ROUND THE WORLD DREAM TRIP...OR JUST STAY IN CANADA & SAVE

How's this for a trip?

You get to travel by private, chartered jet and you travel around the world from Oct. 21-Nov.13. Sure, it'll cost you $29,575 CDN per person if you're sharing accomodation ($2,345 extra for a single supplement), but consider the itinerary, put together by Travel Guild Inc.

You fly to Vancouver and stay for two nights in Russia, visiting the volcanoes and hot springs in Kamchatka. Then there's a chance to, among other things, stroll the Great Wall of China and visit the Forbidden City in Beijing, ride an elephant in Thailand, see the Himalayas, visit Petra and the Red Sea, check out the Blue Mosque in Istanbul, wander through the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg and then down a few pints in Dublin.

Not what you had in mind? Need to save some cash? You can go next March and visit Tokyo, Angkor Wat, the Taj Mahal, Dubai, a game preserve in Kenya, the pyramids of Egypt, Prague and Iceland. But that one'll cost you $33,995 per person, plus another $2,695 if you're a single.

For more information visit www.privatejetadventures.com

ON THE OTHER HAND, HOW ABOUT HELPING THE CANADIAN ECONOMY?

Bryson Forbes, who blogs for Best Western at www.youmustbetrippin.com, suggests that Canadians might want to stay close to home this summer and do their bit to help the economy.

Among his tips:

- check out Canada's national parks as there's a price freeze this year;

- eat at smaller, independent diners and restaurants instead of the chains (this is good advice ANY time)

- look for hotel properties owned and operated locally, including Bed and Breakfast places and (naturally) Best Western's that are owned by indepedent hoteliers.

- check out local festivals at www.canada.travel.

Good advice. There's a billion things going in Toronto all the time, including Caribana and Taste of the Danforth and, in a few weeks, The Toronto International Film Festival. There are also are ribfests, art gallery openings, antique boat shows (often in Gravenhurst) and hundreds of events from Muskoka to Prince Edward County to Niagara and down towards Windsor.

GOOD OLD AMERICAN FOOD

Forbes is right about sticking with local spots. But we're all guilty of caving in to the PF Chang's and Chili's and Applebee's of the world now and then, possibly because we know what we'll be getting.

Anyway, I bring this up because I read a story in the Houston Chronicle about a couple of American foodies, Jane and Michael Stern (any relation to Bonnie?) who have written a book called "500 Things to Eat Before It's Too Late and the Very Best Places to Eat Them."

The story didn't have much detail about weird food they've eaten, although they made reference to Frito pies, pulled pork, barbeque spaghetti and fried hot dogs.

Stern told the paper it's pretty hard to find turtle soup and even good rye bread in New York, which is quite shocking.

Other observations from Michael Stern:

"You can't get true Texas barbeque anywhere other than Texas."

"Sooner or later, I'm thinking that the food police and the nutrition nannies are going to make it taboo to eat a bacon cheeseburger."

"One of the earliest big disappointments of our traveling career was the difficulty of getting a really good glass of fresh-squeezed orange juice in Florida. We imagined there would be people literally squeezing it into our mouths. But no."

KIWIS BRINGING LOVE AT 30,000 FEET...AIR CANADA WI-FI TEST

The Aussie tourism folks made a big splash earlier this year with a campaign that gave someone a job of blogging from a lovely, semi-tropical island. It was a good stunt that got a lot of media attention.

Now come the Kiwis, and it seems they're determined to go one better.

Air New Zealand is asking frisky, sorry, "adventurous" singles to join them on what they're calling "the world's first matchmaking flight."

"The perfect trip for those who would travel the world for love and for those who have felt sparks for the stranger in the middle seat, Air New Zealand is flying singles to the opposite side of the Pacific with the aim of finding each a partner in (the) air or in New Zealand," according to the airline's press release.

Canadian singles will hop on board a plane from Vancouver to Los Angeles on Oct. 13, then transfter onto the Matchmaking flight for Auckland. ABC's The Bachelor, Jason Mesnick, and his girlfriend, Molly Malaney, will join passengers on the flight as they head down to the country where they fell in love.

