Icefield / Jasper Weekend: Part 4 (a.k.a. "The End")

Okay, so it has taken me more days to tell the story of our long weekend getaway than there actually were in the weekend, and I'm sure you're all sick and tired of the pictures, but I gotta finish what I started...

Sorry.

On the way back to Calgary from Jasper, we had to go back down along the picturesque Icefields Parkway, and right past the Icefields Centre were the whole thing began. Fortunately, the weather was a bit nicer than it was on our way out, so I got the chance to get a better picture of the Athabasca Glacier.

I drove the whole way, which meant two things: We went just a wee bit over the posted speed limit (insert conspiratorial wink and nudge here), and Chana went camera crazy from the passenger seat. This combination seemed to work just fine, as long as she was taking pictures out the front windshield, but almost every shot she took out her window turned out to be a blur.

Once we were off the parkway and back on the main highway back to the city, I made the decision to slow our trip down a little and take a different route. There's a smaller highway that runs parallel to the main one all the way to Banff, called the Bow Valley Parkway. The speed limit is only 60km/hr instead of the 90km/hr posted limit on Highway 1 (where everybody does at least 110km/hr) and it's a lot more scenic. I hadn't been down that road since a buddy and I used it coming back from a weekend in Radium, BC 17 years ago, and Chana had never been on it, so it seemed like a great idea.

Usually after a line like, "it seemed like a great idea" I end up writing about some tragic or ironic twist... but not this time. In fact, it turned out to be the perfect idea. We saw more wildlife along that one stretch of road than we had seen all weekend! The elk were right along the side of the road, and they weren't shy about having their pictures taken.

Chana got a laugh after I pulled over in front of a couple in a truck who were looking at one of these beautiful creatures (that's not the funny part... wait for it). I grabbed my camera, jumped out of the van, and crossed the road toward the animal so I could get a nice close shot. I didn't see what happened in the truck behind me at the time, but Chana told me all about it afterward (and here comes the funny part). As I was framing my shot, the passenger in the truck pointed toward me, said something to the driver, and the driver slowly got out of his truck and timidly made it about halfway across the road to take a picture too. From what we can tell, the two of them had been weighing the danger of such an action until they saw little old me just strut right out there. The sad thing is, the "timid" guy was at least twice my size!

Okay, here's where I have to say that you shouldn't be as stupid as me... You should respect the power and unpredictability of wild animals, no matter how docile they look. And stay in school... And don't do drugs... But with that said, Wow! Did I ever get some good pictures! In your face, guy who is bigger than me!

Also, at one point, we narrowly missed a close encounter with a bear, but that's for Chana to tell...

I guess that about wraps it up... We stopped in Banff for a bite to eat and then it was straight on home to our kids. It was such an awesome, fun-filled weekend that the following Monday I felt like I needed another weekend right away!

And that, my friends, is the sign of a good time.

Boiled Flower Garden, Anyone?

I swear to you, my office smells like someone boiled a flower garden and dumped the water all over my desk.

Today is my 49th day without caffeine and, as such, I have had to be a little more creative than usual with my choice of hot drinks. For a couple weeks, I drank chamomile or apple cinnamon herbal teas that I purchased from Tim Horton's. Not bad at first, but I was glad to finally see the end of those tea bags last week, I'll tell you! "Chamomile" is now my word for "completely lacking in excitement, flavour, or inspiration" and I'll happily stay away from anything with cinnamon in it for a while.

So, last night, as I was picking up a few groceries for the week, I stopped to see what other sorts of teas there might be. Of course, outside of Orange Pekoe or Earl Grey, I'm a complete noob when it comes to these things. Which meant that I just stood and stared at row after row of those little boxes and tins for what seemed like forever. My eyes eventually fell upon a selection of Green Teas and, Green Tea being something I'd never tried before, I chose a variety pack that included things like "Green Tea and Raspberry" or "Green Tea and Peach". Not the most manly sounding drinks, I'll admit, but worth a go.

The Raspberry was my first try this morning, right after I arrived at work. Not bad, I must admit. Definitely more bitter than any of the herbals I've been drinking lately and, for a guy who likes his coffee, a pleasant change. But the one I've just brewed now is a totally different story...

It's called "Green Tea and Jasmine Flowers". And, in case you're wondering, it takes about as good as it smells.

