Monday 7th July Japser to Mount Robson to Sun Peaks

Up early and passed Moose Lake, we crossed the Continental divide and followed the Fraser River to the base of Mount Robson, the highest mountain in the Canadian Rockies, peaking at 3,953 metres. The weather was perfect for a magnificent view of this mountain. We stopped at Mt Robson Provincial Park for morning tea. We continued following the Yellowhead Highway south along the North Thompson River - a route pioneered by fur trappers a century ago. We stopped at Rearguard Falls which was more like a series of rapids and cascades. Sharon put on the movie "Terry Fox" on our next leg of our journey. "Terry" Fox was a Canadian athlete, humanitarian, and cancer research activist. In 1980, with one leg having been amputated, he embarked on a cross-Canada run (Marathon of Hope) to raise money and awareness for cancer research. He died when he was 23. What an inspiration he was and today Canada has marathons supporting his plight.

We stopped a the Painted Turtle lake for lunch which is home for the western painted turtles, named after their distinctive red and yellow markings on their undersides. We saw these turtles sunbathing on lillies in the lake. We continued to Sun Peaks which is a quaint snow village. We had more bear sightings in Sun Peaks. The ski area comprises three mountains: Tod Mountain, Sundance Mountain, and Mt. Morrisey and there are 122 runs, including 12 gladed areas and 40 km of cross country trails. Tonights accomodation was at Sun Peaks Lodge.