We set off on our Canadian Rockies adventure at around four o'clock on Friday afternoon. My mom—my weekend partner in crime—and I felt instantly at home in the freebie-filled VW Jetta TDI that we picked up from the Edmonton VW dealership. Three and half hours and 220 miles later we pulled into Jasper, smack dab in the middle of the spectacular World Heritage-listed Jasper National Park. All workweeks should end this way! After checking into the Amethyst Lodge (www.amethystlodge.com) in downtown Jasper, we grabbed a bite before hitting the hay in preparation for our three-hour trail ride the next day.

Saturday morning started at a leisurely pace with breakfast and shopping down Jasper's main drag. At one o'clock we boarded the shuttle to Pyramid Stables (www.pyramidridingstables.com), arriving to discover somewhat disconcertingly that we were signed up for the three-hour trip for experienced riders. Wait a minute, didn't we say we hadn't been on a horse for many, many years? Things got still more nervy when they trotted out our large-looking mounts, though it wasn't as bad as I'd feared once we were introduced to the horses and had taken a quick refresher lesson on the do's and don'ts of horseback riding. Dave, our guide for the day, then got things moving, but not before we hammed it up at the main gate for on-film posterity while we still looked comfortable.

As we rode through the beautiful alpine countryside, Dave told us about the area's natural history. Mind you, it was hard to concentrate on all that when you're surrounded by such beautiful scenery: crystal-clear lakes, dramatic mountaintops, views for as far as the eye can see. We got to the crest of one incline that rewarded us with the most breathtaking view of Jasper and its Rocky Mountains cradle. Actually, to be honest, there was one other pressing distraction beyond the scenery. My horse, Frosty, decided to mess with me by running up and down some of the inclines on the trails. Not a big deal, except it's a little hairier with a steep cliff to one side! And, if I tried to pull Frosty into line, he'd go off trail and push my leg up against some tree. At first my mom thought my horse discipline problems were a blast, though I did have the last laugh when her horse, Pablo, decided he was too dainty to drag his hooves through any of the puddles and ended up hauling my mom on a few branch-slapping detours through the trees.

My legs felt like Jello when we swung back into the stables three hours later, but it was the best three hours I've spent in a long time. The hour spent in the hot tub once back at the hotel ran that a close second. Better still, the drive back to Edmonton on Sunday after our fun-filled weekend let us deploy one the Jetta's extra features to perfect outdoor-adventurer effect: heated car seats to soothe saddle-sore backsides! Now that's what I call funkengruven.