We've been back home and at work for a whole week now since returning from our holidays. Amazing how quickly the effects of the break wear off and even memories of a 'holiday of a lifetime' start to dim. We saw some wonderful sights as we toured the Rockies in Canada. Huge contrasts and extremes.

Despite the fact that my job gives me more opportunity to travel than I have any right to, I saw sights in Canada which were unique and amazing.

As we travelled the Icefield Parkway between lake Louise and Jasper, we passed through The Columbia Icefields and stopped off to take the official 'tour'. We were taken by bus up into the Icefield where we boarded a specially designed Ice Bus. each vehicle is hand-made and costs US$500,000. These vehicles cope with the incredibly steep slopes that take you up to the glaciers. As we journeyed, our guide filled us in with interesting facts about the glaciers. At the end of the trail we were allowed to have about 20 minutes walking on the glacier. We were told that the ice here was 400 metres thick.

It's hard to imagine that depth of ice. It feels rock solid - but it isn't. We learned that the weight of the glacier creates pressure on the ice layers beneath. I'm not a scientist, but I think I heard the guide say that this causes the lower ice layers to turn into something like gel, and the glacier actually moves slowly down the mountain, taking sludge and shale with it. You can't see the movement with the human eye, but special cameras record it as it moves.

The other interesting thought is that this icefield is essential for agriculture, economy and ecosystems not only across the whole of Canada but across that continent. Thawing ice feeds the rivers, the rivers irrigate the vast grain fields and stimulate life itself. The sad news is that the ice fields are shrinking/ Gradually, of course, but measurably. One day - not in my generation, I suppose - our world will be irrevocably changed and damaged by this shrinkage.

Science isn't my forte. I don't understand how all these things work. But as I look at such scenes I can't help but believe in a creator-God.

For centuries, believers have looked to nature and tried to capture their wonder and shape their thoughts into words of praise. Enjoy the pic and be encouraged by these verses:

Psalm 90: 2 Before the mountains were born or you brought forth the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God.

Psalm 104: 13 He waters the mountains from his upper chambers; the earth is satisfied by the fruit of his work.