b'JONATHAN VAN BILSENGO Spirit Island in Maligne Lake,WESTin Jasper Park. YOUNG MANIf not for the pandemic, many of usFromEdmonton,Ijourneyedfourwhich simply roam through the towns. wouldnothavediscoveredCanada.hours west to the picturesque village ofIf you have the time, a trip to the Edith The Caribbean is nice, cruising is greatJasper, originally nothing more than aCavell glacier, or a cable car ride to the but nothing beats an all-Canadian roadrailway town. Its spectacular mountain- top of Whistlers mountain, is well worth trip. I have enjoyed travelling across thisous location soon made it a haven forthe trek.beautiful country of ours, many times. Itstravellers. Headingsouth,Istoppedatthe fantastic scenery, wonderful people andColumbia icethe largest in theelds, unique experiences always amaze me. Rocky Mountains. You can explore on I fromTorontotoEdmonton,foot, but I would recommend a crawlerew Canadas largestcity,whichistrip with a guide, to get the full experi- fth known for the Oilers, but there is much,ence. A fairly new adventure awaits you muchmore.Forthenaturelovers,at the iceelds, and that is the Glacier Edmontons River Valley Parks is noth- Skywalk. It is an experience like no oth-ing short of gigantic. The park is actual- er: a cliff-edge walkway where a glass ly made up of 20 different parks. When oor is all that separates you from a 280 combined,theyare22timeslargermetre or 900-foot drop.than Central Park in New York City. TheAngel Glacier on Mount Edith Cavell.RiverValleyParksmakeforagreat escape from the city centre. It featuresOne of the best things I was able 22 ravines, 11 lakes, golf courses andto do was take a boat tour on Maligne nature centres. Lake and visit Spirit Island, one of the mostphotographedscenesinthe world.JasperNationalParkhasone of the highest concentrated black and brownbearpopulationsinCanada, andyouarealmostguaranteedtoThe Calgary Stampede.see at least one if youre looking close enough. Watch for deer, elk, mountainI spent a few days in Calgary, to visit goats,andbighornsheep,manyofthestampede,whichhassomething for everyone: legendary entertainment, western arts and culture, bucking bron-The ice rink in West Edmonton Mall. cos, brazen bulls, free breakfasts and stomach- ipping rides. A parade kicks WestEdmontonMallboastsoverit all off, and features more than 750 800 stores and services! It also hap- horses, 30oats and 4,000 people. penstobethelargestmallinNorthThe worlds best cowboys and cow-America,withmorethan32milliongirls compete in nine events. With the visitors each year. The gigantic mall islargestpurseinoutdoorrodeo$2 home to theme parks, a water park, amillionup for grabs, you can bet this miniature golf course, four movie thea- is one heck of a well-attended event. In tre complexes, a massive entertainmentThe scary Glacier Skywalk at the centre, and a giant indoor skating rink. Columbia Ice elds. Please turn to page 56FOCUS - OCTOBER 202255'