2013 45th Anniversary Canada Trip

7/29/2019 2013 45th Anniversary Canada Trip

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Janie and Steve Hotzes 45th

Anniversary Trip to Canada

Janie and I have just returned from the majestic and spectacular Canadian Rockies

where we were celebrating our 45th

wedding anniversary, Wednesday, August 28

through Thursday, September 5, 2013.

Day 1 Wednesday, August 28, 2013

After arriving in Vancouver on Wednesday afternoon, Janie and I enjoyed two

wonderful days at the Fairmont Pacific Rim Hotel overlooking Harbour Bay.

On Wednesday afternoon we met privately with Peter Armstrong, the founder and

owner of the Rocky Mountaineer Railway. His assistant, Paula Salloum, had

contacted Stacey Bandfield, my Director of Scheduling. When I asked her why

Janie and I had been invited to meet with Peter Armstrong, she explained that I hadspoken by phone with Peter after our 2011 Rocky Mountaineer train trip and had

written him a letter commending his staff and organization, and requesting the

opportunity to meet with him sometime in the future. This was noted in my

customer relationship management (CRM) profile. When I booked the reservations

on the train for the trip this year, she was immediately notified and called us to set

up the meeting. How is that for transparent customization?

Peter Armstrong, Founder of the Rocky Mountaineer, with Janie and Steve Hotze


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This system needs to be incorporated for guests who are Ambassadors at the Hotze

Health & Wellness Center, especially when they request a meeting. If I am not in

the office, then Monica Luedecke or Stacey Bandfield should warmly greet them.

Peter is an amazing entrepreneur who has built one of the most successful private

trains in the world from scratch. He started the Rocky Mountaineer after he won

bids on specific train routes in British Columbia and Alberta provinces in 1990

from the Canadian Government which at that time was privatizing its passenger

trains and selling routes under the leadership of a Conservative Party led by Prime

Minister Brian Mulroney. Peter knew nothing about trains and had no idea how to

compete on bids for one.

Peter had been a bellman at the Fairmont Hotel when he started a sightseeing bus

service, Gray Lines Sightseeing, in the late 1970s. He built up this business and

eventually sold it to raise capital to buy the train route that he wanted. When hefirst had the entrepreneurial idea to build a train line he discussed his idea with his

mentor, Jim Houston, 25 years his senior. Mr. Houston asked Peter what he knew

about trains and about placing a bid to buy one. Peter responded, Nothing. Mr.

Houston played a significant role in helping Peter develop the strategy to achieve

his goal of building a successful train business.

To overcome his inadequacies Peter surrounded himself with people who knew the

train business and was subsequently able to raise additional investment capital.

Peter is now 60 years old and in his 24th

year of ownership of the Rocky

Mountaineer. He owns 91% of the business and his sister-in-law owns the balance.

The Rocky Mountaineer served over 100,000 passengers in 2012. The Rocky

Mountaineers train trip has been chosen as a seven time winner of the Worlds

Leading Travel Experience by Train by the World Travel Awards, and rightfully

so. Please be sure to visit the website http://canadarail.ca/about. I will describe

more about our trip on this incredible train when I get to Day 3.

Peters mentor, Jim Houston, later told Peter that when he heard Peter tell him of

his idea of starting a train business that he thought that he was crazy. Entrepreneurs

always come up with ideas that most of their family and friends thinks are totallycrazy and unattainable. Successful entrepreneurs seem to have an uncanny vision

for a way to create value for their targeted clients, customers and guests, a

determined diligence, a thrill to risk everything to achieve their goals, an ability to

inspire others to embrace their vision and work in harmony to accomplish it.

Oftentimes the wind of the Providence of God is at their backs.


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The new Gold Service Gondola Train Car was dedicated to Jim Houston by Peter

Armstrong. This plaque speaks volumes about Peter Armstrongs character and his

appreciation for those who have helped him onto the pathway to success.

Wednesday evening we dined at the Blue Water Cafe, having been told that it was

the best restaurant in Vancouver. We had to agree that the service, the food anddining experience were just outstanding.


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Janie admiring our appetizers at the Blue Water Caf in Vancouver

Thursday, August 29th

Because of the foggy weather on Thursday we were unable to take the puddle

jumper, amphibian planes, from Harbour Bay to Victoria Bay Harbour on

Vancouver Island, where we had plans to tour the Butchart Gardens.


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Late Afternoon in Vancouver, the Fog Has Lifted, but Too Late to Fly to Victoria

(See the Amphibious Planes at the dock in the center of the picture.)

