On the road again!!!!!

I should have taken note of how many miles I have driven this vacation, but I didn't. But to kind of catch up with what's been happening here goes.

OK - pretend that this is Monday, July 18th. The girls decide that they NEED to go parasailing. And guess what there is parasailing on the beach in Penticton. So we are off to go parasailing. I could have gone in the boat with them, but Dad was with me, so we stayed on the beach. And there were TWO parasailing places which caused a bit of confusion at the beginning since the girls went to the right one and I went to the closest ones. Oh yes - just when you think you have an edge on them - they beat you at your own game!!!!!

Getting on the boat

Parasailing

Parasailing

Happy parasailers!!!!

Now we watched them and it seemed pretty simple. They didn't even get wet!!!!!   The sail went up and then it hoised them right out of the boat and into the sky. I wouldn't let M take her camera (a nice digital 35) and she was MAD. Of course I heard about it afterwards when they didn't get wet!!!!   But Caroline had her waterproof camera and they got some good shots of them in the sky.

We had a major downpour and you could see NOTHING but mist, rain and clouds off Glen's deck.

Rain and mist and clouds

Normally the view from the deck

We had a last great dinner (thank goodness we are leaving or we all wouldn't fit back in the truck!!!!)

We left on Tuesday morning, but not before we packed the back of the truck - covering everything with tarps in the event of rain. We had had a bit of rain on the way out and we wanted to be prepared.

Instead of taking a different route which was our first plan - we decided to take the same route as we had come. We passed fruit stand after fruit stand and then realized - wouldn't it be nice to have some cherries to eat in the truck. Of course by then - there were NO MORE fruit stands. Yes - we were all brain dead, but more focused on the fact that there was NO MORE room in the truck (how much luggage can FIVE people have!!!!).

The last spike!

Approaching one of the seven or eight snow sheds

Inside the snow shed

And then it started to rain and it rained and it rained and it rained harder!!!!!! 

Rain on the way home

 I was getting worried about some of the stuff in the back cause my backpack with ALL my electronics was in the back. Let's hope the tarps hold up!!!!!
We finally arrived in Calgary which was going to be our stop for the night and what did we see:??????

Is that snow?????   NOPE - HAIL!!!!!!

Looks like they had a hail storm earlier in the day. Thank goodness we didn't have to drive through that.

Anyway - I was looking for a hotel on the outskirts on the east side of Calgary and next thing you knew - we were outside and no hotels. CRAP!!!!   OK - the next town is Strathmore - let's pray they have SOMETHING.

Turns out Strathmore had LOTS of nice hotels and we got safely ensconced for the night and got to check the luggage which seemed soggy!!!!

We were ALL lucky. The inside of my backpack was WET, but nothing was damaged. I had some papers in the backpack and they absorbed the water and it didn't damage a thing. One of M's notebooks got wet, but we managed to get it dryed out during the next week. What a relief. But notice how the girls spread out.

The girls with some of their stuff - they are spreaders!!!!  And those suitcases - well they just exploded every time we got somewhere. They DO NOT know how to pack light!!!!

Some of our stuff drying!!!!!

Oh yes - something else that was bizarre on the way home was the temperature. Yes - we have one of those thermometers in the truck for the outside temperature. It went as LOW as TEN degrees. Can you believe it????????   Well there was hail in Calgary after all.

We awoke the next morning to a beauitful day!!!!!    Yeah!!!!!!   We still packed everything up tight and I put my electronics in a plastic bag INSIDE the backpack in the event we had rain again.

We stopped in Drumheller which was the reason we went this way. I had never been there before and we thought the girls would enjoy it as well.

BIG dinosaur in Drumheller at the tourist information booth

In the mouth of the dinosaur

Some "fossils" inside the dinosaur

The girls inside the dinosaur

Impressions of early life

These small dinosaurs were every where

Next stop was church!!!!   Yes - you heard me - even though it was Wednesday - it was a perfect day to go to church!

Caroline and M in church

Caroline outside little church in Drumheller

Caroline and Dad geocaching outside little church in Drumheller

While at the church - we thought it was a perfect place for a geocache and sure enough there was one. Caroline was the eagle eye. And good thing we got this one because it was the ONLY one we did in Alberta!!!!   I would have been ticked off if we had driven TWICE through and not got ONE!!!!

OK - so it is hard to geocache when you want to get somewhere!!!!

Next stop - the Hoodoos. If you have never been to the badlands of Alberta - I strongly suggest it. It is just incredible to see the terrain. If you can't make it - well here are some pictures.

M taking a picture of the hoodoos

The hoo doos

Incredible terrain at the hoo doos

Caroline at the hoo doos

M at the hoo doos

Just before getting to the hoodoos - well somewhere along the road - oh yes where we turned off the main highway to get to Drumheller - we saw a house being moved. Too far away for pictures. Then after the hoodoos - we were approaching an intersection and we wondered why a few cars and trucks were sitting there. Wouldn't you know it - here comes the darn house. This time we got pictures.

House on the move and it was going VERY FAST

And what is a trip on the prairies like without showing you how FLAT most of it is.



Open prairie including bug splats!!!!



By this time we are geting hungry for lunch and there are FEW and far between towns. Of course the girls are used to eating in chain restaurants and I'm thinking there isn't going to be anything like that around. M says wouldn't it be cool if there was a Subway near here. Oh right - we all snort!!!!   Get real!!!!

Then a mirage hit the horizon. A sign for the next town  -great - we are stopping no matter what they have. Then a sign - no this is REALLY a mirage now - this town has a Subway???????   NO way - YES way. We stop in Oyan and there really is a Subway here. Thank goodness for the sign because the town is 4 KM off the highway.

Subway in Oyan

 Now from the outside these are NOT fancy places, but inside - it's just a regular old Subway. This little town - population 1000 has enough business (probably from the sign on the road) to justify it and the managed said they are quite busy. No wonder - there is NOTHING else for miles.

Then we reached the Saskatchewan border - Yeah.

Me at Saskatchewan border



Then it was an uneventful trip home to the farm, but not before we stopped at the airport (Saskatoon) so I could rent my car for the duration of my trip.

After Mom and Dad went their way - we decided to stop at my favourite book store - McNally Robinson. I just love this place. They had quilts hanging in the store (and advertising the upcoming - in October quilt show)

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Quilts hanging in the book store in Saskatoon

Quilts hanging in bookstore in Saskatoon

It is really nice to see this bookstore promote local talent, both quilts (every time I come here - there are ALWAYS quilts hanging in the store) and they promote prairie writers as well. How come we don't have that back home:???????

There is a nice little restaurant there as well and we had a nice dinner before leaving for the farm.

My litle bowl of soup!!!!

Our last stop before arriving at the farm was a special geocache at the Red Bull. Which the girls figured out!!!

Geocaching



And at last - almost 10 PM - we arrived at the farm. Yeah!!!!!!   Two long days of driving. I'm surprised how well I did since I tend to get drowsy driving for a half hour in the city!!!!!

Got to run and get something to eat and KILL the kids upstairs in this hotel. I think they are having a competition to see who can make the most noise.

Have a great day!!!!!

Ciao!!!!!!