2014 Summer Tour! Jasper Concert and Rafting!

This morning we slept in in our chalets by the river.  It was a neat experience to fall asleep and awaken to the sound of the river rushing past our hotel.

After a superb breakfast, we headed into Jasper for some serious shopping.

We arrived at the Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge around 3:00 pm and started focusing on the evening\’s concert.

Audio and lighting set-up, tech rehearsal, practicing the chorus\’s entrance, reviewing the Marches, setting up the \”green room.\”

A magnificent roast beef dinner, final preparations and then singing \”teasers\” in the various restaurants and in the grand lobby of the Lodge.

The concert.  Outstanding, exciting, delightful.  The boys delivered a fantastic first concert in the Canadian Rockies for a highly receptive audience.

The Part Leaders and senior choristers helped the staff strike the stage and equipment after the concert, and we all headed back to our river side chalets for much needed rest.

In the morning we awoke and after a great breakfast at the Jasper Park Lodge, the boys and staff members headed off to various churches for services.

There was a build-up of excitement as we arrived at the RV lot where we met up with our river rafting guides.  Off we went in buses to the raft launch point on the river.

It\’s always fun to \”suit-up\” for rafting, and then to receive the instructions and guidelines from the guides.  As each raft was being launched the complement on board gave a big cheer and off they went!

It was a blast and the boys and staff members loved every second of it!

Rafting makes one work up an appetite; so we enjoyed our Jasper Park Lodge sack lunches right in the RV park after disembarking from the raft company buses.

Then it was off to the Athabasca Falls (on our way back to Banff on the Icefields Parkway).

Sunwapta Falls was our next stop.  These falls are noted for the island that splits them in two.

 

After the thrills and awesome-ness of the day, everyone took a nap for the final part of the ride into Banff.   Dinner and then right to bed.  Tomorrow we sing at the fabled Banff Springs Hotel, where the ghosts and legends await.