Jasper Park Lodge Golf Club

Wednesday | 15 August 2001 | Jasper National Park: Again, we had a perfect day - the temperature rose to 86 degrees and the sky was cloudless. We stayed home this morning, reading, resting and planning our trip south.

Jasper Park Information Center in Jasper Townsite

In the afternoon, we went into town to visit the Information Center and the post office and then headed a few miles north of town to see Lakes Edith and Lake Annette. (There are over 60 lakes within 12 miles of Jasper Townsite and over 800 lakes and ponds in the National Park!) Both of these lakes are popular swimming and picnicking spots - and were very busy in the hot weather. The water is turquoise blue - like a little piece of the Caribbean Sea in the Canadian Rockies! After this diversion, we went to Jasper Park Lodge and our tee time.

You know it is going to be an interesting afternoon when the starter, while giving you the little "lecture" before teeing off, mentions not only the location of the washrooms and snack shacks, but also "there is a male black bear on 10 and about 40 minutes ago a mother and cub were spotted crossing from 11 to 13". She actually said, "If you hit near an animal, you can take a free drop". Duh. We were not paired with another two-some, though players were stacked up and it ended up taking 5 hours to play - until 9:00 pm. Jasper Park Lodge Golf Club is beautiful, long and wide-open. The 14th and 15th holes are along Lac Beauvert (pronounced bow-VAIR - it is French for "beautiful green lake". The French really a have a way with words, don't they?) DT played well - shooting 80-ish. I had a higher score.

DT tees off on 14


Later on the same hole, I play over the geese

We never did see a bear. We saw many big elk tracks across the 12th green. The only animals we saw were ravens and geese. We see Canadian Geese nearly every day at home - especially on golf courses - but it is always nice to see Canadian Geese in Canada. The geese improved my game - I was so afraid of hitting them, my shots were on the mark and over their heads on both goose-filled holes. Here is a shot looking back at 14 (from the tee box on 15) to Mt. Edith Cavell:

Mt. Edith Cavell

Edith Cavell was a nurse executed in Brussels after World War I for allegedly aiding the Allied prisoners to escape. Her mountain is magnificent and very popular with mountaineers - it also hosts dramatic glaciers. Mt. Edith Cavell can see be seen from Jasper Townsite.

Luckily, I had dinner ready to go, as we didn't get home until around 9:30 pm. Driving into our campsite, we had to stop for a Wapiti (elk) and her little baby - I bet the fawn didn't weigh 50 pounds. Dinner was very satisfying - tofu in a ginger-sesame sauce with mushrooms and green onions over rice, and a cold cucumber salad. We are tired!

Campground: Whistlers