It is our last day in Canada. We have been on a month long trek that included ships, trains, planes, automobiles and even a riverboat. We have wandered deep into the Yukon, over the Klondike trails, and down the inside passage. We are tired and we can’t check into our hotel out near the airport for a few hours.

I don’t want to sit in the cramped hotel lobby so instead we take a bus to the VanDusen Botanical Garden. My husband questions whether walking a massive garden is the cure for exhaustion. I wave away his doubt. A garden is good for the soul.

Who doesn’t love walking in a grove of pine next to a stream or standing in a patch of rhubarb plants that tower over your head? Explosions of colorful blooms are instant mood boosters.

The lake walk provides lily pads and zigzagging boardwalks that extend over the water. Small frogs and turtles frolic near the shore. There are even hungry koi fish to entertain a weary traveler.

It is quiet in the garden. One wedding has finished and another is being set up on the great lawn. The guests have vacated the premises or have yet to arrive. Other than a few couples out for a stroll, we have the entire wetlands area to ourselves.

I am charmed by a giant Woodsy the Owl made from …. Well… wood. I give a hoot and I don’t pollute. If you are younger than 55, you may need to look up the reference. But I walk the forest paths feeling nostalgic.

We even try the large hedge maze. Thankfully a younger couple is ahead of us. We just hang back and learn from their mistakes. We are older and wiser and conserving energy. We have been on the road for a month and are on our last fumes. Fighting our way out of a difficult maze might put us over the edge.

I am stopped in my track by a barricade of blue blooms. I don’t know what Vancouver does to achieve such massive hydrangeas. Maybe it is the temperature or the rainfall, but they are impressive. My puny Midwest blooms are put to shame by these Northwest beauties.

There is something about a garden that is peaceful and energizing. It is a perfect way to end our Canadian adventure. (Never mind what my husband may be grumbling.) But even I agree it is time to leave.

As we head back to the hotel, I think I am ready to go directly to sleep. We have 4:30 am pickup for the flight home. I will be dreaming of golden plumes and scarlet blossoms. Of brilliant blue hydrangeas and the sweet smell of pine. In the garden…. A favorite place and a fitting mental respite.