If this doesn't shatter my willpower to stay off caffeine as long as possible, nothing will!

Icefield / Jasper Weekend: Part 3

As I'm sure I've mentioned in the past, Chana has a real love for waterfalls. She loves to look at them, feel their mist on her face, and surround herself with the sound of the crashing water. I'm not kidding when I say she can sit and stare at a waterfall for hours! That's why every trip we take to Banff includes a stop at Bow Falls, one of her most favorite places on Earth.

Well, this little trip to Jasper provided us with the chance to visit a place that neither of us had been before... An awesome display of power and beauty known as Athabasca Falls.

The Athabasca Falls are located on the Athabasca River (who would have thought, eh?), which originates at the Athabasca Glacier. That's right, the very same glacier that we had the pleasure of standing on. That means the same microscopic particles that makes the ice of the glacier look so amazingly blue also gives the river a distinctively milky-green color. That is, until it plunges over the falls and is churned it to a frothy white...

Now, my previous experience with natural attractions such as these told me that the best picture-taking opportunities would be found off the beaten path. You know, sneak out onto a rock here for a better angle, jump a guard rail there for a unique vantage point... That sort of thing. It's always easier to find a more picturesque view than the Park planners originally envisioned.

But I was wrong this time.

The paths and lookout points laid out around the Athabasca Falls couldn't have been more perfect. All the amazing sights that people drive hundreds of kilometers to see are actually visible from a multitude of breath-taking angles. And, on top of that, little things that would normally go unnoticed, such as channels carved by the falls hundreds or thousands of years ago and then abandoned in favor of easier routes, were pointed out. It seemed that around every corner there was something new to discover, turning a mere trip to the falls into a mini-adventure.

One of Chana's favorite spots had to be this little lookout on the south side of the falls. It was so near to the thundering water that mist fell like a heavy rain and drenched her within seconds. Despite the freezing glacier water, she laughed and screamed like a little school girl, trying to coax me over to "share the experience". Even though she called me a "chicken", I preferred to stay dry and take pictures from a distance.

Just when we though we'd seen it all, we discovered another path that seemed to lead away from the falls. In fact, it led right into the middle of one of those abandoned channels I mentioned, and ultimately ended where the water left the falls, widened, slowed, and continued its journey through the valley. It was an awesome sight! And it was here, too, that you could see the mark of Man and the influence of abundant tourism. Yet, unlike so many attraction that are spoiled by graffiti and litter, here, where the water was shallow and the jagged rocks plentiful, people had erected dozens of inukshuks, giving the place an almost mystical feel.

I'm glad we found that path.

After returning to Jasper from the falls, we spent the rest of the day exploring the little stores and shopping for souvenirs for our kids. In the evening, we treated ourselves to a viewing of The Da Vinci Code in the town's tiny little theatre. Although the movie was less impressive than I had expected (maybe I'll get into that another time, but not now), the theatre itself took me back to a time in my childhood before the giant Megaplexes that dominate our city now. It was nice.

And so ended our stay in Jasper. Next, the journey home.

Icefield / Jasper Weekend: Part 2

After leaving the Icefield Centre behind, Chana and I had about an hour's drive ahead of us before we'd reach our next stop... Jasper. Now, if I had been driving this leg of the trip, I'm sure we would have made it in less time than that because my foot tends to be a bit heavy and I rarely stop for any of the sightseeing attractions along the way. In my defense, these "attractions" are usually just plaques telling the story of how a particular mountain got its name, or marking the location where some long-dead pioneer made a mineralogical discovery... Interesting, but not worth losing valuable driving time over.

Fortunately, though, I wasn't driving as we made our way north. We had only been driving about 10 minutes when I felt the van slow down and Chana said, "I'm stopping". Before I could protest, I looked out my window and saw an absolutely amazing series of waterfalls that ended right at the side of the road. There was no plaque to tell us the name (if they even had one), but the Park officials had been wise enough to provide a bit of space for vehicles to pull over.

A few other people had also parked and were taking pictures of each other in front of the cascading water, or climbing up to explore the higher portions of the falls. The highway isn't a very busy one, though, so it wasn't crowded. We had no trouble getting a lot of great shots. I even managed to make my way up to the base of the first fall and found that some of it was still frozen... The sight and smells were amazing!

