Trying to make Shaw's webmail work the way we want for sending out notices to those who asked for it about updates to this blog, we came across a two year old email that not only reminded us of the joys of travel in Canada, but our prediction that we would be back. Only thing, there are no clear blue mountain lakes in the coming trip.(though the hoards of bus tourists might still be spotted). Hmmm.

The email:

In the song by John Denver, after the Rocky Mountain High, he says:

I've seen it rainin' fire in the sky
You can talk to God and listen to the casual reply

We've just come off a week in the Rockies, and our involvement with fire has mainly been the Parks Canada $8.80 PER DAY camp fire permit. You can talk to a ranger about it, and the "casual reply" will be "fill out a comment card".

But John Denver also wrote:

Now he walks in quiet solitude the forest and the streams
Seeking grace in every step he takes
His sight has turned inside himself to try and understand
The serenity of a clear blue mountain lake

and truly we have had a wonderful experience, at Peyto Lake, Bow Lake, Maligne Lake, and many others, and at the Athabaska, Sunwapta, Saskachewan, Bow and other rivers.

As for quiet solitude, though, it was tough. Take Num Ti Jah Lodge on gorgeous turquoise coloured Bow Lake. We arrived just as a tour bus (one of zillions coursing up and down the Icefields Parkway) pulled in. I said "Quick Dodie, let's get to the Lodge and up the trail before that thing floods the ground with tourists!". Unfortunately, Dodie had to use the toilet and from the bus came a flood of geriatric Phillipinos. Like the "Mummy" they slowly but surely advanced and filled all the toilets. Dodie fought her way out of the crowd and we headed for the trail to Bow Glacier Falls. Fortunately, the tourists could never consider even beginning that walk and we were free to circle the lake and follow the glacial melt stream to its source at a waterfall coming from the Bow Glacier.

That day, Dodie's step counter showed 25,300. It is said you need to log 10,000 to stay healthy. It is not often said that over 20,000 can also be a pain (in the back, leg, foot, etc.). Our record this week was 29,250. That had something to do with Lake Louise, Mirror Lake, and Lake Agnes. Not too much serenity in that trio!

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Sadly now, we have left the Rockies and will stop with Jeremy in Nelson for a couple of days, before finally returning to Vancouver Island. We will have been gone 3 1/2 months, covering about 25,000 km by van and maybe 1.5 million footsteps. The photos we took occupy 50 directory folders. (If we offer to give you a slideshow, better make up an excuse or reserve a couple of days!). We will have been able to visit all the children (except Joni, just missed her) plus Ronni, Joe, and Sophie in Arizona; Uncle Ed and Aunt Beryl near Ottawa, and Conan's parents Paddy and Bill near Winnipeg. We will have NOT seen any moose in Canada, despite 1000 km of promises on roadsigns by highways officials.

Neither moose nor any of the family mentioned or not can rest easy, though. We quite liked this travelling thing, and WE WILL BE BACK!