sorry.

sorry. i'm bad at being organised. i'm bad at remembering to write my blog. it's been so long that I even forgot my password to get into it. sorry.

It's only a week til I leave Banff and I've done nothing about packing. I'm starting to get a wee bit concerned because I seem to have twice as much stuff as when I arrived. I have accumulated lots of free things. and now I have to leave them behind. that makes me sad.

but that's not what this post is about. this post is about some of the cool things I've done in the last month! Spring is coming and the snow is starting to melt (it's only dropped below 0 once in the last 3 weeks)...

this post is about Heather's mum Liz. She came out to visit Heather for a week from the UK... she's lovely! Heather and I finally went on our Johnston Canyon walk - JC is a massive canyon about 20 minutes out of town that has formed because of the river that runs through but also because of the ground water that freezes every winter, cracking the rock. It's a bit of a walk up to the upper falls, but well worth it! The waterfalls are all completely frozen, amazing to look at. The air out there is so fresh and pure... it was a warm enough day, but the air was really crisp!

this post is about my most awesome road trip to Jasper. Jasper is about 3 hours north, and the drive on highway 93A is reknowned for being the most beautiful drive in Canada - and it is, for sure! My friend Mark and I had the same days of work so made a impulse decision that we should rent a car and drive to Jasper for the night. I've put all my photos up on Flickr, cos words just can't even describe how amazing it is!

The drive takes you along the Icefields Parkway - right through the centre of the Rockies, and past the Athabasca Glacier... it's phenomenal, driving along with these massive snow covered mountains right next to you... and the Athabasca Glacier makes you realise just how small and insignificant we are on this Earth when it comes to the big picture...

Jasper is quaint little town - it's in the Jasper National Park, the same way that Banff is in the middle of Banff National Park. The permanent population is only about 3000, but during summer (which is their high season) when all the seasonal workers are around and all the hotels are full, the population is about 40000 ... quite a difference! Everywhere in town there is stunning views of the mountains! The train runs though Jasper on the same line that runs through Banff - The Rocky Mountaineer is incredibly popular in summer as a way to see all of the rockies in not so much time.

Mark and I didn't actually do all that much in Jasper - mostly we went for the drive. We wandered around town for a few hours and had lunch. Back at the hostel I lay around in the massive lounge and read my book (marky had to have little nap - bless). And then the most random thing happened... I was starting to make dinner and I turned around in the kitchen, and hwo was standing in the reception area but Marko and Cam - my friends from Panorama... it was soo good to see them again... so we had a good night of monopoly and catching up (I won)... they're also coming to whistler for the Telus Festival, so I'll see them there too!

If you're ever in this part of Canada, you've got to do the Icefields drive - it's breathtaking!

I got to drive too - so I'm now a master at driving on the wrong side of the road...

I'm sure I have other things to write about... but I have to go meet a friend for coffee...

Miss you all
xxx