Passengers "will enjoy a complete matchmaking experience," officials say, with a party prior to the departure from LA and then, once they've reached cruising altitude, "complimentary party packs, an open bar, speed dating and other games." Once they land, there will be a Matchmaking Flight party with singles from North America and New Zealand.

One can only imagine what's in the party packs. And what about the lineups for the washrooms? You gotta think the mile high club is gonna have a whole bunch of new members by the time that baby touches down in Auckland.

Roundtrip tickets start at $1,198 Canadian dollars, so it's not a bad deal when you consider the frills and what it might cost for the companionship on the ground in, say, Yorkville or Yaletown.

For more information, visit www.thematchmakingflight.com.

AIR CANADA WI-FI UPDATE

I got an email from Air Canada yesterday updating they're wi-fi experiment. An official told me they're doing tests later this fall on two A319 aircraft flying between Toronto-San Francisco and Toronto-Los Angeles.

I'm flying out to SF to visit family in November and, with any luck, I'll be able to blog from the sky. It's not quite as exciting as the mile-high club, but it'll have to do.

MORE LIVE TV COMING TO THE SKY

Continental has installed DirecTV on 18 planes and by early 2011 expects to offer 77 channels of live television to passengers on some 220 of its jets.

This is nothing short of awesome news for anyone who's ever been in the air during a big football game...or even during The Bachelor if that's your thing.

 

USA Today says Continental joins JetBlue, Virgin America and Frontier airlines in the live TV offering. Continental plans to charge $6 for coach passengers (free for the high rollers), the same as Frontier. JetBlue and Virgin America offer live TV for free, and good for them.

 

I'm trying to find out if there are any Canadian airline plans for live television...

 

SCRANTON IS ON THE MAP!

Tours to Scranton, Pennsylvania normally are slightly less booked than, say, trips to Victoria. But that's starting to change thanks to folks who are doing tours of sites in the city used in the TV show, The Office.

USA Today's travel section has a fun piece on the tours, which take folks to places such as Poor Richard's Pub and Coopers Seafood House.

STAG PARTIES ABROAD? WHAT'S WRONG WITH THE LOCAL BAR?

Geez, am I out of touch. I came across a piece in the Times (UK version, not NY) the other day that quoted a study as saying 74 per cent of men hold pre-wedding parties that go on for more than a day and that 32 per cent of guys hold their parties out of the country.

Good lord, what's wrong with hanging out at the local pub and buying your buddy a couple beers? Or, not that I would condone such a thing, spending an hour or two at a gentleman's club? Do folks really feel the need to go crazy and spend money taking an out-of-town stag?

The Times said grooms-to-be spend about $360 per person, which is insane

London was the top-city for stags, but UK guys also favour Prague, Amsterdam (gee, really?), Barcelona and Tallinn (who knew?).

Brides, on the other hand, were found to desire to stay home, and good for them. Ninety six per cent said they'd celebrate their coming vows in the UK and 28 said they'd stay in their home towns.

Brides in the UK apparently favour London, Brighton, Edinburgh, Devon, Cornwall and Bath. The only foreign city to crack the top ten was Barcelona.

ONBOARD WIFI - WHAT'S UP?

Spotted an item on Aviation Week's website that said Air Canada and other airlines have signed some sort of deal for wireless service. There's been talk of experimenting with wifi on Air Canada jets, but I'm still trying to find out the status of things with the folks at AC. I'll be sure to fill you in as soon as I get the word.

CHECK YOUR BATTERIES, FOLKS

Until Friday, July 31, the CAA of South Central Ontario is offering free, mobile diagnostic battery testsf ro its GTA members. CAA members can call 1-866-740-6421 and get a free battery test before heading out on the road for the long weekend.

Here's a hint: if you want sun, head to Vancouver. It's been in the mid to upper 20's for some time and the forecast is awesome, with no rain in sight. Sigh.

