Getting Around

LUMBY DAYS! The Fair! There are more and better events in small towns across Canada than in larger centers. The events are easy to access, lots of free parking and many activities are free.
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This snow bridge is on Mt Andromeda in the columbia ice-fields. The climbers are students with Yamnuska Mt School. The scary thing is that they crossed this bridge going up. Now think back to the warning that Terry and Paul give about two people traveling on a glacier roped together. If you were going downhill roped to your partner and traveling together do you think you would have held this fall or ended up in the crevasse a hundred feet down with a broken femour. In this case the guides set up a anchor and the climbers jumped the bridge. Remember that the mountains do not know your a bad ass expert climber.

The first Homo sapiens probably arrived in North America approximately 15,000 years ago--migrating from northeastern Asia across a land bridge spanning the Bering Strait. At the time, most of what is now western Canada was covered by an ice cap, so these first immigrants headed south along the coast and into the lower, ice-free latitudes of North America (to what is now the United States). Other waves of similar migrations followed, and eventually these ancestors of today's Native American fanned out across North and South America.

Thousands of years later, the receding polar ice cap began to uncover the land north of the 49th parallel. Native hunters probably first ventured into what is now Canada approximately 11,000 years ago, in pursuit of large mammals at the edge of the melting ice mass. The people who ended up in what would become Alberta came from the south, and in much later waves from the east, and formed several broad groups, within which many tribes formed, each with a distinct culture and language.

Most of the natives who inhabited what is now Alberta relied on bison (misnamed buffalo by early Europeans) for almost all of their needs. They ate the meat, both fresh and dried, then pounded into a powder form known as pemmican; made clothing, blankets, and tepee covers from the hides; fashioned bones into tools and ornaments; and used the dung as a source of fuel. One of their most successful ways of killing the huge beasts was by stampeding a whole herd over a cliff, at places known today as "buffalo jumps." (The best example of such a site is Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump, northwest of Fort Macleod.) They lived in tepees, which are conical-shaped tents comprising a frame of poles covered in buffalo hides. All cooking was done inside the tepee, with weapons, clothing, and food hung on the inside. During large gatherings, such as a buffalo hunt or the midsummer Sun Dance religious ceremony, thousands of tepees dotted the landscape.

BLACKFOOT

The Blackfoot Confederacy was a group of traditional prairie dwellers and was the most warlike and feared of all native groups in Canada. Linguistically linked to the Algonkians, they were the "classic" Indian, depicted in story and film bedecked in costumes and headdresses and mounted on horses. (This perception is somewhat skewed, however, because the horse was a relatively modern addition to the plains, having been first introduced to North America by the Spanish in the mid-1600s and appearing north of the 49th parallel in the mid-1700s.) Before the arrival of Europeans, the Blackfoot Confederacy ruled the southern half of the province and comprised three allied bands, which hunted and camped together, intermarried, shared customs, and spoke dialects of the Algonkian language. They were the Blackfoot (best known today as Siksika), who lived along the North Saskatchewan River; the Blood, along the Red Deer River; and the Peigan, along the Bow River. As the Cree and Assiniboine to the north became armed with guns through their close links to the fur trade, the Blackfoot were pushed south, culminating in the last great intertribal battle in North America, which was fought against the Cree in 1870 within what is now Lethbridge city limits. By this time, the northernmost band of the once-powerful confederacy were the Siksika, who had been restricted to the land along the Bow River, while the Blood and Peigan lived to the south, with the Peigan territory extending well into Montana.

The Sarcee are also considered part of the Blackfoot nation but are of Athapaskan linguistic stock. This small tribe divided from the subarctic Beaver in the mid-1800s and integrated themselves with the Blackfoot in customs, lifestyle, and marriage but retained their original tongue.

ASSINIBOINE

Circa 1650, the mighty Sioux nation, centered on the Great Lakes, began splintering, with many thousands of its members moving north into present-day Canada, obtaining guns and metal objects from Europeans. These people became known as the "Assiniboine," meaning the "people who cook with stones." (Stones would be heated in a fire and then placed in a rawhide or birchbark basket with water; meat and vegetables were added, cooking as the water heated.) Slowly, generation after generation, smaller groups pushed westward along the Saskatchewan River system, allying themselves with the Cree but keeping their own identity and pushing through Blackfoot territory of the plains to reach the foothills approximately 200 years ago. They split into bands, moving north and south along the foothills and penetrating the wide valleys where hunting was productive. A lifestyle very different to that of the plains Indians evolved. Moving with the seasons, they lived in small familylike groups, diversifying their skills, becoming excellent hunters of mountain animals and gathering berries in fall, and becoming less dependent on buffalo. They were a steadfast yet friendly people, and as Alexander Henry the Younger reported in 1811, "although [they are] the most arrant horse thieves in the world, they are at the same time the most hospitable to strangers who arrived in their camps." They knew themselves as the Nakoda, meaning "people." To the white man they were the Stoney, a shortening of the "Stone People," which in turn was an English interpretation of Assiniboine.

As the great buffalo herds were decimated, the Stoney were impacted less than the plains Indians because their reliance on the buffalo was almost nonexistent. But the effect of white man's intrusion on their lifestyle was still apparent. The missionaries of the day found that their teachings had more effect on the mountain people than those of the plains, so they intensified their efforts at converting the Stoney. Reverend John McDougall was particularly trusted, and in 1873 he built a small mission church by the Bow River at Morleyville. When the Stoney were presented with Treaty 7 in 1877, they chose to locate their reserve around the mission church at Morleyville. Abandoning their nomadic lifestyle, they quickly learned farming. Unlike the plains Indians, they were almost self-sufficient on the reserve, not needing government rations that the Blackfoot tribes survived on. Approximately 7,000 Stoney live on the Morley reserve today.

CREE

Before the arrival of Europeans, the Cree had inhabited most of eastern Canada for thousands of years. As the European fur traders pushed westward from Hudson Bay, the Cree followed, displacing enemies and adapting to new environments. By 1800, the Cree had moved as far west as the Peace River and to the northern slopes of the Rocky Mountains. They lived mostly in the forests fringing the prairies, acting as a middleman between Europeans and local natives, searching out furs and trading buffalo hides obtained from plains natives for European goods. Although not related, the Cree and Assiniboine freely mixed together, camping, hunting, and fighting as a group.

ATHAPASKAN

Athapaskan (often spelled Athabascan) is the mostly widely spread of all North American linguistic groups, extending from the Rio Grande to Alaska. It is believed that Athapaskan-speaking people moved into what is now Alberta approximately 7,000 years ago, following the receding ice cap and settling in forested areas throughout the subarctic. Athapaskans led a simple, nomadic life and were generally friendly toward each other and neighboring tribes. Although culturally diverse, the nature of this tribe's lifestyle left few archaeological remains; therefore, they are the least known of the natives who once lived within the boundaries of modern-day Alberta.

The southernmost Athapaskan group inhabiting Alberta was the Beaver, who were forced westward, up the Peace River watershed, by the warlike Cree in the late 1700s (the name Peace River originated after the two groups eventually made peace). Traditionally, the Beaver hunted caribou and bison that wandered north from the plains, but they were strongly influenced by the fur trade. Another distinct band of Athapaskans settled along the Mackenzie River watershed and are known today as the Dene (DEN-ay), meaning "the people." The Dene lived a simple life, depending on fish, birds, and game such as caribou and moose, and traveling in birchbark canoes. Further divisions within the Dene nation relate more to the area in which they lived rather than to distinct language or lifestyles. These groups include the Slave (known as the Slavey in the Northwest Territories) and the Chipewyan, both of whose traditional home was the upper watershed of the Mackenzie River.

