10 June - Edmonton to Clearwater - Day 37 of TCE

Perched on the banks of the North Saskatchewan River, the capital of Alberta Province, Edmonton is a staging point for oil projects in Alberta and vast diamond mining operations in the Northwest Territories. In that sense the city is truly the “Gateway to the North”, as it is commonly referred to. It is also nicknamed “Canada’s Festival City” for the numerous festivals the city hosts all the year round. The Ramada Hotel had been comfortable and centrally located. Being on the TCH it was an easy time navigating to the route that would take me to Clearwater.

If I had been told early in my life that the path to Haven was at least half as scenic as the one from Edmonton to Clearwater I may have led a life with at least half the transgressions or even less! I know it is a bit too late in the day to even think about it; life is far too gone. Understandably, the route would have been more picturesque in the winter months, but the Rockies with snow still on them and crystal clear lakes reflecting their awesomeness and beauty at every turn of the road was a paradisiacal encounter.

Driving through the Jasper National Park on the Yellowhead Highway, where I had been on the Icefields Parkway and Athabasca glacier visit during my stay in Banff, was a gorgeous experience. It is the largest National Park in the Canadian Rockies and has diverse attractions such as glaciers, hot springs, lakes, waterfalls and mountains. Signboards warn people from getting off their vehicles as they are likely to encounter animals that may not be too friendly. A pack of reindeer were harassed by a large group of tourists till a warden landed up to lay down the rules! Suffice to say that the majority of tourists on the route seemed to be Chinese and Indians, who either don't read what is written or conveniently ignore it.

Clearwater had not been the originally intended night halt. Not having found an affordable place to stay in Jasper I redrew the plans and located the Country Inn on the TCH. Owned by Sheikh Rashid, who has resettled here from Pakistan, the prized property has an RV Park, rooms and a restaurant, that was yet to open. He told me that the place would be choc-a-bloc in a few days. He suggested a drive to a few falls on the road to the Clearwater Lake. I was skeptical of the suggestion because he had said it with such nonchalance, perhaps to get rid of a buttonholing bore, I presumed.

But, what a couple of hours it turned out to be. The Wells Gray Provincial Park is a unique ecosystem in Canada. Located in British Columbia, it has more than 20 volcanic features, 200 plus lakes, over 40 waterfalls, 1.3 million acres of wilderness, a temperate rain forest, home to Myrtle Lake North America' largest paddle only lake, where bear and moose sightings are common. Despite the steady drizzle I drove to three falls located within the park that could be accessed by car.

The first was the Spahats Falls, taller than the Niagara at 73 metres. All these falls have been formed from tectonic shifts, settlement of lava and glacier action over millions of years. Dawson Falls is known as little Niagara, on the Murtle River. The falls has four tiers and with the River in full flow with glacial melt, the sight was awesome. The Helmcken Falls was the star of the evening, though. The 460 feet waterfall is a sight that feasts the eyes. The fall is within a spherical gorge that keeps the spray in a circular motion. With a double rainbow the views turned magical.

When I was driving back to the Inn I was witness to one of the brightest rainbows I have ever seen. All the colours could be distinctly seen. Dinner was at Hop 'N Hog, a boutique eatery. Full to capacity and overflowing, I devoured a delectable burger with pulled pork and beef while sipping on a peg of Captain Morgan spiced rum. What I expected to be a plain Jane overnight halt turned out to be a guided tour of the bounty of Nature.