Oh Canada, Oh Canada

BY LORI BETH LEMMON

OK – truth. I know almost nothing about Canada, and have never really given a lot of thought to visiting Canada. However, my husband was sent to Calgary recently on business, so I met up with him late in the week, and we went to Banff for a long weekend. I now know only a little more about Canada than before, but here is what I learned/observed on my winter vacation.

1. The Canadian Rockies are different than the Colorado Rockies. The peaks seem much steeper and more jagged. Picture the mountain in the Paramount pictures intro, or the rock of Gibraltar in the Prudential ads.


2. If you take the gondola to the top of Sulphur Mountain, you really do feel like you are on top of the world. And, from the top of Sulphur Mountain, you can get to Houston, Texas by traveling in a southeasterly direction for 1,807 miles, or 2,908 kilometers. Please refer to picture if you want to know the same information about Buenos Aires.


3. What we call pitchers of beer here in the US are referred to as jugs of beer in Canada. Not that we had any, I’m just sayin’ I saw it on the menus.


4. Last, but not least, snow tubing is great fun! I am not sure you could really call it a sport since there is no skill required, but definitely an awesome snow activity. Especially if some aspects of snow skiing don’t appeal to you – you know, the awkward, uncomfortable boots; the need for some amount of skill just to stand up on skis, much less go down a mountain on them; the drain on your energy level and the severe pain inflicted on those muscles that you never use any other time; and of course, the dreaded ski patrol sled. I can almost guarantee you that you do not have to worry about any type of injury or being rescued from the slopes by the ski patrol while snow tubing, even though you go really, really fast!