DOMINICAN CONTINUES WITH UPSCALE RESORTS

Once the domain of students and cheap vacations, the Dominican Republic continues to pull itself up by its own bootstraps. I was at ultra luxe Cap Cana last year; a great treat. And I got word the other day that the north coast community of Cabarete will be getting a five-star spot. Called the Palmera de Cabarete Resort and Spa, it's a $200 million project slated to open in 2011.

OH, LOOK, MES AMIS, MORE TOURISTS WE CAN SMILE AT!

Had a hard time with that headline, I gotta admit. That being said, I got a rather large chuckle out of a story I spotted wherein the Paris Tourist Board has set up a group of "smile ambassadors" to welcome visitors at popular destinations.

"We have to work on striking and simple images (and) there's nothing as telling as a smile," tourist board member Paul Roll told Reuters.

"If we want tourism...to remain a major economic sector, everyone has to get behind it - professionals, elected representatives and French people," said Daniel Fasquelle, founder of a French tourism association.

Apparently TripAdvisor did a recent survey and folks named Paris as the most "over-rated city in Europe." TripAdvisor reviewers cited high prices and unpleasant residents.

I haven't been in Paris for several years but last time I recall folks were pretty friendly (not quite up there with Florida grocery store cashiers who want to chat about your cereal choices but nice enough) and spoke plenty of English and didn't appear insulted that I don't speak a lick of respectable French. It certainly isn't cheap, but you can find plenty of three-star hotels for reasonable Euros in plenty of neighborhoods, including the Left Bank.

I understand pointing out a city's faults, but to label Paris as the most "over-rated" city in Europe seems ridiculous. Beautiful gardens, great food and wine, museums like the Louvre and the Musee D'Orsay, not to mention the Eiffel Tower and Montmartre and Boulevard St. Germain? I don't think "over-rated" is a term I'd use. But maybe I need to go back.

Right, boss?

TAHITI TOURISM CONTEST

The polls are open for the second round of Tahiti Tourisme's "Invest in Your Love" video, which will award the second of six trips to Tahiti.

Voting is open July 25 to Aug. 8, and the videos that get the most public votes move on as finalists for the contest, which invites people to submit a video on why they need a little Tahiti.

To check out the videos, go to www.investinyourlove.com

CAN WE PAY IN CELSIUS, PLEASE?

The Philadelphia Marriott Downtown has a curious promotion, where you book a two-night stay and let the outside air temperature (at 4 p.m., sorry, not 3 a.m.) determine the price of your second night. For example, if it's 75 degrees (Fahrenheit) you pay $75 for night number two, plus tax.

The deal is valid for Friday and Saturday nights through Sept. 6 of this year. Prices for the Friday night stay begin at $149, U.S. of course.

Personally, I think Canadians oughta fight for payment in Celsius. Now THAT would be a bargain.

CITY WORKERS TENTATIVE DEAL FIRST STEP FOR TOURISM...

Okay, there's a tentative city of Toronto deal to end the civic workers' strike. That's great news. But there's tons of work to do to restore the city's battered public relations image.

When Mayor David Miller went on CNN recently to tell everyone it was situation normal in Toronto, he might have been speaking the truth, although parents who had their kids' summer programs cancelled would strongly disagree. Anyway, the point is that no matter hizzoner had to say to the American networks, the overall image was still that trashy Toronto was in trouble.

Things are bad enough in the local tourism industry without a city strike adding to their woes. As if the situation wasn't bad enough, along came the VIA strike on the weekend, which left hundreds of American and other foreign tourists stranded.

We simply can't afford these kinds of setbacks if hotel workers and restaurant folks are gonna stay in business.

Yes, VIA has come up with 60 per cent off deals for bookings made by Wednesday night. That brings Toronto to Ottawa ticket to something like $100; pretty good.

Sadly, however, the American passport issue has put a kybosh to many U.S. residents' potential plans to visit the true north strong and free. And there's also the strength of the Canadian dollar, which is a huge disincentive for Buffalonians and Rochesterites to drive over the Niagara River.

Things might get better. But it's gonna take a long time, no matter how cheery the pronouncements made about economic recovery by the guys in fancy suits in Ottawa.

