John encouraged Alissa to take a break from work and go outside. Alissa and a friend then took a week-long road trip across Alberta, Canada, visiting places like Drumheller, Medicine Hat, Cypress Hills, and Jasper National Park. They saw beautiful scenery and wildlife. Alissa forgot her camera in Medicine Hat but enjoyed photographing the rest of the trip. The road trip was a success thanks to the time off approved by their employer.

2. John Lounds said “take a break
This week is for you
But you must go outside!
Maybe see something new”

3. Dear Boss,
So we wrote down our plans
And had them approved by the
bosses
Then we started counting
down the days
Till we left our offices
~Alissa

4. Now the day is here
And John made it clear
Take Time for Nature
Just get out of here!

5. Now we have maps in our head
And new hikers on our feet
A full tank of gas
And new species to meet

6. I brought my new camera
To see what I could do
But I’m green to this photography thing
Still trying to capture the right view

7. We drove through Stettler, Camrose, and Drumheller;
Before we stopped for a break...
And oh my, the background was stellar!

8. Back in the car toward Medicine Hat
Off to see grandma and grandpa,
You gotta love that!
Kyle’s grandparents showed us the old parts of town
And told us stories of what the settlers had found.
*Alissa failed to remember the camera during the tour of Medicine Hat.
Lesson 1 of photography: when taking up the hobby of photography, don’t forget to bring your camera!

9. Then we headed off to Cypress Hills
A plateau high above the surrounding prairies
In fact, the highest in Canada
Between Labrador and the Rockies

12. We then decided to be rather ambitious
From Cypress Hills to something mountainous
So we got in the car and drove the highway
Headed out west, toward the Icefields Parkway

14. Our final destination was
Jasper National Park,
What a spectacular place,
We both did remark
The views were amazing
And the wildlife unreal,
We can’t wait to come back
And I’m sure we will

16. *My dad and my dog came to meet us in Jasper!

17. So our road trip was done
And we had a ton of fun...

18. Now THANK you NCC
For our week free!