MÉTIS

The exact definition of Métis varies across Canada, but the term originated in the 1700s to describe those born of a mixed racial heritage as the result of relationships between French traders and native Cree women. The Métis played an invaluable role in the fur trade because they were able to perform traditional tasks and were bilingual. By the early 1800s, a distinct Métis culture developed, mostly along major trading routes. As the fur trade ended, and the great buffalo herds disappeared, many Métis found themselves drawn toward the familiarity of their own people and settled along Central Canada's Red River. Government threats to take their land along the Red River led to the 1869 Riel Rebellion and the 1885 North West Rebellion, after which the displaced Métis drifted back westward to the boreal forests, eking out food by hunting, trapping, and fishing. They were a people stuck between two cultures; they were excluded from treaties signed by full-blooded natives but were not a part of mainstream Canadian society.

Badlands stretch along many river valleys throughout the North American plains, and some of the most spectacular sights are in 7,330-hectare (18,000-acre) Dinosaur Provincial Park, 200 kilometers (124 miles) east of Calgary. But the park is best known for being one of the most important dinosaur fossil beds in the world. Thirty-five species of dinosaurs--from every known family of the Cretaceous period--have been unearthed here, along with the skeletal remains of crocodiles, turtles, fish, lizards, frogs, and flying reptiles. Not only is the diversity of specimens great, but so is the sheer volume; more than 300 museum-quality specimens have been removed and are exhibited in museums around the world.

Originally established in 1955 to protect the fossil bonebeds, the park's environment is extremely complex and is unique within the surrounding prairie ecosystem. Stands of cottonwoods, a variety of animal life, and, most important, the extensive bonebeds, were instrumental in UNESCO's designation of the park as a World Heritage Site in 1979. In 1985, the opening of the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology, 100 kilometers (62 miles) upstream in Drumheller, meant that bones that had previously been shipped to museums throughout the world for scientific analysis and display could now remain within the province. The Royal Tyrrell Museum operates a field station in the park, where many of the bones are cataloged and stored. The displays, films, and interpretive programs offered at the center will best prepare you to begin your visit to the park.

PREHISTORY

Seventy-five million years ago during Cretaceous times, the area was a low-lying marsh at the mouth of a river flowing into the Bearpaw Sea. The Bearpaw was the last in a succession of vast seas that covered the interior plains for 30 million years. Swamp grasses and reeds grew in the wetlands, whereas on higher ground, giant redwoods and palms towered over a dense forest. Dinosaurs flourished in this subtropical environment.

More than millions of years ago, great quantities of silt and mud were flushed downriver, building up a delta at the edge of the sea. In time, this delta hardened, and the countless layers formed sedimentary rock. Soon after, great pressures beneath the earth's surface pushed the crust upward, forming a jagged mountain range that we know today as the Rocky Mountains. This event dramatically changed the climate of the plains region from tropical to temperate, probably killing off the dinosaurs approximately 64 million years ago. From then until one million years ago, the climate changed many times until the first of many sheets of ice covered the plains. As the final sheet receded, approximately 15,000 years ago, millions of liters of sediment-laden meltwater scoured the relatively soft bedrock into an area we know as the badlands. The erosion process continues to this day, no longer by the action of glacial meltwater but by rain and wind. The carving action has created a dramatic landscape of hoodoos, pinnacles, mesas, and gorges in the sandstone here, which is 100 times softer than that of the Rockies. The hills are tiered with layers of rock in browns, reds, grays, and whites. Many are rounded, some are steep, others are ruddy and cracked, but they all have one thing in common--they are laden with dinosaur bones. As the Red Deer River curves through the park, it cuts deeply into the ancient river delta, exposing the layers of sedimentary rock and revealing the once-buried fossil treasures.

FIELDWORK IN THE PARK

Each summer, paleontologists from around the world converge on the park for an intense period of digging that starts in late June and lasts for approximately 10 weeks. The earliest dinosaur hunters simply excavated whole or partial skeletons for museum display. Although the basic excavation methods haven't changed, the types of excavation have. "Bonebeds" of up to one hectare are painstakingly excavated over multiple summers. Access to much of the park is restricted in order to protect the fossil beds. Digging takes place within the restricted areas. Work is often continued from the previous season, or new sites are commenced, but there's never a lack of bones. New finds are often discovered with little digging, having been exposed by wind and rain since the previous season.

Excavating the bones is an extremely tedious procedure; therefore, only a few sites are worked on at a time, with preference given to particularly important finds such as a new species. Getting the bones out of the ground is only the beginning of a long process that culminates with their scientific analysis and display by experts at museums around the world.

EXPLORING THE PARK

Much of the park is protected as a Natural Preserve and is off-limits to unguided visitors because current excavations are taking place. The Natural Preserve protects the bonebeds and the valley's fragile environment. It also keeps visitors from becoming disoriented in the uniform landscape and ending up spending the night among the bobcats and rattlesnakes. The area is well marked and should not be entered except on a guided tour. One other important rule: Surface collecting and digging for bones anywhere within the park is prohibited.

Interpretive Programs and Tours
Even though much of the actual digging of bones is done away from public view, the Field Station of the Royal Tyrrell Museum (403/378-4342 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting              403/378-4342      end_of_the_skype_highlighting, July-Aug. daily 8:30 a.m.-9 p.m., Sept. to mid-Oct. daily 9 a.m.-5 p.m., and the rest of the year, weekdays 9 a.m.-4 p.m., adult $3, senior $2.50), organizes enough interesting activities and tours to keep you busy for at least a full day. The Field Station offers many interesting displays, including complete dinosaur skeletons, murals, and models, and is the departure point for tours into the park.

The Badlands Bus Tour takes you on a two-hour ride around the public loop road with an interpretive guide who will point out the park's landforms and talk about its prehistoric inhabitants. The Centrosaurus Bone Bed Hike takes visitors on a 2.5-hour guided hike into a restricted area where more than 300 centrosaurus skeletons have been identified. The Camel's End Coulee Hike is an easy 2.5-kilometer (1.5-mile) guided walk to discover the unique flora and fauna of the badlands. Finally, a tour of the Field Station Laboratory is offered daily at 1:30 p.m. Space on all of these tours is limited. The laboratory tour is $2. Each of the other tours costs $6.50. The tours are very popular, and this is reflected in the procedure for purchasing tickets. Tour tickets go on sale May 1 and must be picked up 30 minutes before the departure time. To reserve a seat, call 403/310-0000 May-Aug. Mon.-Fri. 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Some tickets are reserved for the day of the tour and sold as "rush" tickets (be at the Field Station when it opens at 8:30 a.m. to ensure that you get a ticket). Finally, if seats become available through no-shows, you make snag a seat at the last minute.

Documentaries are shown at the Field Station in the evenings, and special events are often staged somewhere in the park. The entire interpretive program operates in summer only, with certain tours offered in late May and September.

On Your Own
You may explore the area bounded by the public loop road and take three short interpretive trails on your own. The loop road passes through part of the area where bones were removed during the Great Canadian Dinosaur Rush. By staying within its limits, hikers are prevented from becoming lost, although the classic badlands terrain is still littered with fragments of bones, and the area is large enough to make you feel "lost in time." It's a fantastic place to explore. Of special interest are two dinosaur dig sites excavated earlier this century, one of which contains a still-intact skeleton of a duck-billed hadrosaur.

