Travelog for: Cherry Lola

Hi Mum,

Today we are having a little taste of summer , so we expected to go to the mountains and find the snow gone for good...well almost . We spent the first part of our day in this nice little valley from where we could see the runs at Nakiska ski resort...all still open .



Moving on we entered a forest where the snow didn’t really seem in the mood to disappear.




Eventually we reached the top of this trail, from where we had nice views in the direction we came from...



...and on the opposite side, to the East .



South of us we could see Midnight Peak. sammino explained to us that, without snow, it would be a nice walkable ridge ...but not now with all that snow, maybe in a few weeks....maybe .

Hi Mum,

Today sammino turned into an adult eagle , (wow, I wonder how many places I will have visited by the time I turned 18 ), so we decided to throw a little birthday party for him . First we blindfolded him and took him to the “party room”.



Here we showed him the cake we had prepared ,...



..., the “themed” card that we got him, and we also, of course, sang Happy Birthday for him .



He even got a present from his friend Sigfrido in France who sent him a little lovely artwork .



After singing and laughing it was time to get to the real business, the cake ...which turned out to be delicious .

Hi Mum,

Today once again the weather was reasonably warm, so we went for a short hike . We actually have been in the same area a few weeks ago when it was covered with snow, but today the lower parts of the trail were almost bone dry .





Of course there were plenty of spots where the snow was still unchallenged .




Eventually we reached a nice viewpoint at the top of a ridge where we could see the mountains in the west ...




...and even the prairies far in the east.



And, as usual it soon started snowing, so we hastily made our way back home .

Hi Mum,

Today we said goodbye and wished a safe trip to Petit Lapin who is travelling to the US to his next host in the RR-16 .

Hi Mum,

Guess what?! A new guest arrived in Calgary today . smaug came home with a strange parcel that got us very excited.



And, as soon as we managed to open it , a new TV popped out, Greeny delMonte a nice bear from Germany . Even if he was a bit jet-lagged we wanted to know everything about his travels, so we spent the night up while helping ourselves with the delicious treats that he brought with him from Japan .

Hi Mum,

Spring is coming here in Calgary . We had a bit snow during the week, but today it was warm (so to speak ) and sunny, so we headed to the mountains. Our trail passed by a lovely viewpoint over Lake Minnewanka .



Later we dived into the trees, but soon we started gaining elevation and saw the lake again.



Eventually we reached our destination, the site of an abandoned fire lookout. Here we could see the valley leading to Aylmer Pass,...



...Mt Aylmer,...



...and again Lake Minnewanka which, in the upper part, was still partly frozen .




On the way back we stopped on the lake shore to enjoy the sun . The water looked so crystal clear that we were tempted to go for a swim ...then we remembered the ice that was still covering part of the lake and decided that maybe we should postpone the swimming for a few months .

Hi Mum,

Today smaug came home with a small parcel and told us that we should probably be the ones opening it , so we got very curious.



After working a bit to get it open, a new guest appeared : Elisa a nice sheep from Germany . Of course we want to know everything about her travels...so it’s going to be a very late night .

Hi Mum,

Today smaug took us out for another trip to the mountains . Our destination was a valley west of Calgary. After walking some times in the tree we reached the valley...which is more or less the (mostly) dry bed of a seasonal creek.




Moving on we could see snowy mountains around us...



...and Nihahi Ridge just behind us.



After fighting a bit with deep snow and thick trees we reached the northeast ridge of Mt Fullerton . Here we could see the valley that we just left far below us...



...again Nihahi Ridge...



...and the summit of Mt Fullerton.



At this point we made a surprise to Melek and organized a sudden birthday party for him . Of course we sang Happy Birhday...



...and had some special sweets ready. Unfortunately smaug couldn’t be talked into bringing a cake up here , so we had to do with some chocolate cookies .

Hi Mum,

Guess what?! Another guest arrived today (it’s getting crowded around here ). Once again smaug came home and told us that there was a parcel for us .



And, as we managed to open it, a new TV popped out of it, Tatanka, a nice buffalo from Germany . He showed us the wonderful presents that he brought along and then we spent the evening chatting and listening about his recent travels .

Hi Mum,

These days neither the weather (always bad in the weekend) nor smaug (always at work) are helping much in keeping us entertained , but luckily, as for yesterday, we have some distraction: football ! The Euro Cup 2012 has started and we have plenty of matches to watch on TV . As it is a European tournament I don’t really care about the winner, but our little German colony today was super-excited when Germany were ready to take on Portugal...



...so we started watching the game all together.



They got even more excited when Germany scored....




...and when the match was eventually over.



Just too bad that smaug didn’t leave any appropriate victory-party food supplies ...maybe for the next match .

Hi Mum,
Guess what, a new a guest arrived in Calgary today .  Smaug came home with a parcel...



...and, when me managed to open it, a TV jumped out of it, Tucker a nice turtle from Germany . He brought with him a lovely card and some delicious chocolate . Of course we spent the evening chatting and occasionally having a bite of that chocolate .

Hi Mum,

Today, after a few quiet weekends , smaug took us again up to the mountains . As it often happens, the first part of the morning was spent between trees...a wonderful excuse to let smaug do the walking, take a little nap in his bag and make up for the sleep lost due to the early wake up . Eventually we reached a spot with a bit of view where we could look at both the mountains around us...



...and the prairies far away in the east .



The weather didn’t look very nice so we thought it was time to head back and maybe enjoy a nice hot chocolate , but smaug said there was no reason not to try reach our target of the day, that peak up there .



So, off we went. Listening to the wind howling outside the rucksack was a bit concerning , but somehow we reached the top and managed to take a few photos in the wind before hiding back inside. From up there we could see the Nakiska ski area...



...mountains both south and north...




...and again the prairies in the distance .

Hi Mum,

Today I said goodbye to my friends here in Calgary and got ready to travel to Germany , and Greeny delMonte is leaving Canada too, so I’ll have company until I reach the post office .



Before I jumped in my envelope sammino gave me a big hug an wished me a safe trip .



And now it’s time to go, see you soon !

Hi!

Today I arrived in Germany!






The other TV's gave me a warmly welcome!


My new home !


I kiss you!
Cherry Lola

Hi mum!

Last night was a terrible storm! Thankfully I wasn't alone!

This morning we saw the damage.

Twigs and branches everywhere on the streets ...


broken trees ...


and the tomatoes are a little bent.


But don't worry! I'm fine!

Greetings,
Cherry Lola