Jasper Park Lodge

 Friday, August 29, 2025

Our accomodations are lovely - probably the biggest room we’ve had so far. Very quiet and beautiful view of the lake. Off to breakfast as per the daily routine. A cold is coming on for me 🫩 working to fight it off with gargling and using tylenol cold and sinus.

After breakfast, we took part in an informal photography lesson with our iPhones/Samsung. Learned a number of things about my phone including how to erase people/things from my pictures; how to turn on the gridlines for framing pictures along with the leveling icon. How to brighten up and/or darken your subject. I’ve been using this knowledge going forward. Always wanting to learn more about technology. 

Then, off to experience the eucalyptus steam room, thinking it couldn’t hurt with the congestion. Spent about 20 minutes there with Pat, and it was refreshing. 

We had an early, light lunch so we would be ready for our white water rafting the Athabasca river. Pick up was from the hotel - another couple on our trip was participating as well. Of course, a third couple was late. Finally on our way to the main meeting place - transfer to a school bus and wait again for people who are late. I find this frustrating that people don’t read the meet up times and respect them. I realized then we were probably not making our group art reception at 6pm at the lodge. All told, I think we ran 30-45 minutes late on this event.

But it was fun. Finally reached the site where we would put in. There were 4 rafts total and we were divided among them; although they didn’t really divvy us up too well - more on that later.

Once dressed in wet suit, booties, and life jacket, and after the safety talk, down we walked to the river to get in the boats and be on our way. Our raft had 8 of us, including the guide. Two of us would not paddle, which ended being me and another lady. I got put in the front, between two large men (annoying and smelly). Ed was two rows back. Off we went. Beautiful river and no more than class 2 rapids, but sitting in the front, I got nice and wet. Now the water temp is 37 degrees fahrenheit but it is so hot outside that this did not feel cold - or rather, the cold shock did not last. It was refreshing. A few rapids here and there followed by areas of easy floating. 

Lots of forest fire devastation along the river - it only happened in 2024 and will take well over 50 years for the trees to return to what they once were.

Halfway down our route we had to pull over on a sandbank and remove two of our paddlers to another raft, which had only received 4 paddlers. No wonder we felt crowded. I then got to move back one seat and sit on the edge. Still no paddle for me until later on, when Ed needed to stretch out his legs (cramped up). I took over his paddling.

Overall, yeah, it was fun - but probably would have been better with friends and family. And in the pictures I look silly just sitting there and not helping out.

Back to the hotel by 6:45pm; showered and changed and back to dinner with Carol and Patty. The sisters traveling together. Fun night - lots of food - off to bed as we leave in the morning for Banff.

see ya later..

Betsy