The Badlands Trail is a 1.3-kilometer (0.8-mile) loop that starts just east of the campground and passes into the restricted area. The Coulee Viewpoint Trail, which begins behind the Field Station, climbs steadily for 500 meters (1,650 feet) to a high ridge above Little Sandhill Creek. This one-km (0.6-mile) trail takes 20 minutes. It's easy to ignore the nearby floodplains, but the large stands of cottonwoods you'll see were a contributing factor to the park being designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Cottonwood Flats Trail starts 1.4 kilometers (0.9 miles) along the loop road, leading through the trees and into old river channels that lend themselves to good bird-watching. Allow 30 minutes roundtrip.

PRACTICALITIES

Accommodations and Camping
The park's campground is in a low-lying area beside Little Sandhill Creek. It has 128 sites, pit toilets, a kitchen shelter, and a few powered sites. Unserviced sites cost $17, powered sites $20. The campground fills up by early afternoon. To book a site, call 403/378-3700. Alternatives are detailed under the Brooks section of this chapter.

Aside from the regular motels in Brooks, old-time accommodations are provided at the Patricia Hotel (16 km/10 miles southwest from the park, 403/378-4647). Known for its Western atmosphere, the hotel has basic rooms with shared and private baths from $40 s, $45 d. In the downstairs bar, many of the cattle brands on the walls date back more than 50 years. Choose from buffalo burgers or steaks at the nightly cook-your-own barbecue.

Canoeing: 3 minutes walk from the centre of Banff you can find the Blue Canoe docks, where you can take a tranquil canoe journey on the Bow River. There is also canoeing available at Lake Louise and Moraine Lake. There are literally tons of options including

Columbia Icefield Glacier Experience: Climb aboard a massive Ice Explorer and journey across a glacier over 350 metres thick. The Columbia Icefield is the largest sub-polar body of ice in North America.

Hiking: Banff has the most beautiful trails surrounding it. There are so many options with trails and tours that you will find it hard to get through all of them.
Lake Minnewanka Boat Tours: Cruise the waters of the largest lake in Banff National Park, Lake Minnewanka. Unique scenic and wildlife photo opportunities are frequent as you travel through the Canadian Rockies by boat to the Devil’s Gap.

Sightseeing: Let knowledgeable locals show you around Banff and its surrounding areas with small group sizes and personalized tours.

Wildlife Viewing: There is a host of animals that call the Rockies home and are in no way shy about their neighborhood. Whilst in the area always keep your eyes peeled as there are so many animals to spot in the summer in Banff. Companies can take you around to ensure maximum viewing.

For many more activities, summer and winter, check out Canadian Rockies Guided Tours and Activities section.

It was the first in Canada and third in the world when it was created in 1885 after a natural hot springs was discovered. Banff National Park soon became a tourism icon around the world, as well-known as our Mounties in red serge jackets and felt hats. Maps were charted, luxury hotels were built, mountains were climbed and tourists arrived with the train,

then cars and air travel. Banff - named for Banffshire, Scotland - and Lake Louise are located within the park which forms part of the UNESCO Rocky Mountain Parks World Heritage Site.

For information regarding wildlife, camping, backcountry permits, parks fees, fishing licenses, and hiking and trail reports contact Parks Canada, the federal government agency which manages the park .

When: Daily
Where: Banff

The resorts here offer ski touring, downhill skiing, snowshoeing, heli-skiing, outdoor skating, walking, wildlife viewing and other activities. Take a horse-drawn sleigh ride, fly across the snow in a dog sled, or just soak away your troubles at the famous Banff hot springs.

The park is home to three major resorts: Mount Norquay, Sunshine Village and Lake Louise. Between them they provide more than 7000 acres and 200 trails, offering skiers and snowboarders of any ability countless challenges. The park is studded with mountain peaks, glaciers, lakes, waterfalls, canyons and limestone caves. The campsites are mostly open from May to September.

Lake Louise is Canada's largest ski area, where visitors have the pick of over 100 runs and thousands of acres of wide open bowls. Some of the softest, lightest powder in the Rockies can be found at Sunshine Village and Norquay completed its first chair lift in 1948, making it the pioneer ski resort in the park.

It could be all that fresh mountain air. Or maybe it's the altitude, a different time zone or even jet lag.

Otherwise there's no excuse for what makes tourists ask the dumbest questions.

There are some real gems, and it happens all the time. Just ask the patient and good-natured folks who make a living showing tourists around Banff National Park.

Some of them will tell you that summer is the silliest season for tour operators. That's when travellers from around the globe descend on Banff National Park for their trip of a lifetime. They're ecstatic about being amid mountains and glaciers, and stoked about spotting a bear, elk or moose. And they wonder just how we live up here in the Great White North.

"We get a broader range of people (in summer)," says Daymon Miller, general manager of Discover Banff Tours. "They're coming from a broad range of urban centres with generally no concept of the wilderness."

It's not much different at Banff Adventures Unlimited, where Tanya Semos is general manager.

"People are ridiculous . . . but it makes our job fun. We're starting a book," she says, guffawing at the tales her colleagues bring back to the office.

When the speak-before-thinking zinger is uttered, tour operators try to have a little fun, Miller says, without embarrassing them.

Stu Back, director of in-resort services for Banff-Lake Louise Tourism sent a list of "unusual" questions compiled over the past few years. He underscored, that like anyone who deals with the public, it can be trying:

"The answers our professional counselling staff provided to these unusual questions are testament to the depth of knowledge and patience required to assist visitors who are often tired and confused on arrival to our destination."

From an unofficial survey of Banff tour operators, here are the top 20 outrageous questions, some with answers in case you've wondered the same thing. As for the rest, well, they stand on their own.

1. Are the animals with collars tame? (These animals have been fitted with tagged collars because they have had incidents with people. It is important to stay a safe distance away from wildlife.)

2. We are going into British Columbia. Do we need to change our money into Euros?

3. Can we drive our car onto a glacier anywhere? (Not to our knowledge, but you might enjoy a trip on the Ice Explorer across the Columbia Icefields.)

4. Do we need snow tires or chains to drive to Lake Louise in July?

5. Where are the igloos and the Eskimos?

6. If the Columbia Icefield melts before we get there, can we do a different excursion?

7. Can you see polar bears at the Columbia Icefield?

8. Can I walk around P.E.I. in a day?

9. Can I get from Vancouver to Toronto by driving in a day?

10. At what elevation do the deer turn to elk?

11. How much does that mountain weigh?

12. Is this all natural?

13. While working at the (Banff) Gondola on a rainy day I was asked to turn the fog off at the top so they could see."

14. While working at the Gondola, I got asked when we release the animals so they can start feeding them. I had to remind them that this wasn't a petting zoo, the animals are wild and come out when they please -- and please don't feed them."

15. Where's that place where I can see the bear in the cage? Can I get a photo with him?

16. If I see a bear when I'm hiking, can I just keep walking past it?

17. Can you guarantee wildlife sightings?

18. Where is the rocky mountain?

19. What's the best trail to take a bike on to see a cougar?

20. Where are the animals kept at night?

Bonus Question: Where can I find a wife?

Ed "Trailhead" Kruger stops his bike, pumps the air with his fists and exclaims: Mon-aahhh-sheeee!"

I pull up behind him, grinning like an idiot. I have no idea why he's bellowing, but I'm pathetically grateful for the chance to stop to catch my breath.

I'd wanted to go on this cycle ever since I'd heard about it: historic rail trestles, stops at wineries and a 2% downhill grade. But that morning, our first, caught me off guard. One minute, we were milling around the parking lot, chatting and being assigned our bikes and the next--bam! --the group of 12 was off.

And I was last.

And the entrance to the trail was down a narrow, rocky chute. How do you ride down rocks? I hadn't encountered this on Ottawa's paved paths.

And the trail itself was soft sand, studded with stones.

