Jasper, Alberta

I'm in a rock cafe, sipping coffee, listening to the Eagles, looking out of the window to a vista of snow capped mountains that loom over the small village.

Yet to do much exploring but the scenery is big, great turquoise rivers cascading through shear mountain passes. I'll let you know what I discover as I move south towards Banff.

As you have probably guessed I've given up on the route north. When I got the info on the ground, traveling without a car became a lot of hassle and weather is starting to turn, so it was nt worth the effort.

I can recommend Vancouver island (Tofino), fantastic surfing, sea kayacking, trekking through virgin rain forests, or just chilling watching the wildlife.

The jungle also contains the home of the banana slug, the world's biggest slug. It has sex sessions that last for 36 hours, often resulting in the female gnawing through the penis to free herself! Hmmm makes you wonder about those slug trails?

Things are pretty cool, looking to go up a few mountains. If you are planning to buy some outdoor kit check out mountain equipment a co-operative based in Canada, good gear, they also ship.