Jasper

Raj and I have had a wonderful time during the last few days. In Banff, the highlights were a hike up Sulphur Mountain (thank you Wordnerd!), and a hike through Johnston Canyon with its waterfalls, gurgling creek, and crystal clear water. The sound of the river flowing over the rocks sounded so relaxing I wanted to fall asleep on the trail!

North of Banff, we went to Lake Louise and Lake Moraine. Can we say gorgeous? Both lakes were breathtakingly beautiful. Picture a serene lake of a milky turquoise blue, surrounded by a backdrop of majestic mountains, fir trees, and an endless blue sky dotted with just the right amount of puffy white clouds. It felt a little bit like a fairly land. Pictures will be forthcoming. Never fear. And the woods! Let's not forget about the woods! Hiking through the trails deep within the trees, Raj and I would periodically stop and stand perfectly still, listening to the absolute silence of the forrest. Occasionally we did that to make sure there weren't any bears or mountain lions creeping up on us, but most of the time we did it to appreciate the soft silence. Tranquility.

From Banff, we drove north through the Columbia Icefields, saw a few glaciers from afar and were surrounded by mountain vistas in all directions until we arrived in the town of Jasper, a small mountain town. Driving in to town, we saw a large deer with a huge rack of antlers. Later, while we were walking back from dinner, we saw a whole crowd of deer walking down the middle of the road. Three deer had climbed a fence and were standing in the middle of someone's front yard nibbling their tree. I was so excited, trying to get pictures (none of which came out since it was dark, except for one of a deer's behind), and Raj was focused on keeping me away from the deer so they wouldn't stampede us, that we ended up missing our b&b by a whole two blocks.

Today, we found a nifty little place to eat, the Black Sheep, ate a hearty breakfast, and also discovered that they have internet connections! Isn't it odd how it's so much easier to stay connected in Southeast Asia than it is in Canada (true for the US as well, of course)? Here, we've been cut off from the world. Our cell phones don't work, we haven't seen TV, and it's hard to find internet computers. In Southeast Asia, they're on every corner. I shouldn't say totally cut off - despite my protestations, Raj brought his blackberry. Luckily, he's only been using it to check his sports scores.

It looks like rain, and Raj and I are going to try to get some horseback riding in this afternoon, so I gotta run. We made a deal and I've promised to do white-water rafting tomorrow. Pray for my appendages which are already atrophying in terror of the chilly temperatures.