Hi, Everyone!
I’m back from my trip to the Canadian Rockies with Papa Dick-san and Grandma Sue-san and the Losee-sans. I had a really good time and made lots of new friends.
Our first stop was in Yoho National Park, which is right next to Banff National Park. I climbed up a tree so I could get a good look at Takakkow Falls. Then my new friend LaVache and I hiked around Emerald Lake. LaVache has been to Switzerland with the Losee-sans and says the mountains here are just as pretty as the Alps. The next day, we went to a ski resort in the mountains around Banff in Banff National Park. From there, I could see Tunnel Mountain, right next to the city of Banff. Papa Dick-san said we could climb it the next day.
We hiked all the way to Tunnel Mountain from where we were staying. It was a long walk, even before we started climbing up the mountain! I had to stop partway up to rest, then I was able to help Papa Dick-san climb the rest of the way by pulling up on his backpack straps. Papa Dick-san said I was a good helper! I was really proud when we got to the top! We could see all over the valley from the top and it was very pretty. I’m glad there was a nice tree for resting near the top!
There were fun things to do in the city of Banff, too. First, I made sure I sent a postcard to Grandma and Grandpa. Papa Dick-san helped me mail it. Then I made friends with some of the Banff bears. There are lots of them to meet! Then I made friends with Eddie’s big cheeseburger and with Alecia, the waitress at dinner. She was impressed that I could order off the menu all by myself.
Before we left Banff National Park, we visited Johnston Canyon and Lake Louise. I made more bear friends at the lower falls in Johnston Canyon and at Moraine Lake. Lake Louise is very pretty! Julie-san helped me take a good look.
When we left Banff, we went to see the ice Grandma Sue-san told me about. It turned out to be a really big sheet of ice! Grandma Sue-san told me it is called a glacier, and this one is called Athabasca Glacier. Grandma Sue-san and Julie-san helped me walk right on the glacier! It was very cold for little lion paws and I wished I had my scarf and snow boot on. Then we climbed another mountain in Jasper National Park. This mountain was named for a brave military nurse in World War I, Edith Cavell. Climbing that mountain was really hard work, so I took a rest beside a stream afterward.
After we visited the national parks, we took a train across the rest of western Canada to Vancouver, on the Pacific Ocean. Before we got on, I practiced being an railroad engineer. Then I was very busy looking at the scenery from the train and deciding what photos to take. Grandma Sue-san said she really liked this train because we took it during the day and stayed overnight in Kamloops. So we didn’t miss any scenery in the dark! The train conductor said I was a good helper on the trip.
When we got to Vancouver, we were really busy! I made friends with a totem pole, and I was very brave when I took Grandma Sue-san to the Capilano Treetop Adventure. We took a trolley to the aquarium, and I got to ring the trolley bell. I even made friends with the fish at the aquarium. Then we took a taxi ferry to Griswald Island.
The Losee-sans came right home from Vancouver, but Grandma Sue-san and Papa Dick-san and I took another train to Olympia, Washington to visit some friends there. We had to get up really early to take that train! When we got to Olympia, we went to Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge and listened for bird songs. Then we took the tram up Crystal Mountain to get a really good view of Mount Rainier. What a pretty place to have lunch with friends! Then we went to a farmers’ market and I made friends with lots of raspberries!
The last place we visited was a very pretty garden dedicated to peace. I was really excited to see a statue of St. Francis Assisi, like the one at St. Francis Winery, where Bill-kun and Karin-chan’s mommy and daddy were married. St. Francis loved all animals, including little lions!
On our plane trip home, I thought I might have to roar at the airport to keep our flights from being canceled like they were on our way to Calgary. But the pilots flew in the right direction and on time without me having to do a thing. It was way past my bedtime when we got back to Rochester! Grandma let me stay with Papa Dick-san and Grandma Sue-san to help them sort their photos before I came back. They had lots of photos to sort, because we had so many wonderful adventures!
Love,
Lion-san