My tire wobbled, my bike bounced and I soon discovered I was uncomfortably tethered to my bike seat. In my haste to be off, I'd left the pocket on the back of my jacket open. The belt that was supposed to be tucked inside was caught under my seat. I unhitched myself, feeling foolish, but was quickly distracted by my water bottle jiggling out of the cords on my pannier and flying out behind my bike.

Ten minutes later: Boom!

My first thought was that hunters were nearby. But it was my rear tire, now flat, flaccid and flapping.

What indignity next?

"You don't know how to change a bike tire?" asked Mario Toffolo, a cycling enthusiast from St. Catharines, not unkindly.

I'm embarrassed to say I could do nothing but stand by idly--I admit it, actually applying lip balm--while Toffolo and his buddies, veterans of many bike trips, changed the tube and fashioned a patch for my punctured tire

Which is why I was so relieved to be caught up to the group, I didn't care what Kruger was bellowing. And to find out that the flat, at least, was not my fault, but due to a tire that had been punctured and patched the day before and somehow missed getting changed overnight. (Kruger was not pleased about that slip-up on the part of his support crew, the only one I detected over four days.)

I got to trade the offending Bike No. 11 for an identical silvery green Giant Sedona, Bike No. 14.

I came to love Bike No. 14 during the next 135 kilometres. I wanted to take it home with me -- it and the stunning, adobe-style wineries set into desert hills, the views down over the sparkling lakes and the paths that took us under towering Douglas firs, through cool tunnels and gliding along the edge of a beach.

After our party regrouped that first morning, we came to the most famous part of our route: the Myra Canyon, which some regard as the jewel of the Trans Canada Trail. It's just southeast of Kelowna, the area that made news in 2003 when a dozen of its historic rail trestles were destroyed by a fire that roared through the valley. Now the trestles have been rebuilt. No trains use them any longer -- they're purely for pleasure and recreation, like the Rideau Canal.

It's a spectacular ride. The canyon is almost horseshoe-shaped and the path once travelled by a train forms a big curve partway up several small mountains. In the space of about 10 kilometres, you travel over 18 trestles and through two tunnels.

Through his Monashee Adventure Tours, Kruger offers just about every kind of two-wheeled trip you can imagine in the Okanagan Valley, from self-guided ones where he rents you the bikes and you stay in rustic accommodations, to deluxe guided tours with high-end lodgings and lots of wine and fine dining. His most popular by far is a day trip over this section that he calls "Trestles, Tunnels and Tasting." He shuttles you to the start of the trail and provides the bikes. You cycle for 20 kilometres, through the tunnels and over the trestles, then end up at a Kelowna-area winery (such as Summerhill Pyramid) for a gourmet lunch and tasting.

"We earn our wine and food" is one of Kruger's mantras.

Day 2 was my favourite -- and not only because it was all downhill. We began by being shuttled by van to our starting point: Chute Lake Resort, a rustic, rambling old lodge set high in the hills. The couple who run the place are seniors and she is famous for her fruit pies.

And then we were off -- and this time I made sure I was practically bumping into Kruger's back tire.

The trail takes you from about 1,200 metres elevation all the way down, in a series of switchbacks, to Penticton, which sits at the south end of Okanagan Lake, at about 350 metres. Also once part of the Kettle Valley Railway, it's the longest 2% grade (as steep as most trains can manage) in Canadian rail history. If it weren't for the fact ATVs had churned up the path, making the sand a bit difficult to navigate, the ride would have been beyond phenomenal. As it was, it was merely the best 46 km of my life (so far, anyway).

We sailed by towering, fresh-smelling fir trees, stopped to examine rock ovens where rail workers got their loaf of bread a day, and saw irises and other remnants of gardens, planted by wives or loose women who stayed at the stations.

We looked way down over cliffs that fall perilously toward Okanagan Lake, then switched back again, passed some bear droppings, switched back and cycled through a tunnel, and soon found ourselves down by the lake, on the Naramata Bench. The area is famous for its wines and is just so unbelievably beautiful, with lush vineyards sloping down to the sparkling lake.

We stopped for another delicious lunch and wine tasting at Hillside Estate Winery, then we voluntarily cycled down a steep hill, knowing we'd only have to go up again, to visit another winery, Poplar Grove, that also has a boutique cheese-making facility.

Then it was all downhill again -- an exhilarating final half-hour that took us zooming alongside roads to the paved path in Penticton that traces the south end of Okanagan Lake and took us right to our hotel.

Day 3 is what Kruger calls the South Okanagan Wine Country Tour. You leave Penticton beside a canal that connects Okanagan Lake to Skaha Lake. At the end of the day, lush vineyards on all sides are cradled by golden and soft brown hills beyond. By now, we're leaving green terrain for drier land in the south.

We start Day 4 in the desert, having been shuttled from Burrowing Owl to Spirit Ridge Vineyard Resort in Osoyoos. You can see the United States from here. You also might spot a rattlesnake in the dry hills.

I wake up early and stroll around the resort, sampling some Cabernet Sauvignon before breakfast -- not the wine, but a couple of the grapes, which I snitch from the tidy (and labelled) vines all around the hotel.

Our last day of cycling is a crowd-pleaser: We're shuttled to See Ya Later Ranch winery, then get on our bikes for a mostly downhill (partly screamingly downhill) ride on quiet back-roads. Because we're all curious about what grows in the area besides grapes, Kruger adds an unscheduled detour to Covert Farms and Pancho's Country Market, where my friend Deb buys a jar of honey and a huge bunch of fresh basil to take home to Calgary. Customers are sitting in the sun, munching pork tostadas that are laden with field-fresh tomatoes.

We cruise all the way into Oliver for lunch. After, we stop by a fruit depot and buy big bags of just-picked apples for ridiculously low prices. This really is the land of plenty.

It has been overcast all morning, threatening rain but, unexpectedly, the sun breaks through. We all exclaim "Mon-aaahhh-shhee!" in unison.

Kruger has been trying to explain the origin of "Monashee!" to me all week. A Scottish prospector is said to have given the B.C. mountain range its name by exclaiming "Monashee" when the sun came out after several hard days trekking in snow. It means "mountains of peace" in Gaelic.

It's also the name of Kruger's company, which he started in the Monashee mountains, on the east side of the Okanagan.

But it obviously means something else to him, something about why he's here, doing what he does. I think what he's really saying is: "It's so great to be alive and enjoying this beautiful land."

Monashee, indeed.

-Laura Robin is the Ottawa Citizen's travel editor. She did the Kettle Valley cycle in late September.

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IF YOU GO

For more on Monashee Adventure Tours, From $80 per person for a self-guided Myra Canyon Trestles & Tunnels tour (minimum two people; Kruger provides the bikes and shuttle) to $150 per person for the guided Trestles, Tunnels and Tasting tour, which includes lunch at a winery or pub. Multi-day trips range from $300 per person per day for self-guided tours in rustic accommodations to $600 per person per day for deluxe, guided tours with high-end lodgings and lots of wine and fine dining.

CALGARY - WestJet Airlines Ltd. appears to have finally launched its long-awaited rewards program, but the initiative is already getting mixed reviews from frequent flyers.

Canada's second-largest airline has been planning its own credit-card loyalty program after dropping its previous agreement with BMO/ Air Miles. But the launch suffered setbacks since its original timeline of last June, most recently by problems with the implementation of the Calgary-based airline's new reservation system.

Details of the new program -- called Frequent Guest -- were posted on WestJet's website this week. A WestJet spokesman said the program will be officially launched next week.

Unlike other programs under which travellers collect points for miles flown, WestJet flyers receive credits after accumulating $1,500 in WestJet travel annually. Those credits can be used toward any future WestJet flights, with no blackouts or travel restrictions.