Eventually, we got back in the van and continued on our way. We were both feeling so good about our trip up to that point and commented to each other about how perfect the weekend was turning out. Too bad it wouldn't last...

When we arrived in Jasper, things took a turn for the worse. Chana had never been there before, and I hadn't been in the little mountain town in 14 years, so we had no idea where we should start looking for a place to stay. A quick drive around town (which only takes 10 minutes, driving slowly) only showed us an abundance of "No Vacancy" signs on each and every hotel, motel, or chalet. Not exactly an encouragement. But Chana, as usual, was the calm one, and she pulled out a pamphlet she had wisely picked up at the Icefields Centre that had all the phone numbers of the accommodations in Jasper.

Long story short, a half an hour and a dead cell phone later, we knew beyond the shadow of a doubt that everything was booked for the night. Not that it mattered too much... We also found out that the average rate for one night at a hotel in Jasper is between $250 and $350! Definitely not what we had expected and certainly not what we had budgeted for! As I began to rant and rave about how I would never return to Jasper, Chana began driving around town again, looking for some sort of inspiration, I guess.

And you know what? She found it.

Many of the homes we drove past had little "Approved Accommodation" signs on them. Now, I'm familiar with the idea of a "Bed & Breakfast", but I really don't like the idea of staying in someone else's home, sleeping down the hall from them, or having to sit down to a meal with a total stranger. But, Chana insisted that we had no choice but to give it a try or turn around and drive the 4 and a half hours back home. Faced with that kind of logic, I had to give in.

And I'm glad I did.

Most of the "Approved Accommodations" also had "No Vacancy" signs out, but we soon found one that didn't. Chana went up to the door (believe me, she's the great negotiator in this relationship) and knocked. It turned out that someone else had gotten there just ahead of us and was in the process of signing in, but the owner of the home explained that, even thought the population of the town was only 5000, there were over 200 Approved Accommodations to be found. And the beautiful thing was, the majority of them were not Bed & Breakfast style set-ups, but simply rooms done up to be exactly like a hotel suite, complete with cable TV, private washrooms, and separate entrances. Now that was something I could do!

We ended up spending 2 nights in Jasper, in 2 different places, and it only cost us a total of $140. That's a far cry from the $500 to $700 a hotel would have set us back! And the places we stayed in were easily as nice, if not nicer, than a hotel suite.

The weekend was saved!

Our first full day in town was Sunday, and we spent the early part of the day going up Whistler Mountain on the Tramway. Chana isn't exactly a fan of heights, but she was very brave on this trip and had her breath taken away by the beautiful view at the top. Of course, once we reached "the top", I realized it was still a fair hike if one wanted to reach the actual summit. No paved pathways or set of stairs here... Just a steep, gravelly path that twisted and turned up the side of the mountain. And, since we were above the treeline at this point, there was no vegetation larger than a tuft of grass to protect me from the biting wind as I climbed.

Chana stayed behind to explore the Gift Shop and eventually make friends with a nice lady from England as I trudged my way to the actual top of Whistler Mountain. I lost my breath a few times and my heart was beating like a jackhammer in the thin air, but I'm a stubborn sort and I'm proud to say that I made it. Of course, the wind has about 10 times worse up there, so I only stayed long enough to get a few pictures before making my way back down to Chana and a little bit of warmth.

Amazingly, that only brings us to about 10:30 in the morning, and the day had a few more adventures in store, but you'll just have to wait for the next post...

Icefield / Jasper Weekend: Part 1

Whenever Chana and I go away, whether it be for the day, a weekend, or a full holiday, there's one thing you can always count on: There will be pictures. In fact, there will be lots of pictures. I've become something of a shutter-bug over the last couple of years and, I have to admit, I usually spend a large portion of any outing with my camera in front of my face.

On our most recent getaway, Chana and I managed to snap over 500 pictures in 3 days! Of course, as can be expected in this era of digital cameras, many of those shots are the "errors" in the "trial and error" method of photography. Still, we ended up with plenty of fascinating pictures (in my opinion) that will help us preserve the awesome memories of the trip for years to come.

