Part II: athabasca glacier

we have to go thru banff park to get to jasper and, since we missed johnston canyon the last time around, our first stop is here:

of course rob has to pull some prank or other

(yes, that's fierce on the cliff face on the right)

there's always something to see out the window as we drive along - be it a mountain view, glacier, widlife....  the very fact that cars are pulled over is an early warning system.  hmm, what is it this time?

i think this is peyto lake? it's hard to keep track of the many scenic points on the icefields parkway

look down on that road - it's a crazy, scary drive that wraps around and around the mountain and i can't believe we did it.
my mom would have flipped out
 

  

at the columbia icefield centre we first board a bus...
 
then a truck called an ice explorer...

and then we step foot on the athabasca glacier itself
 









(and if you're rob, you take the 'stepping foot' part a little too literally)
 

the glacier is huge - as big as vancouver - and has it's own climate.

the meltwater from this icefield keeps canada's river's flowing, even during a drought

after listening to the tour guide's advice on which ice is safe, and which is not - the children turn their newfound knowledge into mischief...
and kick in a patch of dangerous, slushy ice
 






5 minutes later, someone is climbing into the bus with a soaker - having just fallen into my children's trap. i am not joking. these kids are lethal.
so rob and i board the bus and pretend that we don't know them

children?  what children?