The Beauty of Canada by A.M. Westerling

It looks like I’m the last one posting on Canada’s beauty and I must say I have some big shoes to fill. But here goes:

When I think of Canada’s natural beauty, three things come to mind: mountains, forests and water. Lots and lots of water. Canada is listed as one of the top five countries as far as fresh water supply and you see it everywhere, in tumbling waterfalls, placid lakes, and wild rivers, which were the road of the fur traders who explored this country.

Takkakaw Falls in Yoho National Park, pictured right, is one of our regular picnic destinations.

  

Up and in behind Lake Louise, Alberta you'll find Moraine Lake and the Valley of the Ten Peaks. Summers are busy and visitors are taken in by bus. Unless you want to hike, of course! 

Anyway, these are a couple of my favorite pictures of the Canadian Rockies. We live an hour's drive away and we make sure to take advantage of it.

  

  

Like the U.S., Canada stretches from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean. We have about 1/10 the population so we are a large, sparsely populated, and, (dare I say!?) cold country. Yet nothing can beat the sweetness of a Canadian summer. When the air is velvet soft and the sky darkens from indigo to plum to ebony. We’re pretty far north so twilight lasts for hours.And what better way to enjoy a beautiful evening than being outdoors?   

 My husband and I are avid campers and our destination of choice is British Columbia. Imagine camping at night, with a cozy campfire crackling at your feet and a canopy of millions of stars overhead. 

If you’re lucky, you’ll see shooting stars, or the northern lights rippling overhead like curtains of light, or best of all, a meteor. I like to set out tea lights in the forest. 

Imagine too, the silence, occasionally broken by the sough of the wind in the tree tops or the prattle of a squirrel, annoyed because you’re infringing on its space. Or the cheerful chatter of birds: pine siskins, wood peckers, warblers, finches, chickadees, whiskey jacks, robins and jays. Listen to the soothing pitter patter of rain on the roof of the motor home, or how about starting your day not to the buzz of an alarm clock but by finding a sunny spot among the trees and enjoying the peace and tranquility with a fresh cup of coffee? 

Speaking of morning, nothing beats the fragrance of an evergreen forest unless it’s the aroma of bacon, eggs and hash browns frying outside over the camp stove. 

Actually, the only thing better than smelling bacon frying outside is eating bacon and eggs outside!