If you ever doubted there is a God in heaven, then you haven't spent any time in the Canadian Rockies…

The magnificence of the Canadian Rockies is matched only by the kindness of the people we call our fellow North Americans. Canadians are such a tolerant people. They possess the compassion and gentleness of all that is good in a democracy along with the independence and entrepreneurship of a free society.

I've been blessed to speak at the Banff School and to make several visits to Calgary, Alberta. I won't fib; it's my favorite province. My ties to British Columbia and Ontario are deep. I actually won the World Championship of Public Speaking for Toastmasters International in 1978 in Vancouver after losing it a year prior in Toronto. I guess you could say my affinity to Canada is personal and meaningful.

I recently spent a week in Calgary and Banff. Any visit to Banff would be incomplete unless add an additional leg to lovely Lake Louise. It has all the beauty of Breckenridge and Vail, Colorado without all the growth. Banff itself has restricted its growth and allows only 8,000 permanent residents. Banff sits about two hours northwest of Calgary and is one of the loveliest spots in the world.

While there are many magnificent hotels like the world famous Fairmont, our choice for the week was the Rimrock Resort Hotel, a 346 room facility which is nestled in Bow Valley near the magnificent Bow River in the shadow of Sulfur Mountain and a view to die for. The water that flows in that river is just five hours removed from being part of a glacier in the adjoining mountains.

The bad news was I was there on a business trip. The good news is our meetings lasted only briefly during the mornings of two days and the rest of the time was ours to explore downtown Banff and the adjoining mountains. Our gondola ride to the top of Sulfur Mountain was splendid, simply stunning.

After several days in Banff, we moved over to my next favorite province of British Columbia where we spent several days at the cottage of insurance executive Pat Barry, a close personal friend who was instrumental in having me in as a speaker to address his fellow Canadian life underwriters.

Pat also recommended me for one of the most prestigious speaking engagements I ever had… to some 6,000 members of the Million Dollar Round Table in Toronto, Ontario in 1989. I was on the platform there with Terry Bradshaw, Brian Tracey, W. Mitchell and a dozen other top speakers from throughout the world.

We finished our week by celebrating Canada Day in downtown Calgary on July 1, formerly called Dominion Day. Canada's July 1 is America's July 4. Unlike us workaholic Americans, the Canadians often take "holiday," as they are fond of calling it, for upwards of a week to celebrate Canada Day.

They cap it off with a ten day celebration of the world famous Calgary Stampede, the largest rodeo exhibition held anywhere in the world, dating back to the early 1900's. We joined another 80,000 folks from all over the world to enjoy the greatest outdoor show on earth.

My offices are in Kissimmee, Florida and I thought we took our rodeos pretty seriously. After all, we take a week off from school just so the rednecks can showcase their cattle and horses and wrestle a few steers.

The Stampede is special, featuring Kid Rock, James Taylor and the Judds as entertainment as well as kid's parties, animals and agriculture as well as traditional rodeo activities. My favorite event was the Chuck Wagon races, which are a riot. Talk about pure horsepower! Welcome to Thunder Road, featuring the pounding of hoofs and trembling of the ground as 36 drivers navigate 128 horses on their team chasing after $1 million in prize money.

If you're ever looking for a terrific vacation, go to Calgary and catch the Stampede! You'll be glad you did.