How's this for an idea? If VIA can slash fares to restore consumer confidence, how about if governments in general allowed a tax break for hard-hit residents - and visitors? How about for the rest of the summer we waive taxes on hotel stays or restaurant meals? How about allowing happy hours at Toronto bars until Labour Day?

Naw, that makes too much sense.

PERFECT PITA FOR PUTTERS?

Took a day off from the office to come down and check out the RBC Canadian Open at soggy Glen Abbey in Oakville. Mind you, it's sunny and dry today and things are proceeding nicely, with Retief Goosen off to an early lead and the fourth round actually underway.

As I rode the bus from the media parking lot to the course, a guy told me he had stopped at a place on Upper Middle Drive (is there a Lower Middle Drive, by the way, or a Middle Middle Drive?) called Extreme Pita and that there was a photo on the wall of the owner/manager with star PGA Tour player Anthony Kim.

It seems Kim has stopped in for a pita three times this week. Must be working, as he was right near the top of the leaderboard early in the fourth round.

Speaking of pitas and wraps and golf, I played 18 holes at the Rock golf course up in Muskoka on Saturday. The course, part of the Red Leaves development I wrote about in a story posted at thestar.com/travel today, was in good shape and it's only $99; a far cry from what others in the neighborhood are charging. It's a smart deal and the place was packed.

But at 11:15 a.m.on Saturday the main restaurant only had one type of sandwich available; a BLT wrap. It took them nearly 10 minutes to make a tuna wrap for a buddy of mine. And that doesn't make much sense. 11 a.m. is hardly a novel time for a golfer to want a sandwich. Maybe they were available from the cart girls, but having a few sandwiches on hand at the clubhouse might be a nice improvement, folks.

BIG NEWS FOR INN AT MANITOU & QUEBEC HOTEL...CARIBANA BOOST

Travel + Leisure has come out with its top hotel winners for 2009, and there's a pretty big surprise for Canada.

In the general hotel category, the top three worldwide were Bushmans Kloof in South Africa, Oberoi Vanyavilas in India and the Sabi Sabi Game Reserve in South Africa. Fourth was Jade Mountain in St. Lucia, which we wrote about in Star Travel last fall. Fifth, however, was Ontario's own Inn at Manitou, located in McKellar (near Parry Sound). It was the highest-rated spot in North  America, actually, and that's saying a lot.

The hotel put out a press release but it was fairly quiet about it; kinda surprising in that they beat out lots of well known hotels around the world (all but four of them, actually!), including the Peninsula in Hong Kong and a ton of high-profile Four Seasons resorts around the globe. There's a mention of it on their website, manitou-online.com, but I'd think they'd be making a bigger deal out of it. Still, it's great news for them.

"We're very proud of our dedicated, professional staff and so very thankful to our guests who have been so loyal over the past 36 years," said Sheila Wise, founder and owner of The Inn. "We've tried to create an ideal getaway for our guests that is both comfortable and elegant."

The 34-room inn is a member of the Relais and Chateau Association. There's tennis, yoga and a spa, and folks tell me the Ridge at Manitou golf course is superb.

Congrats also to Auberge Saint-Antoine in Quebec City, which was ranked third in Travel + Leisure's Top 10 Small City Hotels (100 rooms and under) in North America. The hotel, a 95-room boutique property in the old town, is built over one of the city's most signficant architectural sites.

Just fyi, the top two hotels in the small city category were the Eliot Hotel in Boston and the Watermark Hotel and Spa in San Antonio.

KUDOS FOR CARIBANA

I thought everyone knew about Caribana, Toronto's annual Caribbean street festival. But apparently not. Caribana has taken over the number four spot on Canada' Top 10 "Hidden Travel Gems" list, as determined by Canadians through the Canadian Tourism Commission's LOCALS KNOW web campaign (www.localsknow.ca)

Some great comments have been posted on Caribana, which is always good for our tourism folks.

Interesting that so many folks continue to click on the photo of Georgian Bay in Tobermory; more than 80,000 hits since the campaign began June 1. Folks also are checking out Itcha Ilgachuz Provincial Park in the Chilcotin Region of B.C., which looks like the mountains of Mexico, and the Athabasca sand dunes in northern Saskatchewan, which are hugely cool and very much the sort of thing that a foreign visitor would not expect to see in Canada.

