April Photo Blogging Contest

 "Drink up" is the theme for April's A 'Lil Hooh\Haa Photo Challenge.  I managed to knock this month's challenge off on our fantastic two-day get away to Jasper Park Lodge, taking advantage of a super special off 50% off for Alberta residents. 

When we arrived and checked into our room, we found to our dismay that the room had not been made up.   The Fairmont is legendary for fixing their mistakes and keeping their customers happy.  We got to experience that first hand,  First off, complimentary drinks at the outdoor patio.  Due to increased provincial health restrictions, the beautiful dining room was off limits.  The two options were outdoor patio dining or in room dining.  We enjoyed drinking up on the outdoor patio.

Then, Fairmont upgraded our room to a lakeside junior suite with a fireplace!  OMG!!!  Our room was incredible and we enjoyed a scrumptious meal and drank up our wine in front of a blazing fire.  What a way to start our weekend!

The next day, we were off to do some hiking.  After completing a hike around Maligne Lake, we opted for another short hike heading to Beaver Lake, near Medicine Lake.  However, it was not beaver that greeted us along this trail.  Rather, it was moose.  Three moose to be exact.  The second moose we saw contented himself with eating, and then to my utter delight, DRINKING UP water from a creek.  "Oh my", I thought as I readied my camera, hoping to catch this timely occurrence!  Although branches and tree trunks obstructed my direct line of sight, there was nothing I could do about that.  There was no way to get an unobstructed shot.  Still, I think this is a pretty cool shot and I am delighted to share it as another entry for the "drink up" photo challenge.  I have never had the opportunity to watch a moose drinking before.  As this fella continued to block our hiking trail, that marked the end of this hike.  Time to retreat and find another trail to hike.

Before we retired back to our cosy room at the Jasper Park Lodge for the day, we hiked around Lake Beauvert.  We saw several elk, but they were not drinking.  However, the Canada geese were slurping away and I shot several photos of them, learning that they dip their beaks into the water, then throw their heads way up in the air to aid the water in travelling down their long necks getting it to where it needs to go.  I had never noticed that before.  Notice the goose on the right let a drop get away.

Loving this challenge and eager to start on May's theme!  

Mandy