I was stumped.
There in Jasper, population not much, surrounded by mountains looking like bald men--no trees growing above 6500 feet--everyone seemed happy, content, and radiated goodness.
Like Alyssa Day who accompanied me canoeing on Lac Beauvert.
Was it the mountain air?
Clean air?
The Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge?
Thanks to a good rate, I was able to stay at the Fairmont and experience something beyond the ordinary.
It's ordinary for a luxury hotel to have employees acting happy and ready to lend a helping hand.
But it's extraordinary to have employees that seem genuinely happy and eager to help.
There's happiness in the air.
There was also a chill when I arrived to Jasper, and rain was forecasted for the next day when I'd planned to go for a boat ride on Maligne Lake at higher elevation, read, colder, and considered one of the best cruises in Canada.
Rain or shine.
So when I mentioned to my bellhop, a handsome young man named Ashley, that I might need to buy a new jacket, Ashley offered to lend me his own, saying within 20 minutes his jacket would be in my room.
"Return it whenever you'd like," he said. "I'm warm-blooded and won't need it until winter."
Done.
Later that evening, I realized I needed a rewrittable CD and called the hotel's operator who told me the hotel didn't have one but she was getting off soon and would get one from her room and bring it to mine.
Done.
So it got me thinking about what motivates people to help others, and what makes them happy.
I learned that the Fairmont Jasper Lodge treats its employees really, really well. They live on site, eat, work, and play.
The next day, there was a mix-up and the tour driver didn't pick me up.
No problem.
A Fairmont employee named Chris Martini took me to the lake and we stopped to sight-see along the way.
Turns out he's a closet photographer and he kept pointing out great photo opportunites, while explaining the happiness quotient I experienced at the Fairmont in Jasper.
I figured they only hired well-adjusted people from happy homes. How else could you explain this bright-eyed welcoming feeling you feel from every employee at Jasper's Fairmont?
But as we meandered along the most scenic drive to Maligne Lake, Chris told me some of the employees come from less than ideal homes, in some cases, "bad" homes but they appreciate what they have in Jasper--beauty, clean air and space--and the Fairmont treats them well; hence the genuine happy feeling.
Here's Maligne Lake.
Chris, or Mr. Martini (they're formal at the Fairmont), said that only one in eight who apply get a job at this Fairmont.
I think all businesses should consider lessons from Fairmont's Jasper Park Lodge. My experience was it was top-of-the-line. I was surprised when I read a poor review of this property in Lonely Planet. I can't imagine that the reviewer actually stayed at this resort.
When I returned to the hotel, I decided to canoe on the property's Lac Beauvert, one of the largest aquifer ecosystems in North America and where the water is so clear you can see to the bottom.
The lake is glacial-fed and the rock floor has sediments produced from mountains, which reflects light this beautiful way.
Here's Rachel Peer the friendly, informative young lady at the boat house.
The Fairmont uses this water for everything on site,
including drinking and laundry.
It's clean and gets cleaner, going through a filtration system under the 
laundry house. No one is allowed to swim in it except a few ducks I saw here.
My experience at Jasper's Fairmont sprang to mind, while reading a new book called The Geography of Bliss by Eric Weiner. This guy traveled the world looking for the place where people are happiest and he explored why.
He missed Jasper in his happiness quest. I'd suggest next time he give Jasper a try.
To see my favorite original Jasper photos, click here.
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