Day 13 – Banff National Park to Jasper National Park with a stop at the Columbia Icefield Skywalk
(because its waters end up in three separate oceans)
Day 14 – Jasper National Park and Jasper, AB, Canada
We headed out to see Jasper National Park. Though one of the smaller ones we’ve seen so far, it did not disappoint.
Day 15 – Jasper to Edmonton with a stop at Emerald Pond
…not to be confused with Emerald Lake, as we found out. But the green water was very pretty and worth a stop.
After setting up camp and having dinner, he and I went out in Edmonton, but it was a slow night for the holiday weekend so it was a little hum drum. We did find a 24-hour Tim Horton’s though! Late night Timbits!
Day 16 – Edmonton
Surprisingly, Edmonton is a big city (nearly a million people), second only to Calgary (1.4 million) in Alberta. After our friends finished a conference call, our four+some headed to The Giant Mall™ in the city. West Edmonton Mall is the sixth largest in the world and the largest in the Americas. According to the interwebs, it has the “largest indoor amusement park in the world, the largest indoor waterpark in the world and Ice Palace (a scaled down version of a NHL regulation sized ice rink, so not the largest in the world). Other attractions include an 18-hole miniature golf course, a movie theater and a bowling alley.” and “At 5.3 million square feet, the Mall is the size of a small city and is accredited as a zoo. West Edmonton Mall is home to more than 800 stores and services including twelve world-class attractions, two hotels, over 100 dining venues, the widest variety of one-of-a-kind retailers, and entertainment for all ages.” It also had a wedding chapel, a convention center, and zip lines over the water park, and a (crappy, from what we saw) casino where we encountered the only rude employee who fretted over our friend’s legit service dog.
The mall did not disappoint. There were entire sections devoted to affordable stuff, bridal stuff, sports stuff, and high-end stuff. We had outstanding customer service at every point. The whole place was clean despite being so very crowded. In one of the food courts, there were at least a couple of people who did nothing but run a large dust mop up and down every aisle and around every table.
We didn’t need stuff, really. We were there more for the spectacle of it all. Between us, we bought a few little things. I made sure to wander through Tiffany to peer at the baubles. They were kind as always, and it made me want to tell our friends of my lovely Baccarat experiences. I will own one of each one of these days, no matter how tiny.
After the mall, we went to an overlook of the river through the city. On the way, we say this crazy metallic car. We also stumbled upon the convention center where there was a wedding so big that people waited in line to get in.
the metallic effect on this car
Our friends needed to head back, but we were not done. So, we headed to a local restaurant and bar for dinner, some drinks, and a bit of fun. I had to laugh at this salad on the menu.
We had a wonderful server–with perfect French braids of long blonde hair–so we asked about the local fireworks for Canada Day and got the scoop on where to go to see them.
Day 17 – Happy Canada Day!
Our trip is fantabulous so far. Our friends are good travel companions and our fun is almost more than I can keep up with on this little blog that is more for us than for anyone else.
We ran a few errands, went to dinner with our camping buddies, and then dropped them off before the fireworks show in the small town near our campground. It was all of 12 minutes long. So cute.
and we heard the spoons are pucks
* The word “inukshuk” means “in the likeness of a human.” For generations, Inuit have been creating these impressive stone markers on the vast Arctic landscape. Inukshuks serve several functions, including guiding travellers, warning of danger, assisting hunters and marking places of reverence.