Western Journeys: Discovering the Secrets of the Land

Patricia Morley is professor emerita of English and Canadian studies at
Concordia University, and the author of Kurlek, Margaret Laurence: The
Long Journey Home, and As Though Life Mattered: Leo Kennedy’s Story.

This beautifully illustrated book chronicles a trip taken by the authors
to places where nature and/or humans have created curious effects over
time. It is also a celebration of Western Canada, focusing on Alberta,
British Columbia, the Queen Charlotte Islands, and the Yukon, areas
where wilderness still exists on a grand scale.

Over the course of their 32,000-kilometre trip, Daniel Wood and
Beverley Sinclair observed for themselves and were enlightened by other
naturalists and scientists met along the way. In seven chapters, they
portray in words and images Vancouver Island and the southern B.C.
coast; the Okanagan, Cariboo, and Chilcotin; the Rockies and Alberta’s
foothills; the grasslands of southeastern Alberta; the Peace River
region; the Yukon and the boreal forest; and the northwestern B.C.
coast.

Western Journeys is handsomely designed, with quotes from poets and
philosophers (Robert Frost, Immanuel Kant, Albert Einstein) superimposed
on some of the photographs. My favorite depicts early September in the
Yukon, an incredible panorama of pinks, purples, and lime greens.