Now, I not only struggled with summoning the ambition to get some of these pictures ready for the web, but also how to show them off without either uploading them all to Google or overloading my own personal webspace. I wanted to post them in a way that would allow you go see them anytime you want, no matter how far into the archives this particular blog post recedes. After much thought, I settled on setting up a Flickr account separate from the one I use for my "Photo of the Week" pictures. Since Chana and I tend to leave the city any chance we get, I'll use this account strictly for posting pictures from these little trips.

This first set of snapshots was taken during our stay at the Icefields Chalet. Clicking on any one of them will take you to the Flickr page for that photo. There you can find a description of the picture, and even see it full size for maximum effect. If you'd like to see the whole set from this "Icefield/Jasper Trip", click here. There are only 7 pictures so far, but more will be added following future blog posts. To do it all at once would not only be tiring for me, but probably a bit of an overload for you as well.

Pretty considerate guy, aren't I?

Anyway, I can only hope you enjoy looking at these photos half as much as we had taking them...

Wait for It...

Looking for some cool pictures of the glacier we visited? Chana sent you, didn't she? Well, my apologies, because I've been way too busy to deal with the ton of snapshots I collected last weekend... And by "busy", of course, I mean watching Ask a Ninja clips and laughing my ass off!

So, while I'm waiting for my new butt-implants to arrive from eBay, I'll see if I can't get a couple of pictures edited and worthy of Chana's claims of excellence... But not tonight. Tonight a friend and I are going to see Disturbed! Let the ear-bleeding begin!

In the meantime, I'd suggest you check out the Ninja. His wisdom is quick and deadly...

I look forward to writing a real post for you... real soon! HYAH!

In Search of a Sunrise

A few weeks ago, on a weekend when my daughter was away visiting her Mom, I happened to get up nice and early and go out for a stroll. Luckily, I live quite close to one of the most amazing locations in our city... Nose Hill Park.

If you check out that link, you'll see that it holds the record as Canada's largest municipal park and measures a whopping 2784 acres! Now that's a park!

Anyway, as I was saying, I went for an early morning walk, camera in hand, and headed for Nose Hill. At first, I was just going to walk up the east side of the hill to see if I could get some good sunrise shots. Unfortunately, facing east meant I was facing the flattest, most unattractive part of Calgary. So, I walked a little farther into the park.

Before long, it was easy to forget that I was in the middle of a city. I was surrounded by nothing but wintry scrub grass, leafless trees, and silence. I guess it was early enough that the growl of traffic hadn't grown loud enough to penetrate the solitude of the park. I was smack-dab in the middle of one of the most peaceful walks I'd ever been on.

It occurred to me that I might get a good photo of the morning sun shining off the Rocky Mountains. The only problem there was the fact that the mountains weren't visible from where I was. I'd have to walk across to the west side.

Did I mention how big Nose Hill is?

One pond, three ducks, and four dog-walkers later, I arrived at a place that gave me a magnificent view of the west side of Calgary, complete with the majestic Rockies as a backdrop.

This is a 170-degree panorama of what I saw that morning. Those of you who remember the '88 Olympics should have little trouble locating the ski jumps at Canada Olympic Park...

Revelation: Part Two

It's true. No coffee. 29 days. And counting.

April 10 was the last time I had a cup of coffee. In fact, it was the last time I had any form of caffeine. That's right... No cola, no tea, and no chocolate either. Can you believe it? Do you know how hard it is to have 6 kids in the house at Easter and not eat chocolate? Torture!

Now, those who know me might be considering stocking up on water and non-perishables as this has generally been thought to be one of the signs of the Apocalypse. But you might want to read on before you max out your Home Depot card on building supplies for your bomb shelter...

As Chana quite correctly pointed out to me, I've done this little "decaffeinated" routine before... It was 2 years ago, almost to the day, that I started an impromptu "Caffeine De-Tox Program" which lasted a whole 30 days. You can read about it here, here, here, and here. The reasons are the same this time around and, as with last time, I will definitely be going back to drinking coffee sometime in the near future. For now, however, I'm curious to see how long this will last. Now that the physical addiction has been broken (the headaches were a killer!) and the habit of always having a coffee cup in my hand is almost gone, I'm sure I'll be able to go as long as I choose.

We'll see.

So, the name of the blog will stay the same... The caffeine may have left my bloodstream, but I can assure you it hasn't left my mind! And when I do decide to sip from the blessed chalice of java once again, I want my first one to be memorable, so be prepared with some good suggestions, okay?

