7 ways to make a great 'd-eh' even better
Canada gives us much to celebrate. From coast to coast to coast, it's full of more beautiful and amazing stuff than anyone could possibly take in over a lifetime. In that sense, it's as much of a challenge as it is a country.
Just how much of it can we really attempt to experience? Before we let our characteristic modesty dictate the answer, let's remember what a resourceful and determined lot we are. We make it just fine through way too much winter each year. An excess of beauty and amazements? Bring it on.
Here are seven ideas to help you make the most of it. Happy Canada Day!
1. Take a nature walk
Speaking of nature, get up close by taking a hike. If you're in Edmonton, there is no shortage of great places to take in the sights, sounds and scents of the great outdoors. Courtesy of author Joan Marie Galat (Biological Sciences Technology - Environmental Sciences ’84), here are three great walks just a few minutes' drive from the city.
2. Go camping
Extend your adventure in the wilderness by spending a night or two in it. When Forest Technology instructor John Caldwell (class of ’94) served as an Alberta Forestry camp manager during the 2011 Slave Lake Fire, his goal was to make everyone was comfortable as possible. Here's his list of things he found were needed for that – and that also make for great car camping.
3. Don't get food poisoning
Wildlife encounters help make camping trips and picnics memorable: pelicans splash-landing in a lake, deer grazing in a meadow, a bear doing whatever at a very safe distance. The same cannot be said about microscopic creatures that might crash your party. Here are 10 tips for keeping them at bay without a refrigerator, from NAIT food services chef Roberto Valencia Robles (Baking ’11, Culinary Arts ’12).
4. Plant a maple tree
Ever notice that, at least in and around Edmonton, there aren't a lot of trees with leaves like the one on Canada's flag? Change that by doing a little patriotic planting in your yard. Here's how to grow a classic maple tree at latitude 53.
5. Throw a barbecue
One of the most beautiful things about Canada isn't the landscape – it's the people. Surround yourself with them over the long weekend. Feed them, too, and preferrably outdoors. Professional Meat Cutting and Merchandising chair Rob Povey (Retail Meatcutting '07) tells us everything we need to know about grilling like a pro.
6. Raise a toast to Canada
In honour of the country's 150th birthday in 2017, Mitch McCaskill (Hospitality Management ’08) created two original cocktails to mark the milestone. Grab a bottle of rye whisky and some maple syrup and get shaking. Here, the maître d’ of Ernest’s, the on-campus fine-dining restaurant, shares his exclusive recipes.
7. Kick back and relax
Alternatively, let someone else handle the bartending as you soak up some sunshine at a local patio. Need a place? We've updated the outdoor dining section of our food and drink guide featuring NAIT grads. Take a moment to sit, people watch and have local fare prepared by a talented chef delivered to your table. Sometimes, experiencing what the nation has to offer doesn't have to mean going out looking for it. Let it come to you instead.