Wednesday June 16th, Norene Carr’s, Mount Robson BC

80 Miles

Can you imagine a log house set in a small garden extending to a field of many different varieties of wildflowers, Mount Robson, the highest mountain in the Canadian Rockies seemingly rising from the front lawn, and a rushing glacier river about 50 metres from the house, with a small swimming hole…….well that is the piece of Paradise that we are at tonight. When we arrived, my jaw dropped, it was just so beautiful.

We had met Norene and her daughter Dana (who lives in Australia) 18 months ago when they had rented Hermione Cottage at Lake Tarawera.  They were so friendly and we invited them to join us when we were going out in the boat with friends. We kept contact and when Norene knew we were going to be in the area she invited us to visit her, what a wonderful invitation it turned out to be. Norene is an artist and paints fabulous landscapes of the area, her home is filled with art, and she also sells her work in a gallery in Jasper. Her light filled studio sits in the garden. This is her summer home, the winters are spent in Victoria BC….with holidays to warmer climates!

The morning was quite chilly, 4 degrees, but by mid morning we were wandering the town of Jasper in our shorts and tshirts, a brilliantly fine day. Jasper is just so different to Banff, the pace of life seems so much slower and although there are a lot of tourist shops, it has a less commercial feel.

There are a number of small lakes a short drive from town. Feeling that we needed some exercise, we drove out to Lake Annette and walked the 3km’s around the lake before having lunch outside in the sun….a first for this trip.

The hours drive to Mount Robson was once again awe inspiring with snow capped mountains and glacial rivers lining the route. And then we arrived at Norene’s!

After a cuppa on the front porch, Norene showed us around and we walked down to the river, the mountain reflecting in the swimming hole, and wildflowers in bloom everywhere.

Norene mentioned that she was waiting for one of the family to cut up a few fallen trees, Ian’s eyes lit up as he asked her if she had a chainsaw. One was found in the shed and after much persuasion it roared into life and Ian was away, while I got my tripod and camera gear and lost myself in all the beauty.

We sat on the front porch for dinner soaking in the view and enjoying a wonderful meal.

The end to a great day.