 

PAULINE FROMMER BUDGET TIPS...NEW YORK CITY DEALS

Had a brief chat with Pauline Frommer the other day (she of the famous Frommer travel guide name, of course).

Quite a nice person, and she has some interesting insights on where to find budget deals. She just finished a book called Cancun/Yucatan - Spend Less, See More and says it's an incredible time for deals to Mexico.

"It's no secret they've had some image issues lately, so hotels have slashed their rates to get people to come. I went to a 5-star Fiesta Americana, on a beautiful beach. Rooms usually are $250 to $300 U.S. but were going for $125. You can do even better sometimes with packages. I'd say from Toronto you're going spend as little as $600 for a roundtrip ticket, and a full week on the beach" at a nice hotel.

She recommends expedia.com and bookit.com as places to check for deals.

"Right now is whale shark season. They're in the waters right outside Cancun. You can swim in a pod of 40 or 50 of them. They're filter-feeders, so unless you're plankton you're okay."

The limestones caverns that fill with water, called cenotes, are magnificent, she says, and there are lots of Mayan ruins, including renowned Chichen Itza.

"I hate to say it," Frommer explains, "but one of the best rules you can use for the deepest discounts is to follow the disasters. Ireland's economy is melting down, and Iceland is in trouble. In Las Vegas you can get rooms for $29 because they've lost so much convention business. And it's especially cheap in Vegas now because it's so hot."

Frommer suggests Orlando for late August as many U.S. schools are in session at that point, leaving places like Disney World with far less crowds than early August or anytime in July.

As well, she suggests looking at sites such as vrbo.com, flipkey.com or homeaway.com and renting a home directly from a homeowner. "There are jaw-dropping deals," she says. "I found two condos on the beach in Maui for $77 a night."

I looked the other day and found a two-bedroom unit in the popular Kahana area of west Maui (close to awesome beaches and to Lahaina and Kaanapali) for $149 U.S. a night - about what they're asking for a Saturday night in August at the Buffalo Niagara Marriott if you're looking for a comparison.

FROMMER TORONTO TIPS

Not to give Frommer folks too much of an ego boost, but I came across an interesting item the other day from their Canadian expert, a chap named Gene Shannon. Shannon suggested several ways to enjoy a Toronto holiday on the cheap, including:

- taking advantage of free admission to the ROM and the AGO on Wednesdays from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m.

- riding the streetcar (not suggested if you're a commuter from the Beach who does this every day already)

- checking out prix fixe meals at restaurants like Fat Cat and the Gilead Cafe

- taking in a day at Sunnyside or Woodbine Beach (I prefer Toronto islands but the city workers' strike makes that tough)

- strolling through the Distillery District. It's a great spot and is home to my favourite coffee house in the world; Balzac's

- watching the baseball version of the Toronto Maple Leafs for free at Christie Pits (try to avoid sitting downwind of the garbage pile)

He also recommends the Toronto Music Garden at Harbourfront, which is a fave of mine.

I LOVE NEW YORK

Who doesn't love the Big Apple? Okay, okay, we all know folks in the 905 who won't even venture into Toronto, fergawdsake, let alone New York. But that means more room for the rest of us. And it's a good time, as you can check out lots of bargains at nycgo.com.

From free rooftop films to free concerts by the likes of Gladys Knight (personally, I always wanted to be one of the Pips, swaying in motion and doing that "toot toot" motion during 'Midnight Train to Georgia'), NYC is full of great bargains. Check out the NYC: The Real Deal program for special offers and packages. American Express cardmembers get special deals, as well.

 

SEVEN WORLD WONDERS, & JOHNNY DAMON LOVES TORONTO GOLF

It's a political world.

Ideally, the voting on the "New 7 Wonders of Nature" would be free of this sort of thing, but it seems the politically correct police have already made their mark.