Revelation: Part One

The codes have been cracked! The puzzles are solved! And, most importantly, the secret has been discovered! All that remains is to reveal it to the rest of you...

Wudrich emailed me early Friday morning with his very analytical breakdown of all the clues given, summarizing with an accurate deduction as to the nature of my clean little secret. I'm quite happy that he did, too, because the next puzzle would have involved me breaking into the Louvre and defacing some highly prized works of art and I was beginning to get cold feet about the whole thing!

Unfortunately, a busy weekend prevented me from posting this any sooner... But better late than never, right? So, without further ado, here is Wudrich's email, word-for-word:

Everything in quotes is direct from your page

"I have a secret." - Not anymore.

"It's not a dirty little secret. True, it is a relatively small one, but quite clean, really." - Depends on which part you talk about. That filter is questionable.

"Some people already know my secret, but I've been lying to the rest of you for 16 days now." - here is where it gets interesting.

"For the first few days, my secret was nothing but one big headache... First there was the dull throbbing in my forehead, followed by tension around my temples. Before long, it was the sharp, stabbing pain behind my left eye that I've come to know as a "cluster migraine"." - also known as Caffeine withdrawl

"... I still can't seem to get it off my mind. I get up in the morning, shower, dress, and start thinking about my secret." - What else do you think of after doing those things.

"... friendship began when I was 16 years old... (...if I'm not mistaken, over breakfast) that a long-lasting relationship was forged." - Or perhaps Folgered?

"... in High School, I really only saw my friend on weekends. In college, we were practically inseparable. When I was unemployed, we got together a lot less frequently." - obviously the last due to lack of funds.

"... I've become more of a "home body", put on some much-needed weight, (I'd say) and become a Dad. My friend hasn't really done anything dramatic, per se, but has definitely become a lot less complicated than when we met. In fact, I think some of the very things that I found most appealing originally are completely gone now. Yet the friendship remains because I can appreciate this friend for what they really are when everything else is stripped away." - hmmm some body went black and didn't go back.

"Lately, though, I've been thinking that maybe we hang out together too much." - oh addiction, is there anything better

"I've recently found myself feeling kind of "needy" toward my friend, and I don't want to be that person." - Isn't admitting it the first step?

"So, I decided to "take a break" " - step two

In conclusion Dr. Watson the black liquid in the large cup is the culprit. Hopefully going on 25 days now you have quit the coffee habit and are no longer a caffeinated mind, well maybe not completely. You never know how long it takes for its affects to wear off and those cola products can offer a substitute. Well, I say congratulations if I am right or "wwwhhhaaaaatttt????" if I am wrong. Either way I can't wait for more clues.

Well, since the secret is out, there won't be any more clues. However, there are more details to follow... I promise...

Stay tuned...

Clue #2: A Poem

Making You Work For It

In light of all the hype surrounding Dan Brown's "The Da Vinci Code" and the ever-approaching release date of the movie by the same name, I've decided to play a bit of a game along those lines...

For those of you who haven't read the book, it involves a series of ever-more-complicated codes and ciphers that lend clues to the ultimate puzzle of the location of the Holy Grail (there's more to it than that, like religious zealots try to reveal supposed Church cover-ups, but you get the picture).

Now, about my game...

As most of you probably know, I have a clean little secret. Well, what better way to reveal said secret than by letting you figure it out for yourself? You see, this way, you get to have a bit of fun and I get to keep my secret a little longer. The fact that it's a cheap way to get some easy blog mileage is irrelevant...

Hidden in my next few blog entries, then, will be puzzles or codes that will lead you to a series of clues. These clues can then be used to figure out what I've been keeping under my hat for 21 days now.

You may discuss within the comments, if you wish, and I will acknowledge the first reader to properly decipher each clue. Once all the clues have been given, though, I would encourage you to email me with your answers, just so you don't accidentally give it away to someone else (how many times have you seen that happen on Wheel of Fortune?).

Will there be a prize for figuring out the secret? Good question! Right now, I don't know... But you'll be the first to know when I find out!

So, sharpen your wits, get your pencils and Ovaltine Decoder Rings ready, and see who among you will be the first to uncover Cuppojoe's Clean Little Secret.

(Certain individuals are exempt, as you already know the secret... You know who you are.)