Dinner Theatre with Friends

Last Thursday night our new friends, Lyle & Denise, invited us to join them at Jubilations Dinner Theatre at West Edmonton Mall. The food was great, the entertainment was fun, and the friends were awesome! Lyle & Denise were one of the first couples we met here -- I think it was our first or second Sunday at church. They've been wonderful to us ever since, and the more we get to know them, the more we like them! We also found out they like playing cards -- that's next on our list of things to do together!

Jasper

Yesterday my long-time great friends, Lorne & Rita Forsberg & their daughter Laurie, who now live in Wetaskiwin, picked me up at 6:30 a.m. to go to Jasper for the day. Andy was working, and the kids are both currently in B.C. staying with friends.

After a picnic lunch at the base of the tram, we took the tram to the top of Whistler Mountain in Jasper. Here we are at the top. From the top of the tram, we hiked another 1.5 km up another 600 feet to the summit of Whistler Mountain. Here's what the trail to the top looked like, partway up from the tram station.

Along the way we saw some wildlife. Here's a little pika, and if you look closely in the other photo, you'll see a grey bird nestled in front of the rock. That's a ptarmigan.

The view from the top was breathtaking, of course. You can see the town of Jasper in one of the photos. The snowy mountain in the other is Mt. Edith Cavell.

And here's proof that I made it to the summit!

When I was a child and we visited Jasper, I remember a large Jasper the bear statue. Friends of ours who also remember him from childhood tried to find Jasper in the town a few weeks ago and were disappointed that he was no longer there. But I found the original Jasper at the base of the tram! Here we are, reunited at last.

After our trip on the tram, we drove to Miette Hotsprings and spent a couple of hours soaking there. After dinner in Hinton, I finally arrived home at 1:30 a.m.! I loved every minute of it, and I would love to go there again. Anybody coming to Alberta soon? Let's go!