Colorado aspens are lovely in the spring, their green leaves rustling and the quaking variety making a sound almost like a Native American rainstick. But these Canadian aspens in the fall make a beautiful golden contrast to the green spruce that are everywhere in this sub-Alpine area. Thinking about what this lake would look like without the beautiful reflection of its surrounding trees. It would look incomplete.

No sign of clear-cutting on our drive through northwestern Canada. That’s a stark contrast to what I’ve seen when traveling in far northern California. I know there is logging here in Canada and even clear cutting. Maybe I’m just imagining it, but it seems like there’s also more respect for nature.