Jasper (1) - Here be bears

If anyone is in any doubt about the attraction of emigrating to Canada, then there are three words that can summarise the wisdom of that decision - Jasper National Park. One of the most beautiful, unspoilt and downright awesome places you will ever see. More importantly, it is only three and a half hours from our home in St. Albert. So it was, that with the invaluable help of the in-car dvd player and the complete lack of traffic on the Yellowhead highway, we pulled up to the entrance of the park with the full intention of having a jolly good time. As usual, Claire had carried out her exhaustive research of accommodation possibilities (she is now an unofficial expert on 'places to stay in the Rockies' only eclipsed by her study of 'places I would not touch with a well insulated barge-pole') and we booked in to the most excellent Alpine Village, just 2km south of the town of Jasper itself. Set in a forest and overlooking the Athabasca river, the resort consists of luxury cabins arranged around well manicured lawns with it's own on-site hot tub. The views across to the mountains were quite, well - awesome.

Now one of the first things you will see when entering the park are the wildlife signs. These warn visitors of 'Caribou crossings', 'Beware of the Elk', and of course, the ubiquitous 'Caution, there are bears in this area'. This last sign is often read with something of a dismissive snort. You see, seeing a bear in the wild, even in a protected area such as Jasper National Park and even accounting for their apparently sizeable population, is about as common as spotting Paris Hilton in a kebab shop. So it was a bit of a mystery, as we were driving through the park, to come across a traffic problem. Actually, it was more like traffic chaos, with cars stopped all over the road and people pointing animatedly at the woods. This, my dear reader, was a bear jam.

This phenomenon occurs when a lone motorist is driving along, his family scanning the woods for wildlife, when someone spots a dark shape in the trees. The brakes are slammed on, the camera is located and yes, there it is - a real life, in your face, would you Adam-and-Eve it, a black or grizzly bear. Other vehicles then screech to halt to see what the first car has stopped for and before you know it, you have a bear jam. Just like everyone else, we did what the rule book says you should never do when you see a large, agile 200 lb carnivorous mammal in the wild - get out of your car and walk towards it saying " Oooh look kids, a bear!"

Safety issues apart (I worked on the principle that I don't have to outrun the bear, just the overweight American tourist standing in-between me and said animal), the sight of a bear in it's natural environment is hard to resist and provided you do not walk too far from your car and are just sensible about things, there is little risk. As it was, we were rewarded with not only an adult Black Bear, but her two cubs too. The pictures don't really do them justice as they unsuprisingly blend in with their environment and no, I wasn't that close. The zoom lens is a wonderful thing. The children also managed to see the animals from the protection of the car and were amazed at the sight. Well, Charlotte was anyway, Eleanor just laughed, pointed and said "Oooh, teddy!"

Our first encounter with the bear population was somehow very satisfying. It had set up the whole trip and ticked a very large box. Seeing them in their natural home sort of stirs your soul, gives you a sense that Nature is the boss and her word is the only one worth listening too. Jasper National Park could be Nature's home too, with all it's majesty and raw beauty and to be able to spend time in her company is an honour indeed. Never again will we laugh at the apparent futility of the bear warning signs. Now, where can we find a herd of Caribou?

The Donut List

It was only when I went over to collect my Friday donut that I realised that the list had been changed. It often gets re-typed of course, as some people leave the company or get transferred to other units or simply decide to remove themselves to avoid the possibility of addiction to Tim Horton's finest. This time though, the dates had been changed and well, to be honest, I felt a bit miffed.

As coffee is to every Canadian's way of life, then donuts are to everybody's coffee. The Power and Resources division here at Stantec is no different and to prove this, the Donut club was formed. The concept is very simple, you put your name on the list, take the next available date and enjoy a free donut every Friday at the expense of someone else. That is, until it is your Friday and then you have to buy everyone else on the list a donut. So it isn't really a free donut, it just feels like it. The list ebbs and flows as people come and go and every now and then the Creator of the List (for no-one knows who it is, the list just magically revises itself every so often) will remove and add names as necessary. Your allocated date however, always stays the same. Mine was July 4th, a good date, easy to remember, not only is it American Independence Day but it is also Eleanor's birthday. Easy - sing Happy Birthday Eleanor, go to work, buy 36 donuts from Tim Hortons (cos they're cheaper by the dozen). Job done.