Frequent flyer groups called the program "average," noting it will probably attract travellers not loyal to any one airline.

But it has fewer perks than rival programs, such as Aeroplan, which cater to the business crowd, said Patrick Sojka, head of RewardsCanada.ca,a Calgary-based website.

"You're losing out on business class upgrades, you don't have business class lounge access," he said.

"Those people who get that with Aeroplan won't be making the move."

WestJet has previously announced a partnership with RBC for a branded MasterCard credit card as part of the program.

Loyalty programs are seen as key to attracting corporate travellers, a sector WestJet has aggressively targeted in recent years.

One analyst said WestJet has definitely lost out on traffic to its main competitor, Air Canada, because of the lack of loyalty perks.

"These programs are wildly popular," said Rick Erickson, a Calgarybased independent airline analyst.

"I think WestJet has left a fair amount of incremental revenue on the table at a time when both Canadian carriers are so aggressive fare wise, price wise, in what is still a distressed sector."

But he also noted the airline does appear to be setting a new course by tying the rewards to dollars spent and setting a higher level before credits start to accumulate.

"It's more clever in that sense," Erickson said.

"They're allowing their system to start up without having to pay any rewards right away."

1. Start your walking tour of Calgary by orienting yourself at the Calgary Tower. Take the elevator 160 metres up to the observation deck, where you can step out onto the glass floor--if you dare. But don't just look down: the tower offers outstanding panoramic views of the prairies, the city and the Rocky Mountains.

2. Stop by the Tourism Calgary information centre at the base of the tower for plenty of ideas and maps. Then step out onto the pedestrian-only Stephen Avenue Walk for a stroll.

3. On a sunny afternoon, take a fresh-air break and wander around Prince's Island Park, in the Eau Claire area.

4. While you're on Stephen Avenue, stop in at the Glenbow Museum for outstanding exhibits, including Mavericks: An Incorrigible History of Alberta. You'll find tales of derring-do and even disaster, told through the voices of those who shaped the province.

5. Just one block north of Stephen Avenue on Centre Street is Art Central, an entire city block's worth of historic building devoted to studio and gallery space, with local art, jewelry, fashion, crafts and more. (There's an award-winning coffee shop, too.)

6. Still in the downtown core within walking distance is Cantos Music Foundation, where you'll find more than 200 exhibits of musical instruments through the centuries, including the piano that Elton John and Bernie Taupin used to write songs such as Tiny Dancer. Call first to book a tour, 403-543-5115 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting              403-543-5115      end_of_the_skype_highlighting begin_of_the_skype_highlighting              403-543-5115      end_of_the_skype_highlighting.

7. Kids will love the "accidentally educational" fun at the Telus World of Science and the Creative Kids Museum, handily located on 11th St. S.W., just a few minutes' walk from the 10th St. S.W. C-Train stop.

8. You can easily explore beyond downtown, too, by hopping the C-Train to the Calgary Zoo, just five minutes down the McKnight-Westwinds (Whitehorn) line. This family-friendly venue offers at least half a day's worth of wandering among the animals, from elephants, gorillas, hippos and giraffes to Canadian species such as moose and wolves.

9. It's best to take a vehicle out to Canada Olympic Park, on the western edge of the city, but it's well worth the trip if you're an adrenalin junkie. Slide down the Skyline zip line at speeds between 120 and 140 km/h for a seriously water cooler-worthy tale.

(There's a museum devoted to the Olympics and plenty of other activities here, too.)

10. Finally, back at the Calgary International Airport, check out Spaceport with the kids. The main area is free, with a viewing gallery of the planes outside and lots of kid-friendly exhibits, but it's worth purchasing tickets for the simulators (from a Formula 1 race car to an F-18 fighter jet) for the full experience.

"Views! Views! Views!"

"Location! Location! Location!" The real estate industry appropriated these phrases long ago, but as a guidebook writer, I am also in the business of advertising real estate. I think it's time to wrest these descriptions from the usurpers.

Specifically, let's put them back to useful, honest work on behalf of their rightful owners: national parks.

National parks afford truly grand views because their locations are indisputably the most spectacular in the country. In particular, the Canadian Rocky Mountain national parks offer a lifetime of sublime sightseeing to anyone willing to step off the pavement and follow a trail.

For example, just 90 minutes is all it takes for reasonably fit hikers to reach Paget Lookout and witness a panorama encompassing much of Yoho National Park, which is located just west of the B.C.-Alberta border, near Golden, B.C.

The park's name is a Cree exclamation of astonishment, roughly equivalent to "wow." The lookout site reveals how apt the name is.

Below it is the Kicking Horse Valley. Beyond are numerous 3,000-plus-metre peaks, including those ringing famous Lake O'Hara.

The lookout shelter--decommissioned but remarkably intact--is world-class real estate. A five-star property. As a Canadian citizen, you own it. You really should visit it at least once.

While you're there, check out the backyard. An athletic sortie on a rough-but-discernible route will earn you a superior vista from the summit of Paget Peak.

What to bring

Wear hiking boots. Use trekking poles if possible. Even if you start in shorts and a T-shirt, bring long pants, a long-sleeve shirt, a fleece pullover and a light rain shell in your day pack. You'll want sunglasses, hat and sunscreen. Gloves and a tuque will be useful if it turns cool. In addition to a hearty lunch, pack several high-energy snacks. A headlamp and first-aid kit are essential in case of emergency. Start hydrated and carry two litres per person.

Getting there

From Calgary, drive Highway 1 west, past Canmore and Banff. Immediately north of Lake Louise, where the Icefields Parkway(Highway 93) continues north, travel west on Highway 1. Ascend to the Alberta-B.C. boundary. Reset your trip odometer here, on the Great Divide. Slow down just past West Louise Lodge, near the west end of Wapta Lake. At 5.5 kilometres, turn right (north) into the Wapta Lake picnic area parking lot. Elevation: 1,615 metres.

The hike

From the parking lot, walk east toward the picnic shelter. The trail departs left, near the outhouse. Follow it north.

Within two minutes, reach a signed junction at 1,629 metres. Right (east) descends to West Louise Lodge. Go left (west).

About 20 minutes along, reach a signed junction at 1.4 kilometres, 1,771 metres. Left(northwest)leads 1.3 kilometres to Sherbrooke Lake and continues to Niles Meadow. Go right (north-northeast) for Paget Lookout.

From the trailhead, it's a 50-minute ascent through forest to the first unobstructed view(at the end of a short, right spur) of the Kicking Horse Valley(east/west). Just eight minutes farther, reach Paget Lookout at 3.5 kilometres, 2,135 metres.

The lookout view extends south-southeast up Cataract Brook Valley toward Lake O'Hara.

The prominent glacier-mantled peaks south-southeast are Collier Peak and (behind it) Mount Huber. Farther left (southeast) is Popes Peak. Directly south is Vanguard Peak. Farther right (south-southwest) is Cathedral Crags. Southwest is Mount Stephen, which rises above the hamlet of Field.

Immediately left (north) of the lookout, a route begins left of a large, flat boulder. Follow it north-northeast to resume ascending Paget Peak. The summit is 45 minutes to one hour distant.

Note landmarks while romping up the talus to prevent straying off course coming down. The route remains distinct on the peak's lower reaches. Cairns offer guidance.

Above are numerous paths boot-beaten into the scree. Take your pick; all will suffice.

Paget Peak's 2,565-metre summit grants a surpassing view of everything you saw from the lookout, plus the entire valley below Mount Niles.

If you find yourself in Edmonton with a craving for perogies, there a few places in town sure to satisfy tastebuds.

