Morning

It is my ever so humble opinion that if you miss mornings, you miss much of the best of life. The last two nights I have stayed at hostels, and I am up and gone before most activity commences. What a joy to witness the sun beginning to peek over the snow capped peaks!---to watch the shadows recede on the mountainsides, to see the birds and small animals awaken, to be up before either the dew or the frost have hit!

I truly believe that several of life's pleasures are at their most intense in the morning----the smell of freshly brewed coffee----lighting the fire in the wood stove---smelling the bacon cooking, or simply stepping out and seeing the moon and stars recede into their daytime hiding places. Or, if in the city, witnessing the sun breaking over the horizon seeming to light the skyscrapers on the Jersey shore afire-----Wow!

Of course, cycling down a deserted road before the days activity has begun ranks right up at the top!

I am about 45 miles from Lake Louise, and I may press on down Highway 1, as the weather is beginning to change. Less than a week to go, if nothing happens to change things. It has been grand . . .