The problem was, I was away on July 4th. Horror of horrors, what was I to do? The penalty for failing to fulfil your donut responsibilies would obviously be severe. After all, a warning at the bottom of the list gives an indication of the Creator's wrath: " ..if you take a donut without your name on the list, the punishment will be obvious". Obvious? Not to me, I have spent some serious time thinking about an 'obvious' punishment. Banned from Tim Horton's? Forced to wear a sign on your back saying 'I am a donut thief, please chastise me'? Stoned to death by donuts? The dreadful possibilities are endless. If a punishment is implied for simply taking a donut to which you are not entitled, what fate awaits you if you fail to provide on your allocated day? The mind boggles and the spine shivers. Images of donut list members bearing down on you with flaming torches and carrying pitchforks come to mind. I needed to swap my date. Fortune smiled on me as I bumped into a colleague who was bemoaning the same fate, he couldn't make his date either. So we swapped. Unspeakable punishment avoided, flow of donuts remains intact. Phew!

I was still miffed however. My date had been changed - to February 20th. What sort of bland, non-descript, mid-winter, dragging-my-boxes-of-donuts-through-3 feet-of-snow-day is that? How am I going to remember such an obscure date? I felt a strong letter of complaint to the Creator was called for. If I knew who it was, of course. Then, the penny dropped. Next year, July 4th would be a Saturday. The Creator needed to revise all the dates to bring them in line with 2009 Fridays. My miffness was mollified as I realise it could be worse. It could have been Friday the 13th......

Visitors

Believe it or not, we have now been residents of Canada for nearly nine months. In some ways, the time seems to have gone by relatively slowly and in others it has flown past. For instance, it seems that we have been looking forward to Claire's dad coming over for quite a while and now suddenly he is here. Yes, the Welsh are coming. It is the first time that we have received visitors from the 'old country' and hopefully it will be the first of many visits by our friends and family to enjoy the many attractions that this country has to offer. After all, it is only nine hours flying time and a seven hour time difference away! In order to maximise Bill and Enid's time here, Claire has spent some time organising and arranging for us to spend a week in Jasper and Banff and with the weather set to be fair we looked forward to some fun-filled days in the Rockies. I will post more blogs on our trip in the very near future as there is a lot to tell, but just to tempt you further, bears were spotted, oh yes.

Before then, we drove the 50km down to Edmonton International Airport to pick-up said relatives and it was only a few seconds after passing through the arrival lounge doors before Charlotte and Eleanor threw themselves at their grandfather and his partner as pleased as could be to see them again. Well, at least it was a good start! Upon arriving at the house and putting the kettle on, we gave them the two-bob tour of the residence, which impressed them throughout, particularly our green and pleasant yard. Needless to say, it wasn't long before Bill was in the hot-tub - not something you normally come across in the Rhondda Valley. He even managed to magically produce four cans of Speckled Hen ale from his suitcase, splendid fellow. Apart from the beer, he had also received detailed instructions from Claire to bring various other consumables from the UK that were not obtainable here. T-Zone and some plastic cooking bowls to name but two. Don't ask, it is just too complicated.

As they arrived on the Wednesday and we weren't due to leave for Jasper until the Sunday, their time was spent lazing in the garden and sightseeing around Edmonton taking in the many attractions of the city as well as St. Albert. It wasn't long before the weekend arrived and with the car fitted out with it's newly purchased roof-box (in which you could comfortably house a small community - or two small children, if things got too fractious) and loaded to the gunwhales with well, stuff, we set out for bear country and the mountains.