In 2011 we had taken this flight and enjoyed libations at the Bengal Lounge in the

Empress Hotel in Victoria which was built by the Canadian Pacific Railway and

opened in 1908. We had hoped to repeat that experience.

Janie and Steve Hotze Preparing to Board the

Amphibious Plane to Vancouver Island in 2011


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Steve Hotze in front of the Empress Hotel in Victoria in 2011

The Famous Empress Hotels Bengal Tiger Lounge

in Victoria on Vancouver Island

How unfortunate this was because I wanted to give Janie the experience of visiting

the incredible Butchart Gardens which I had last visited with my mother, brothers

and sister in 1965, nearly 50 years ago.


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Butchart Gardens, Vancouver Island, British Columbia

The Butchart Gardens are world renowned. Mr. Butchart had a limestone quarry on

Vancouver Island which provided him the limestone for his very successful

Portland Cement business. His wife turned the quarry and land surrounding the

quarry, totaling 55 acres, into one of the worlds finest gardens. It is still family

owned in the third generation and receives over one million visits annually. Please

visit the website at www.butchartgardens.com.

Well, Janie and I turned lemons into lemonade and spent the day relaxing on the

club level at the Fairmont Pacific Rim Hotel, reading, writing and corresponding. It

was a great time for me to reflect on some projects at our enterprises and draft

some plans and recommendations. The service at the Fairmont was splendid. It is

so nice to visit 5 star hotels to learn how they provide extraordinary hospitality and

guest service. The team on the club level was committed to making our stay

memorable, and they did.


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Liam Ransome, Patricia Eyford and Anabell Lomeli were some of the

Outstanding Servers on the Club Concierge Level that Made our Stay

Special at the Vancouver Fairmont Pacific Rim Hotel

Thursday evening we enjoyed another fantastic dining experience at the Five Sails

Restaurant which overlooks Harbour Bay. We had visited this restaurant in 2011

and had met the owners, Gerry Sayers and her husband, Ernst Dorfler, the chef. Ihad taken pictures with them, which I had sent to them with a cover letter and had

also sent them signed copies of my first book. Stacey Bandfield set up the

reservations this year, so when we arrived they rolled out the red carpet for us. We

had our same waiter Gaetano Los Cascio who is such professional. With the view

of the bay, with the extraordinary guest service, the ambience and the exceptional

dinner, it was just a special epicureans delight.


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Five Sails Restaurant with a Spectacular View of Harbour Bay

Gerry Sayers, Owner of the Five Sails Restaurant in Vancouver

While we were dining at the Five Sails, Janie turned to me and whispered:

Guess who was just seated beside us? Peter Armstrong. So I immediately got up

and circled behind Peter, grabbed the back of his shoulders and said, Well, you


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meet the most interesting people at this restaurant. He was startled and turned

quickly, then smiled broadly and stood up and gave me a warm greeting and a slap

on the back. He is definitely Mr. Schmooze, oozing charisma. He introduced us to

his special lady, Suvina.

Janie and Steve Hotze with Peter Armstrong and Suvina

Peter had another couple joining them for dinner, but asked us to dine with themalso. We had arrived one hour earlier so we graciously declined. When we left our

table, Peter came up to us and said that he would see us off at the train station the

following morning. It is obvious why he has been so successful. I really like him.

Who wouldnt, if someone made you feel so special? We can learn a lot from the

way Peter Armstrong relates to people. I have.

Friday, August 30th

On Friday morning we checked out of the Fairmont Pacific Rim Hotel and headed

to the train station where we boarded the Rocky Mountaineer train for a two daytrip to Jasper, Alberta in Jasper National Park. This is the second time we have

traveled on the Rocky Mountaineer. In 2011 our destination was Banff, Alberta.

Both trips include an overnight stay after the first day in Kamloops, British

Columbia.


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Can you guess who met us at the train station at 7:30 am Friday? Yes, of course it

was Peter Armstrong.

Peter Armstrong Meets with Janie and Steve Hotze at the

Rocky Mountaineer Train Station in Vancouver

Janie Hotze Preparing to Board the Rocky Mountaineer

Gold Service Gondola Car in Vancouver


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Nearly 25 years ago, Peter Armstrong envisioned a five star train service that

would attract people from all over the world. He has accomplished this. This is

Janies and my second time to embark on the train trip offered by Peters Rocky

Mountaineer. The service is impeccable and the cuisine is exceptional. We of

course purchased the Gold Service level and that is what you should purchase

when you travel on the Rocky Mountaineer. You will ride in the double decker

train car with the gondola above and your cars private restaurant below. The

dining experience is outstanding. On top of all this you have the most amazing

scenery, with superb guides on the train to explain to you the history of what you

are experiencing. Much of what you see is only accessible by train. It is truly an

experience of a lifetime.

