. Unless we sprout wings, we will not be seeing or photographing Kakwa Falls.

One of the nicest things about traveling in a motor home is the ability to get up and move around. With the added feature of a generator, I can even make a pot of coffee while we are tooling down the road. Nice. With overcast weather, some rain and significantly cooler weather, a pot of coffee is in order.

Once leaving Grande Cache, we view a formidable sign: No Services Next 189 km. Gulp. That is 110 miles. What would a person do if they broke down? The road does not have sufficient space to allow for a pull over in many spots. There certainly isn’t any cell phone service in this relatively remote region. We double check our fuel gauge, do a mental check and move ahead.

Not only is this area filled with wildlife. The roadsides are scattered with colorful flowers, most species unknown to us. Obviously, these are species that are hardy and can tolerate difficult winters.

For those of you interested in some geography, as we approach Grande Prairie, Alberta, we are at 54 degrees latitude and 114 degrees longitude. Our home is approximately 42 degrees latitude. Can’t recall the longitude. 12 degrees north in latitude from our home. Wow.

We park the motor home and prepare for British Columbia.