When you are a food writer, many people believe you eat special things on a daily basis. Perhaps panko-crusted infusions of beet foam, sprinkled with eggplant dust. Always with the raw fish.

Truth be told, I often get a hankering for the far-less-fussy. A piece of toast with a slice of processed cheese and a slick of mayo. A can of Campbell's Cream of Tomato Soup lumped up with soda crackers. A glass of milk.

Recently, I have had a yen for the very ordinary likes of perogy, also known by purists as pyrohy or varenyky.

So I went in search of a satisfying Ukrainian dumpling, something to comfort me when I am blue, and fill me up when I have nothing but a handful of toonies in my pocket.

One of the happiest discoveries I made in my hungry travels was Wendy's Gourmet Perogies. Located in an oddly industrial setting on 99th Street at 45th Avenue, Wendy's makes 10 delicious flavours of perogies priced at $9 a dozen. Varieties include bacon and old cheddar, sauerkraut and bacon, and Tex Mex (in case you have a hankering for refried beans in your buttery pouches of potato).

My favourite among Wendy's perogies are the spinach and feta cheese, although dill and Swiss cheese run a close second. Her potato perogies taste like potato, unlike some perogies, which appear to be filled with something white and pasty but not immediately identifiable.

Owner Wendy Schultz (who spent five years selling her wares at farmers markets before opening a shop nearly six years ago) does a roaring eat-in business at lunch, but also is well equipped for takeout, with a frozen food case up front so you can nip in and pick up dinner on the way home from work. (Wendy's is closed in the evenings.)

All of Schultz's perogies are boiled and then buttered, and require only minimal re-heating.

No story about perogies would be complete without a visit to Uncle Ed's, the perogy palace located on 118th Avenue at 48th Street. (You may know it as the Mundare Sausage House, because the outlet for Stawnichy's sausages in Edmonton is attached to Uncle Ed's.)

Uncle Ed's is geared toward eat-in, although servers will happily put your choice in a take-away container. Important note: don't assume, as I did, that the boiled variety of perogy is all that's available.

You can also get pan-fried or deep-fried, lending the pillowy creatures a crisper finish.

Sour cream, fried onions and real bacon bits come with each order. Four flavours of potato-based perogy are available: cheddar, cottage cheese, onion or sauerkraut. You can buy a plate of eight perogies for $6.50, or five for $4.50. Such a deal.

The lovely thing about Uncle Ed's is that you can also get Stawnichy's famous Mundare ham and garlic sausage on your plate, as well as fragrant cheese buns or crepes with dill cream sauce, and sour or sweet cabbage rolls. Everything comes from Stawnichy's factory in Mundare.

My final recommendation is Taste of Ukraine, downtown at Jasper Avenue and 122nd Street. Don't be put off by the restaurant's reputation as a fine-dining establishment, although it's true you must employ proper terminology here. (Don't, whatever you do, use the term "perogy" around owners Orysia and George Wozniak, who say it is a slang, Canadianized version of the word "pyrohy.") Traditional flavours are available, but also cherry and blueberry, as well as a mini-pyrohy stuffed with minced mushroom.

During the Winter Olympics in Vancouver, many families are staying a little closer to home this month, and when they're not watching the Olympic Games on television, there are plenty of great attractions to get out and enjoy. There's probably no better time to get out and spend time with your family than on the holiday weekend dedicated to families. Here are just a few ideas for attractions close to home to enjoy with your kids this Family Day weekend if you live in, or near, Alberta.

Dinosaurs Alive!

The Calgary Zoo's Prehistoric Park will come to life with 20 giant animatronic dinosaurs that move and roar. Some of the eight-metre tall dinosaurs can even be remotely controlled by guests. Dinosaurs Alive! is a $1 million exhibit and will be the first of its kind in North America. While at the zoo, visit the new Enmax Conservatory that opened in November 2009 and the new baby giraffe.

Family Day Weekend at the Royal Tyrrell

The Royal Tyrrell Museum is offering free admission on Feb. 15 and a full slate of family activities from Feb. 13 to 15 including fossil casting sessions and free dinosaur movies. Fossil casting is an activity suitable for guests age four years and up and costs an additional $7 per person or $24 per family. Preregistration is recommended for fossil casting. (

Telus World of Science Calgary

"Explore the Sky" family course takes place on the evening of Feb. 12 at Telus World of Science Calgary. The course teaches you how to find your way around the night sky using the Discovery Dome

"Digistars" and the rooftop telescopes, weather permitting. The course is suitable for children ages eight years and older. Two adults and four children can enjoy the course for $40. Pre-registration is essential. (

Family Special: From Feb. 12 to 15, if you visit the Royal Tyrrell

Museum, Telus World of Science Calgary, or the Calgary Zoo, you will receive a two-for-one admission coupon for the other two attractions.

Art Gallery of Alberta

The Art Gallery of Alberta (AGA) celebrated its grand opening on Jan. 31 in Edmonton. The 85,000-square-foot gallery also features a new children's gallery, named BMO World of Creativity and a number of events, classes and programs planned for 2010. The second

Sunday of every month is called the HSBC All Day Sunday and has special free activities, hands-on workshops, and "wacky exhibition tours."

Remington Carriage Centre

The Remington Carriage Centre Museum is offering free admission on Family Day for its annual Carriage County Fair, which takes place from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m. There will also be carnival games and midway-style food for the event. Located in Cardston, the Remington Carriage Centre is a museum dedicated to horse-drawn transportation in North America. More than 240 vehicles are on display and there is a tack room, workshop, stable, coach house and corrals to explore. Visit the website and print off a coupon for 50 per cent off admission to the museum throughout 2010.

Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump

Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump is offering free admission on Feb. 15. A UNESCO World Heritage site located outside Fort Macleod, this museum and interpretive centre explores the ecology, mythology, lifestyle and technology of Blackfoot peoples. Special activities include drumming and dancing, puppet shows, crafts and special interpretive programs.

Frank Slide Interpretive Centre

The Frank Slide Interpretive Centre is offering free admission to all guests on Family Day. The centre will also have a special exhibit from the Bellevue Underground Mine and miners will be on hand telling stories.

Free Fishing Family Day Weekend

Alberta has two free fishing weekends each year: the Family Day weekend and one in the summer that coincides with National Fishing Week. From Feb. 13 to 15, Albertans can fish in any public water body that has an open fishing season (not including national parks) without buying a licence. You can pick up a free copy of the 2009 Alberta Guide to Sportfishing Regulations wherever licences are sold or at

Calgary Outdoor Centre

The Wright brothers are famous for being the inventors of the first powered aircraft, but few Canadians can name this country's first pilot, the name of the plane he flew or even when or where the first flight in Canada took place.

In case you don't know, the place was the frozen surface of Bras d'Or lake near Baddeck, Nova Scotia; the plane was the Silver Dart and the pilot was John McCurdy. His first flight happened on February 23, 1909, nearly one hundred years ago.

To celebrate the centennial of that first flight in Canada, why not visit one of this nations' many fine aviation museums? Here are some for you to consider. Sadly, you won't be able to find the original Silver Dart in any of them as it is long lost, but several museums have fine reproductions of the aircraft for you to see; one is in the Maritimes, two are in Ontario and two are in Alberta.

1. Canadian Aviation Museum - Ottawa, ON

For years thiscollection of important Canadian aircraft sat in a series of dingy, old air force hangars in Rockcliffe, but the museum has since been upgraded to a world-class institution worthy of repeat visits. Their Silver Dart replica is an airworthy example that was built in the 1950s and actually flew at Baddeck on the 50th anniversary of McCurdy's first flight. Unfortunately, it crashed, but has since been repaired and is on display for you to enjoy along with dozens of other aircraft. While there is an emphasis on planes important in Canadian history, the museum displays all sorts of aircraft from around the world.

2. Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum - Mount Hope, ON

Located at the airport that serves Hamilton, the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum is this country's most important collection of Canadian military aircraft. Much of the collection is from World War II, but there are also several post-war jet fighters on display. There is a special emphasis on the many training aircraft used in Canada as part of the Commonwealth Air Training Plan which was instrumental in turning out new pilots and air crew for Commonwealth air forces during World War II. One of the trainers used during that time was the Harvard and, if you've got the money, you can even arrange to take a flight in one at the museum.

3. Canadian Bushplane Heritage Centre - Sault Ste. Marie, ON

In a country as large as Canada with so many remote communities it is not an understatement to say that airplanes played a vital role in shaping our nation. Bush planes are the unheralded craft that played that role and this Sault Ste. Marie museum does them justice. It's a hands-on collection that is worth a visit. They also have a Silver Dart replica on display.

4. Reynolds-Alberta Museum - Wetaskiwin, AB

Located south of Edmonton in the town of Wetaskiwin, this museum celebrates all sorts of mechanical milestones and boasts a fascinating collection of cars, trucks, farm equipment, aircraft and vehicles of all sorts. It's also home to Canada's Aviation Hall of Fame. It is also one of the collections in this country that displays a Silver Dart replica.

5. National Air Force Museum of Canada - Trenton, ON

The air force base in Trenton, Ontario has a long history and is the natural location to house a museum dedicated to the history of the Canadian air force. The interior collections are a fascinating display of Canada's long and proud military flying heritage. Outside, the museum has established the RCAF Memorial Air Park, a 16-acre area which has numerous aircraft on display and several memorial cairns paying homage to Canadian military aviators.

6. Canadian Museum of Flight - Langley, BC

Like many of Canada's aviation museums, the Canadian Museum of Flight is a volunteer-run, non-profit organization dedicated to preserving aircraft important in Canadian history. They have many fine aircraft on display, some of which have taken decades to restore. Among their most prized displays is the world's only surviving Handley-Page Hampden, a World-War II bomber of which 1,432 were built and only this one remains. The original craft had crashed in the ocean in Patricia Bay, B.C. during a World War II training flight and was salvaged in the 1980s and ultimately restored by the museum using parts from other wrecks.

7. Aerospace Museum of Calgary - Calgary, AB

This unassuming museum near Calgary's airport was founded by World War II pilots and aviation enthusiasts who wanted to tell the stories of aviation in western Canada. It boasts a collection of 23 aircraft from World War I to present and has a large display of airplane engines that demonstrate the evolution of aircraft powerplants. It also has a full-scale replica of the Silver Dart.

8. Atlantic Canada Aviation Museum - Halifax, NS

If you see a Voodoo jet fighter along the highway while driving to the Halifax airport, you'll know you've made it to the Atlantic Canada Aviation Museum. It bills itself as "Atlantic Canada's Only Aviation Museum that is dedicated to the preservation of both civilian and military aircraft." Among the aircraft on display is a Silver Dart replica that was built in Baddeck, Nova Scotia using McCurdy's original plans.

9. North Atlantic Aviation Museum - Gander, NL

Gander, Newfoundland played an important role in the early history of flight in this country as it was a vital refueling spot for aircraft crossing the Atlantic Ocean. During World War II, Ferry Command flew aircraft through here on the way from North America to the front lines of Europe. The museum is small, but honours an important part of aviation history.

10. Toronto Aerospace Museum - Toronto, ON

The Silver Dart may have been the first aircraft to fly in Canada, but the one that many consider to be the apex of Canadian aircraft design is the Avro Arrow. This 1950s-era jet fighter never saw service and only a few prototypes were built before the federal government cancelled the project. No examples of the Arrow survived, but the Toronto Aerospace Museum has built a full-scale replica that it proudly displays as part of its collection of aircraft of historical significance to the Toronto area.

It was a vow I made to myself nearly 35 years ago that took me to explore the reason Edmonton is spending $88 million on a new art gallery.

In 1973, I ended up hippie-broke outside Madrid's Museo Nacional del Prado after travelling rough across North Africa and on my way to living even rougher in the parks of Paris.

I sneaked into a party while entering the world-famous art gallery and suddenly came face to face with The Garden of Delight by Hieronymous Bosch.

I wasn't a big fan of the Flemish painter (1453-1516), but writer Henry Miller had featured his work on the cover of his book, Big Sur and the Oranges of Hieronymus Bosch.

The book, published in 1957, motivated me to travel and was a major reason for my initial journey to Edmonton from London.

Miller's book is a personal narrative about his life on the rugged California coast near Carmel, where he lived for more than a decade after returning from his lengthy European expatriation.

The author alludes to Bosch's depiction of fruit as symbolic of a garden of earthly delights, and enjoyed the natural beauty of the isolated coast and his colourful neighbours.

Seeing Bosch's original work was a poignant moment and I decided if Miller was into such art, I should investigate it and his love for it.

The pledge to appreciate art has largely gone unsung. I have picked up a few original pieces on travels. But I'm one of the legion who say: "I don't know much about art, but I know what I like."

I was rather sheepish when I walked into the Art Gallery of Alberta recently to meet with Ruth Burns, a Victoria Composite High School grad who gained her undergraduate degree in art history at McGill before returning to study for her master's.

Burns is now the gallery's interpretive programs manager and works closely with chief curator and deputy director Catherine Crowston.

"Life without art is a sombre prospect for me," she says.

Burns is excited the Randall Stout Art Gallery of Alberta is scheduled to open in January 2010.

"The gallery will add to the reasons why people would be attracted to living here," she said. "It will complement our world-class Citadel Theatre, Edmonton Symphony Orchestra and Edmonton Opera Company."

I asked Burns how those who don't know much about art should go about learning and appreciating it.

She said be open to a work and don't let your preconceptions interfere with your experience.

- Question your assumption and emotional response. "If you are upset, perhaps this was the artist's intention."

- Take your time and study the work. Ask yourself what you are looking at. There's often a range of meaning and there isn't a fixed answer or response.

- Ask someone who is knowledgeable lots of questions. Why did the artist make the decision they did? Jackson Pollock upset many by seemingly losing control and allowing paint to fall onto a canvas. "He's today regarded as one of the 20th century's greatest artists."

- Connect ideas that emerge from a work with our larger world. "That's when art can be most powerful."

- Tolerate uncertainty in art. Engaging in a piece is an exercise in discovery. There is no right or wrong answer.

- Chose art for your home that you enjoy and can live with.

"There are people in our community with decades of art experience," says Burns. "We are looking for such people to become volunteers, study the work to be featured in future exhibitions and then communicate with others." Applications: www.artgalleryalberta.com.

It was perhaps with a slightly better understanding I took a peek at an exhibition opening this weekend: The Painter as Printmaker: Impressionist Prints from the National Gallery of Canada.

"It features more than 65 works, including those key Impressionists artists, including Paul Cezanne, Edgar Degas, Edouard Manet, Auguste Renoir and Vincent van Gogh," says Burns.

Opening at the same time is A New Light: Canadian Painting After Impressionsim. "The show explores modern influences within Canadian painting in the late-19th century and early 20th century," says Burns. "In Canada, some thought the Impressionists were despisers of art. But some Canadian painters went to France to study, absorb and interpret the wealth of creative changes that were occurring. They came to conceive of the artist as an innovator, whose role was not to offer an ordered and rational representation of the world, but to capture the artist's sensation of the world."

Here ended my first lesson. Some 16 major shows a year a year will be staged at the new gallery.