There was a tremendous change in the topography and the foliage as we traveledeast and inland from Vancouver to Kamloops. Vancouver receives 45 inches of

rain annually and the vegetation is lush and green. Kamloops, on the other hand,

only receives 9 inches. So as you travel east into the interior of British Columbia it

becomes very arid, even more so than west Texas, where Midland, Texas receives

14 inches of rain annually.


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The Rocky Mountaineer Train Traveling Through the Arid Interior

of British Columbia.

On day one the train stops at Kamloops, British Columbia for the evening.

Kamloops has a population of 80,000 and has many hotels and restaurants. The

hotels are not the Ritz or the Four Seasons, by any means, but it is better to sleep in

Kamloops than to sleep on the train and miss the incredible scenery.

The fact that the Canadian Pacific Railway decided to build its tracks on the

southern plains of British Columbia in the 1880s caused Kamloops to develop into

a city. Where the train laid its tracks determined which community would prosper.

Kamloops has.

Saturday, August 30, 2013

Our trained departed from Kamloops for Jasper at 7:50 am. We never had to touch

our baggage outside of our rooms. All the passengers luggage were transported by

truck and placed in the hotel rooms of the passengers by the staff of the Rocky

Mountaineer before we arrived at our destination. Subsequently they were picked

up in our hotel room in Kamloops and transported by truck to our final destination,

Jasper. Peter Armstrongs organization has developed a superior logistic system.

We can learn from this.


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Departing Kamloops with the Excellent Crew on Our Gondola Car:

Dale Leakey, Roxanne Vandale and Zebulun Fastabend

The train took a slight northeasterly course as it made its way to and through the

Columbia Mountain Range and into the Rockies.

Most of the day was spent meeting and visiting with other passengers on our train

car as well as viewing the scenery, which is just spectacular. As on our previous

trip there were many travelers from Australia and the United Kingdom. We

became good friends with Susan and Brian Mann who live in Australia, just north

of Sydney. Susan is an R.N. by profession who is a very successful entrepreneur.

She established Sue Mann Nursing and Community Care in 1984 and now has 135

people on her staff. It was exhilarating to have a conversation with such an

accomplished businesswoman. See her website at www.suemann.com.au/.

Australians, Brian and Sue Mann with Janie and Steve Hotze

aboard the Rocky Mountaineer


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The scenery on the train trip was breathtaking.

Pyramid Falls in British Columbia, Canada

Pyramid Falls video - http://youtu.be/RNMPXC5ek3E

Mt. Robson: Tallest Mountain in the Canadian Rockies.


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Sunday evening we arrived in Jasper, Alberta which is about 300 miles north of the

U.S. border at Montana and is located in Jasper National Park, surrounded by the

Rocky Mountains. The population of the greater Jasper area is less than 5,300. We

were transported by shuttle from the Jasper train station to the Jasper Park Lodge

where we stayed for two nights.

Janie Hotze at Jasper Park Lodge

Canada has a population of 35 million compared to the 316 million in the U.S.

75% of Canadians live within 100 miles of the U.S. border. Canada has the 2nd

largest land mass in the world behind Russia. The land mass of Canada is 3.8

million square miles and the U.S. is 3.7 million including Alaska. If you just

include the lower 48 states, the land mass of the U.S.A. is just under 3 million

acres. So Canada is 33% larger than our lower 48 states. The population density of

Canada is 8 people/sq.mi whereas the population density of the lower 48 states is

104/sq.mi.

This information teaches us that Canada has vast areas of the country that arewilderness, essentially uninhabited, and have remained unchanged over the past

several thousand years.

Jasper is an outpost in the wilderness of the Canadian Rockies. The Fairmont

Jasper Park Lodge was built by the Canadian National Railways in 1922 and a

world class golf course was added later in the 1920s.


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Sunday, September 1, 2013

On Sunday we attended church at the Jasper Lutheran Church and then picked up

our Hertz car rental. A delicious Sunday brunch was enjoyed at the Jasper Park

Lodge. Then in the afternoon at 2 PM we joined our Australian friends, the Manns,

for a horseback ride in the mountains.