People all over the world came up with 261 landmarks for the initial phase of the great Internet poll. That was knocked down to 77 of the most popular ones. But then a panel of "experts" was asked to whittle that down further, and they came up with 28 that people can choose from to name their favourite seven wonders.

According to the FAQ at the website, www.new7wonders.com, the final 28 sites were selected "bearing in mind the following general criteria:"

1. Unique beauty of the nominated site;

2. Diversity and distribution

3. Ecological significance

4. Historical legacy

5. Geo-location (even distribution of the 21 official finalists between all continents).

The last one is the only one that bugs me. I can understand not wanting to shut anyone out, but did they have to insist on a geographical balance? Isn't this kind of forced, like (in the words of a particularly erudite colleague of mine) making sure every team in baseball has someone at the All-Star Game, whether they deserve it or not?

I mean, no offence, and I'm sure this will kill my chances at an all-expense paid trip to Baku, but has anyone you know ever been to the mud volcanoes of Azerbaijan?

I like the Bay of Fundy, which is Canada's only nominee. It's very pretty to see the rock formations when the tides are out. But you can't really appreciate the Bay of Fundy unless you stick around to see it at both low and high tides, and that takes six hours or so. Who has that much time in any one place anymore? This is the Internet age, dudes; take your picture and head on to the next site so you can Twitter your friends and file a new blog entry, preferably from the other side of the world in as short a time as possible to show you're a real jet-setter and not one of those people who actually thinks about things and savours life.

It's really too bad the Americans screwed up on Niagara Falls. The story from Associated Press is that folks in Niagara Falls, N.Y. didn't back the bid as they didn't have any money to spend on promotion. That's a damn shame.

It's also too bad we can't get more sites in, such as Banff/Jasper, the Queen Charlotte Islands or the lower Don River. Maybe next time.

GTA GOLF ROCKS

Had an interesting talk with an American journalist last week while we played golf in Alberta. Not sure how we got onto the topic, but he said he was recently chatting with New York Yankees star Johnny Damon about golf and asked him what his favourite city was in the American League for golf.

"I was surprised but he said 'Toronto,'" the reporter told me.

As much as we love our own courses and have great ones on offer, such as Wyndance and Copper Creek and Bond Head and Glen Abbey (okay, we won't put Mike Weir on our 'best courses' of the GTA panel), it was a bit of a surprise to hear Damon's choice. I would've thought he'd opt for Tampa, with the Innisbrook courses and many others. Oakland has great weather but it might be hard even for Johnny Damon to get onto the Olympic Club course in San Francisco (a National League city, of course). I think Anaheim has good courses, not to mention Seattle and Chicago and New York (albeit a ways from Yankee Stadium).

Anyway, good for us. And thanks to Damon for the plug. It's really nice of him, but I'd prefer it he did something to boost the Blue Jays pennant hopes.

HELICOPTER IN THE ROCKIES...ALBERTA CUISINE...AND BOOB SHIRT

 group of writers were taken on a helicopter tour of the Rockies near Kananaskis last week. I kinda thought we might go up a few hundred feet and just buzz around the valleys. But, no. Instead, we lifted off from outside a native Canadian casino and soon found ourselves some 4,000 feet above the valley floor and at an elevation of nearly 9,000 feet. Mt. Kidd was almost below us as we whirred our way over the rocks and forests and towering spires of the Rockies.

I gotta admit I had a case of the sweaty palms, but I managed to snap some photos out the window. It was quite something. So thanks to the folks at Kananaskis Heli Tours for a job well done. It was wonderful and extremely exciting...and I don' t plan to do it again any time soon.

WHERE'S THE BEEF?

Actually, there was no shortage of steer on my trip out west last week. I think we were served beef three or four times in five dinners. But it's generally great stuff, and I've seldom met a steak I didn't like.

It was interesting, however, to see the range of food offerings in the Banff area. We had a great buffalo and wild boar tourtiere at the Canmore Golf Club one night, and the venison at the Waldhaus restaurant at the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel was out of this world. Stewart Creek Golf Club has a chef who does wonders with mushroom soup. And the chef at Grappa, a restaurant at the Delta Kananaskis Resort, did himself proud with a pheasant rillette (kind of a pate) that was topped with cherries, an incredible lake trout from Great Slave Lake, a beef tenderloin and a series of great desserts.

