This was a day of complete travel. I got up at 5am and was picked up by airport transportation at 5:50am for a 7:25 flight out of Hamilton. I had a three-plus hour flight to Calgary, and a three hour stopover there, then on to Edmonton, a three hour wait there, and then a 5 hour bus drive to Jasper. During my stopover in Calgary, I met Calgary author Anne Meticosh for conversation and breakfast. At Edmonton Airport, I met with Ron Baker, a storyteller who is also touring Alberta this week. We had an early supper. By the time I got to my hotel room, I was thankful for a shower and a comfy bed. They put me on the second floor and there was no elevator. Normally this wouldn’t have been a problem, but I have a torn meniscus and my knee is fragile. It was quite the challenge getting my luggage up the stairs.
The bus ride was a highlight of the trip. It was actually a van with Sundog tours and John, the driver, was a font of historical info about Jasper. When he found out that my grandfather was interned at Jasper in WWI and that’s why I wanted to start my book tour here, he offered to take me to the site of the internment camp the next day.
Below is a photo I took from downtown Jasper:
And here is the Marmot Lodge, where I stayed:
