Lakes, Falls and Mountains

Sunday

It wasd about 2 when the RG changed to the Road trip. There were still a few activities and talks for those who wanted to stay, but 18 of us board a bus, bigger enough for 3 times that number and headed North, eventually to Jasper.

In addition to some of the people from the RG, there were a number of people who had boarded the bus in Calgary, including Ann and Martyn from the UK, Elena from Spain, 2 from Belgium and several more. These people will also be at the IBD once we return to Calgary.

We have our own guide, Hugh, who is giving us the background, histpory and stories about the places aas we pass and pointing out things you might not even notice if you did this on your own.

The trip took over 4 hours as we stopped at a number of spots on the way. Lake Peyto is another of those incredibly coloured mountain lakes and they have set up viewing platforms to get a great view of it. The road itself passes through rigged mountains  and runs alongside and over rivers so there is never any shortage of scenery.

Another stop gave us a chance to look at the river Sasketwan (?) which was used as a main supply route in the fur trading days. Further on we stopped for half an hour at a place where there is a waterfall that and canyon.

I must admit that due to lack opf sleep the previous 2 nights, I had a few naps on the way.

Just before we reached the hotel, we saw a couple of female elks grazing right next to the road.

The resort itself is spectacular, set out in cabin style with a golf course on one side and a lake on the other. I am staying in an 8 bedroom wooden cabin called Milligan Manor. Streched "golf carts" similar to those for the Gardens tour in Singapore, are used to move guests from the central reception/restuarant, bar and pool are to their cabins.

Our group has all the rooms in the manor with a total of 11 of us are there. There is a large common area with a sitting area and TV plus a huge table. A small kitchen with fridge and dishwasher is also available. At the back is a large patio and there is a gas BBQ, so we are planning to cook our own meal on Monday. We also overlook the golf course.

The room istself is large. I have a king but some of the rooms have 2 doubles. The bathroom too is large and has a spa.

There was an organised meal the first night in a small ballroom. Very nice food although not a lot of it.  Started with balsamic pear, main was chicken and finished with mouse. We invited the rest of the group to our cabin, but with a combinmation of jet lag for the new arrivals and lack of sleep for those at thr RG, we had a relatively early night.