A long walk and a scary surpri

"Turn around. Walk away". -Goose

The weekend before last I was privileged to join our Canadian staff for an event in Calgary. I've been once before, in the winter of 2008, before a huge flood washed out the city out in 2013.

Did you know that Starbucks in Calgary closes at 6pm on Friday? I did not know that until I wandered in at 6pm to find that they were about to lock up. Luckily they still had some Pike's in a machine and were willing to share at no cost.

The event went smoothly enough, save for an embarrassing software glitch on my show computer. We loaded the truck and headed off to lunch.

While at lunch, some of the office staff decided to pile into a car and drive to Banff, about an hour away, to gaze at the Rocky Mountains. Not knowing how late they would return, and knowing that I needed to catch a ride to the airport at 4:30am, I decided to stay back.

I saw the staff off, saying goodbye to my Canadian family in case I didn't see them again before leaving, and headed up to my room. I had a nice long catch up chat with my wife, then decided to get coffee and go for a walk.

Did you know that Starbucks in Calgary closes at 5pm on Saturday!? I did not know that until I wandered in at 5pm to find that they were about to lock up. Luckily they still had some Pike's in a machine and were willing to share at no cost.

I took my amazing (Read: Free) coffee and went for a walk.

On google maps I discovered that obscured from view behind my hotel was Bow river. Also obscured from view was a park on an island in the middle of Bow river. So I walked to the lovely park in the middle of Bow river.

It was a hidden gem. There were families taking pictures and throwing Frisbee, happy couples happily PDA'ing, and geese. Tons of geese.

I've seen geese before in Florida, but these were non-migratory Canadian geese. I snapped picture after picture of the geese... The geese did not like that. They hissed and taunted me, prompting a local Canadian to say "They don't like that eh'".

Thanks for pointing that out, Canadian guy.

I kept walking and taking pictures, making discovery after discovery of great photo spots on the edge of the large city.

I found a bridge. I crossed the bridge. I found a hillside. I scaled the hillside.

 I took more pictures, including this one that made me realize how far I had traveled from my hotel.

At this point I figured I should head back. So I walked back.

Down the hill, over the bridge, through the park, past the geese, over another small bridge, back into the city. I was just barely through the revolving door of the hotel when out of nowhere the biggest, hairiest, smelliest