At Coyotes in Banff, I had a great shrimp appetizer with chipotle and orange sauce and a zippy penne with chicken and mushrooms.

Great steak? Sure. But lots more on offer out west.

NICE RACK - I MEAN THE DEER ANTLERS, OF COURSE

Had time for a brief hike around Banff last Friday. Took the gondola up to Sulphur Mountain for some incredible views of the vast wilderness in the region and the towering mountains.

It's amazing how it can be 22 or 25 degrees in the sun, then, when the clouds come, it seems to drop 10 degrees in seconds.

Anyway, it's a great place for a walk and to check out the tourists. I saw license plates from every province except Newfoundland and saw people with some pretty interesting t-shirts. One guy, probably about 40, was wearing a shirt with the words "All Grown Up and Still Fascinated by Boobs."

GRIZZLY SIGHTING ON ALBERTA GOLF COURSE ... A LIFETIME MEMORY

KANANASKIS, Alberta - A newfound friend I played golf with on Thursday tells me he's lived in Canmore for nearly four decades and is surrounded by wildlife.

"We have deer all over out here and I've had elk winter in my backyard. And I've seen black bears and mountain goats and all sorts of animals. But I'd never seen a grizzly until today."

I was playing golf with a group of American writers at the Kananaskis Country Golf Course south of Canmore and Banff and was taking pictures on the fourth hole at the Mt. Kidd golf course; a lovely hole with an island-style green you reach from an elevated tee. Suddenly I looked down at the river and spotted a bear and a cub shuffling out of the woods. I could tell by the colour and the shape of the back it was a grizzly and her baby.

They ambled over some small rocks and made their way to the Kananaskis River, crossing from our right to our left as we all leapt for our cameras and watched in awe. The mother made it across easily but the cub had trouble and was getting swept down the river until it found its footing.

Once reunited, they wandered up near the side of the fourth green and wandered about for a few minutes. We quickly called the clubhouse and they sent out a guy in a truck to try to safely shoo the mother and child grizzlies back into the woods. Ultimately, they crossed back over the river.

"Wow," said local resident Gord Schultz. "I've been here 37 years and I've never seen a grizzly."

Half an hour later he was still asking me when I'd wipe the smile off my face.

I've been lucky to go to many places in the world and see many wonderful things in my life. But to see a grizzly bear and a cub shuffle down a riverbank and swim a river together in one of the most spectacularly rugged mountain settings in the world, and to be able to catch it on camera? I'm (nearly) at a loss for words.

Earlier in the day, we had a 20-minute, knee-knocking (for me) helicopter ride past 9,000 foot peaks in the Kananaskis Range, a trip with perhaps the most ridiculously beautiful mountain views I'll ever see.

I almost feel sick thinking about what a magical day it was. It's an incredible blessing to be able to do things like this, and I only wish everyone could have a chance to see some of the things I get to see.

The helicopter was great, but to be maybe 100 yards away from one of mother nature's most magnificent creatures in a setting like Kananaskis is indescribable.

ALBERTA GOLF PART THREE

The Mt. Kidd course at Kananaskis is quite a lovely one; with remarkable mountain views and deep green fairways with plenty of white sand (thanks, guys). I played terribly, but it was our sixth round of golf in four days and the old bones simply weren't up to the challenge.

We got to play Silvertip on Wednesday morning, which is the "home course" for Calgary's Stephen Ames. It's got mountain views of the Canmore area that are absolutely remarkable, and there's a 600-foot elevation change so there are plenty of challenging and tricky holes. It's a fun course, and it's in terrific shape.

Across the valley in the western part of Canmore is Stewart Creek, which is one of the best tracks in the province. The front nine is in a mountain setting, but the elevation changes aren't nearly as drastic and it's probably a fairer test for most golfers. The back nine is in more of a valley and there are plenty of beautiful holes and some significant challenges. All in all, it's a first-rate facility. And check out the mushroom soup next time you're in the neighborhood.