There's no two way ways about it: Canadians aren't afraid of the word "Awesome". The first time I came across this phenomenon was in the Glen Nevis youth hostel in 1985. Also staying at the hostel was the Regina Girls Bagpipe Band, one of whom, on viewing my Big Country t-shirt (believe it) informed me that "Big Country are awesome!".

She had a point I thought. But it turned out that was just the thin end of the wedge. My winter in Fernie showed that the act of presenting your lift ticket to get scanned was "awesome!", even handing over money to buy a coffee can be so described. It's clear that Canada is in the grip of crippling awe-inflation: people are forced to carry around wheelbarrows of awe in order to facilitate their daily business.

Now to be honest nobody seems too put out about all this. It doesn't really bother me, it's quaint isn't it? Endearing. But what do you do when you want to describe a trip to the Rockies? Because of anywhere I've been in the world, nowhere else can match it for inspiring, well, awe. But the Rockies are way better than buying coffee.

I first drove the road between Jasper and Banff in the summer of 1989 with no less a personage than Alex Cotton (nee Wyles) and her sister Victoria. I've visited the area between Banff and Lake Louise a number of times since and always find it as stunning as the first time. I used to think there was nowhere more stunning but this last weekend I found I was wrong. After skiing at Lake Louise on Saturday, I and my friend Ian from work went for a drive up the Icefields Parkway towards Jasper.

Oh. my. Lord.

Round each corner is a more staggering vista than before - even when you drive back the same way you see new sights you hadn't caught originaly. It's the scale of the whole thing that mines the awe:the sweeping width of the valley, the expanse of forest, the countless, soaring mountains, glaciers, snow, blue sky and when you stop and get out of the car - the silence! Probably not so silent in mid summer but nevertheless it somehow seems wrong that you can see all this from the side of the road. You feel you ought to have to hike for weeks and endure terrible hardships to earn these sublime views. But pull off the road and walk for 5 minutes and there you are...