Janie Hotze Riding Along the Athabasca River in Jasper National Park

Sunday night we dined with Sue and Brian Mann at Beckers Chalet Restaurant

which is a gourmet restaurant. The first and only time that I had previously been to

Jasper was in 1956 with my mother and father and two brothers, Bruce and Jim. I

was only 6 years old. Mother had taken us by train from Houston to Minneapolis

on the Rock Island Express where we changed trains and boarded the Sioux Lines

for Calgary, Alberta. My father met us there and we then drove 250 miles north to

Jasper. We stayed at Beckers Chalets which were then called BeckersBungalows. There were fewer bungalows then and there was no restaurant. I do

remember that the black bears came to our bungalow during the day and turned

over our outside trash cans. gis


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Steve Hotze in Front of Beckers Chalets Just South of Jasper

Monday, September 2, 2013

On Monday morning we checked out of the Jasper Park Lodge.

First we visited Maligne Lake which is a glacial lake 27 miles south of Jasper. It is

the longest of the natural Canadian Rocky Mountain glacial lakes at 13 miles. It is

fed by 5 glaciers which surround it.

Maligne Lake was discovered in 1908 by Mary Shaffer, a woman explorer from

Philadelphia. It was originally called Chaba Imne or Beaver Lake by the Stoney

Indians. Subsequently, Fred Brewster in 1921 and Curly Phillips in 1928 set up

camps and lodges at Maligne Lake which accommodated guests year round. Until

the mid-1930s, it required a 3 day horseback trip to reach Maligne Lake from

Jasper.

Maligne Lake - http://youtu.be/pG_K4fY7big


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Janie and Steve Hotze at Maligne Lake in Jasper National Park

From Maligne Lake we traveled south down Highway 93 through the heart of the

Canadian Rockies. The views are just breathtaking. The majestic mountains, the

verdant forests, the enormous glaciers, and the brilliant glacial lakes all declare the

glory of our great Sovereign God.

Janie and Steve Hotze at Athabasca Falls, Jasper National Park


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As we drove south we paralleled the Athabasca River which was flowing north

alongside the highway. There are several amazing waterfalls along the rivers

course, the most impressive of which is Athabasca Falls.

Athabasca Falls - http://youtu.be/ryy0kDA6BgA

Steve Hotze at the base of the Columbia Ice Fields

The Athabasca Glacier is located at the Columbia Ice Fields. This is where the

headwaters of the Athabasca River, which flows north to the Artic Ocean, are

located.

Columbia Ice Fields - http://youtu.be/xE_2hSAbyp0

During our last visit in 2011 we rode the mountain bus onto the glacier.

We completed our day trip when we arrived at Emerald Lake which is located

about 25 miles west of Lake Louise in Yoho National Park.

Tuesday Thursday, September 3-5, 2013

Janie and I stayed at the Emerald Lake Lodge in a chalet with a spectacular view

overlooking the lake and the mountains. The last time I had been to Emerald Lake


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was in 1965 while on a summer vacation with my parents and 5 brothers. It has not

changed at all. It is still as beautiful and as serene as I remember it then.

The Emerald Lake Lodge was constructed by the Canadian Pacific Railway and

opened in June 1902 with 14 guest rooms. There are now approximately 20 chalets

on Emerald Lake with 87 rooms available for guests year round. It is located 20

miles west of the Lake Louise Ski Resort. Please visit the Emerald Lake website at

http://www.crmr.com/emerald/.

Janie and I spent Tuesday and Wednesday relaxing, reading, writing, hiking and

canoeing at Emerald Lake. We feasted on the most fabulous meals of our lives in

the dining room of the Emerald Lake Lodge. The ambience of the lodge, the view

of the lake and the deliciously prepared and divinely presented dinner courses

made the evening an epicureans delight.

Emerald Lake Lodge

Canoeing on Emerald Lake - http://youtu.be/eI8zY37xaok


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Janie and Steve Hotze at Emerald Lake

Janie and Steve Hotze with Martin Flanagan at the

Emerald Lake Lodge Restaurant

Martin Flanagan is the owner of Canada Rail Vacations http://canadarail.ca/about

and he planned our entire trip. Martin also planned our trip to Canada in 2011. He

has a remarkable enterprise and can make recommendations and arrangements for

all the activities, train travel reservations and lodgings for your trip to Canada.

Thank you for giving us the opportunity to share this special trip with you.

Documents

2013 45th Anniversary Canada Trip