Icefields Parkway II - Swan Song for the Jetta - CycleBlaze

Icefields Parkway II - Swan Song for the Jetta - CycleBlaze

From Swan Song for the Jetta

By Scott Anderson & Rachael Anderson

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July 24, 2018

Icefields Parkway II

Sunwapta Pass

Pics only for now, until I get caught up from two nights without WiFi on the Parkway.

Sunwapta Falls, one of the big draws on the Parkway. We started our ride here though and got here early, so it was pleasantly quiet.

Sunwapta Falls empties into this narrow canyon that makes a sharp left turn just past the bridge and continues for another hundred yards. That lady in the purple coat on the bridge is a locally famous bike tourist.

Passing ships on the Parkway. We probably passed an average of about fifty bikers per day on our four days on the Parkway.

Rodriguez visits the Rockies

Looking back at the Endless Chain Range. It was overcast when we started out, but has been steadily lifting all morning. We could hardly see this range when we biked beneath it awhile ago.

Riding south on the Parkway, toward the cluster of peaks around Sunwapta Pass.

Beginning the climb to Sunwapta Pass. Not bad, except for the two miles at about ten percent.

The Athabasca River. I love these U-shaped glaciated valleys we’re cycling through.

The Stuttfield Glacier, from a roadside viewpoint on the climb up to Sunwapta Pass

Avalanche! This is at a spot in the photo above. This caught my eye first as a large plume, which I assumed was a waterfall. I was lucky to see it - it dissipated in just a few minutes.

The Sky Walk, a very popular feature that apparently gives a great view of the glaciers. The parking lot is crowded with tour buses, the queue waiting at the entrance gate is log get. We didn’t check it out ourselves - we were getting plenty of astounding views for free, without the crowds.

Approaching Athabasca Glacier, just below Sunwapta Pass

Athabasca Glacier, our turnback point for today’s ride. We only stopped briefly but will take a closer look when we bike back here from Saskachewan River Crossing.

The valley here was left behind by the Athabasca Glacier, which is receding rapidly.

A closeup of a cliff face overlooking the glacier

Athabasca Glacier is soured from the immense Columbia Icefield.

I love this cinnamon-hues ridge bordering the glacier. The variety of color and texture of the peaks lining the Parkway are astonishing.

Dropping down from Sunwapta Pass and racing back to the car, still thirty miles off. We’re starting to get concerned about the weather.

Tangle Creek Falls

There’s a rough path you can scramble up to get a close up look at the lower falls. So I took it.

Tangle Creek Falls

We were right to be concerned about the weather. In just the last mile the headwinds have stiffened, and soon it will rain. It felt like the Pass was sucking us back to it.

Stuttfield Glacier has a different look in this light. Looks like a black and white.

The look backwards. Ugly.

Approaching the Endless Chain again. We escaped the backward pull of the Pass and now have a tailwind again, and are making good time.

The Endless Chain again. It’s really a lovely Range, and quite different in this lighting than when we saw it this morning.

After returning to the car, we drove south to Saskachewan River Crossing, our base for the next two nights. We’re surrounded by giants here.

Mount Murchison, from The Crossing

Xx

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Ride stats today: 63 miles, 3,300’

Today's ride: 63 miles (101 km)
Total: 722 miles (1,162 km)

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