The snow-covered peaks of Pyramid, Old Man, Whistlers and Edith Cavell surround the small mountain town of Jasper, a popular destination for Albertans, especially skiers and snowboarders looking for a winter weekend getaway.

I can understand the appeal:I have lived and worked in Jasper since May. What started as a summer job has evolved into a year-round occupation. I work at the Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge in the Emerald Lounge and I look forward to spending my first winter in Jasper and exploring all it has to offer.

It may come as a surprise that a girl from Edmonton would give up the city life -- endless shopping, bars and restaurants to fulfil the dreams of any urban 19-year-old --for a small, touristy town where it is impossible not to see someone you know as you meander aimlessly through the streets, covering the entire town in less than a day.

Getting to know Jasper, however, is like getting to know someone who will undoubtedly become a good friend--once the relationship starts, it just keeps getting better.

Of course, Jasper's main winter attraction is Marmot Basin, about a 25-minute drive from the town. Snowfall since the hill's opening day on Nov. 11 has been excellent. In 24 hours from Sunday to Monday, Marmot got 30 centimetres of snow, and it's still coming down. November's snowfall has been a whopping 225 cm.

In fact, everyone who has been on the hill so far has raved about the incredible conditions and the waist-deep powder. They're also thrilled with the new quad chair.

The early snowfall couldn't have been more welcome to Marmot Basin's owners, as they debuted the new high-speed quad chairlift that takes you from the bottom of the hill to the top in a mere seven and a half minutes.

Richard Cooper, a food and beverage manager at the Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge who has lived in Jasper for more than six years, says the opening conditions were the best he has ever seen.

What does he love most about Marmot Basin? The hill always appeals, he says, because the skiers and snowboarders it attracts have no ego.

"It's a very unpretentious place, there's none of this 'coolest guy on the hill'...everyone is just there to have fun."

If you aren't as enthusiastic about skiing and snowboarding as everyone else, there are many other ways to enjoy Jasper. Fun experiences range from skating on Pyramid Lake or Jasper Park Lodge's Lac Beauvert to more extreme challenges such as ice climbing in Maligne Canyon.

Andrew Stevens, 23, is excited to spend his first winter in Jasper. Employed at the Wild Mountain clothing store, he regularly urges people he encounters to explore the park, a place full of clear, aquamarine lakes and endless expanses of forest.

"Just strap on a pair of snowshoes and explore," he says. "There's so much to see."

Finding an elk grazing outside your door is a daily occurrence, he notes. You could explore the area for days and never come close to seeing it all.

A few must-see sights, when Highway 93 (the Columbia Icefields Parkway) from Jasper to Banff is open to traffic: the Columbia Icefields and the Athabasca Falls. If driving up to Marmot Basin, stop to experience the Edge of the World, where you stand on a cliff and overlook pretty much all of the park.

Alberta- Banff Pack Trip
February 26, 2010

by Equitrekking host Darley Newman

The first day of our pack trip into Banff National Park had been an eventful one. The three-hour ride to Mystic Camp was a mix of sun, rain and hail- yes hail in July! We were in the Canadian Rockies of Alberta, exploring Banff National Park and filming a pack trip for a new episode of Equitrekking. In Banff, as in any mountainous area, layers are essential, because the weather changes quickly.

We passed through deep forests, teeming with moss, both on the ground and hanging from the branches of tall spruce trees. My horse Tumbleweed drank from cool mountain streams and trotted and walked along the sometimes rocky trails. We passed through forested trails that opened up to reveal dramatic, tall mountain peaks, piercing the sky. I felt like I was looking at an Ansel Adams photograph, except that I was there, seeing it in color, smelling the forest and rain and hearing the birds.

On the ride to camp, we passed only one other soul, a packer with a string of mules. He was making a supply run for the camp where we were headed. For the most part, we rode in silence-- in a zen like state. We stopped a few times in picturesque areas to film. Tumbleweed, my trusty trail horse, didn’t like being left alone with the mule that Barry, our guide, rode. He’d named her Sharon Stone, because she had attitude and said she was a super smart mule. I don’t think Tumbleweed appreciated her finer qualities. Every time Barry and I tried to ride away from the group, Tumbleweed called out to make sure that the others knew he was nearby. I reassured him with pats and tried to make sure the other horses were in view.
A few times along our ride, Barry pointed out fresh bear scat along the trails, though we don’t see any bears. The bears seemed to be hiding from us, which wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.

Warner Guiding & Outfitting, the outfitting company with whom we traveled, runs three camps in Banff National Park. These camps aren’t just a few small tents in the woods. They are quite intricate logistical operations.

Warner’s Mystic Camp has a large tack tent, luggage tent, outhouses, a small slew of sleeping tents (tents built on wooden risers, because it rains quite a lot), and a dining tent complete with a wood burning stove (for warmth and where hot water and coffee rest) and even a propane stove. Imagine the dining tent in the TV series “Mash” and you can maybe imagine these, except they are white canvas.

When we first got to camp, I met Tanya, the cook. She’s got a hard job, living in the woods and cooking for hungry riders. Tanya introduced me to her kitchen, where she cooks up amazing meals like the pancakes, oatmeal, fresh muffins, eggs and sausage that we had for breakfast the next morning. I do admit, clean up is sort of a pain because no electricity means no dishwasher, but the woman’s got a stove! Someone had the tough job of packing that in at some point in the beginning of the summer and someone will pack it out.

Tanya told me about her relationship with the folks she calls the “packers.” These are like the truck drivers of the horse world. Their job is to ride a string of horses and mules packed with supplies into camp and then carry out trash or whatever needs to be taken away from camp. Mystic Camp is the closest camp to civilization and it’s still three hours. Tanya gets her meats and those items that need to stay cold brought in frozen by a packer and she keeps a list for each time he comes to camp. When the frozen foods arrive, she immediately buries them in her insulated ground box to keep them cool for the week.

It’s like we’d stepped back in time, as we walked down to the glacial fed stream to get water to clean the potatoes for dinner. Armed with a silver bucket, I made sure not to fall into the chilly waters as I attempted to help Tanya. (Guests don’t have to help with chores, but I wanted to see how the whole camp worked.) Tanya cooked a beef roast, baked potatoes, salad, corn, fresh baked muffins and cherry cake for dinner. The food was good and hearty. The best part of the meal was the second dessert, when we all sat outside by a fire and roasted s’mores. I hadn’t had s’mores by a fire since I was a kid. They tasted really good.

It’s been a while since I’ve been camping. So long, in fact, that I failed to grasp the new camping technology on the first night of our pack trip. As the rain beat on my tent, I tossed and turned, wondering the point of the small, flat bedroll my sleeping bag rested upon. It was dark when I crawled into my tent and used my tiny flashlight to search for bugs, before changing and zipping myself into my sleeping bag. When the air is crisp outside, it’s good sleeping weather. I was keen to get in my sleeping bag and didn’t take the time to use my flashlight to properly set up my sleeping arrangements. My bedroll could have self-inflated, but I didn’t see that in the dark, so instead of sleeping on cushy air, I was sleeping on a worthless flat bedroll on a hard wooden riser. The next morning, I rose stiffer from the night’s sleep than from the thirty-five miles I had ridden the past two days, so I really enjoyed that morning coffee, which was waiting for me in the kitchen tent.

The second day of our trip was the most beautiful. That’s when we did our ride to Mystic Lake, a beautiful jade green colored glacial fed lake about an hour and a half’s ride from Mystic Camp. The setting was absolutely pristine and again no one else was anywhere around. Sitting on Tumbleweed at Mystic Lake, I took in the chilly breeze coming off of its waters. It sure was special to be able to gaze at its beautiful, glassy waters, and absorb the wilderness within Banff National Park.