Homeward Bound

We finish our vacation back in Frankenmuth, Michigan - treating ourselves to a night in a real bed before we head to Burlington. We have a lovely deck overlooking the river again and sleep like logs. There is a large mirror in the room - yikes! My eyebrows are scary, my legs and arms are dotted with the tracks of those nasty mosquitoes, my pedicure polish is chipping off and I am having a hard time finding clean clothes to wear. I guess it is time to go home! The van is still leaking oil, so every so often Rip checks the level and adds more juice. The Westy thinks it is time to go home too! We are grateful for this time to experience so many amazing moments and sights, and God's creation never seemed quite as spectacular. We resound with so many others that it is good to go away, but also very good to go home. We are a couple of days ahead of schedule so I think of the delicious thought of relaxing for a day and just staying home to unpack, do laundry and organize. Yes, indeed, there's no place like home!

Orange Is The New Black

It is chilling in the mornings so I am wearing my warm, orange sweater to prepare to leave at 7 am or earlier. Orange is a good colour for mornings - bright and ready to pop your eyeballs open just a little wider. On the other hand, orange is a sign of warning - pay attention! We are heading across the US on highway 2 - a small mostly 2 land road through some really interesting towns. It is fast through Montana and North Dakota, but when we get to Minnesota and Wisconsin things slow down. There are big orange signs with "Road Work Ahead" or "Right Lane Closed Ahead" or "Detour; Road Closed". In Ironwood, we have to go on a big detour that takes us through town and back to hwy 2 which takes about 25 minutes. You can't be in a hurry when it comes to road work, and I begin to groan when I spot a big orange sign in the distance. Orange is the new black! I am reading the book by this name by Piper Kerman. It is a memoir - the story of the year she spent in a women's prison, in Danbury, Connecticut. With a university degree, a good career, a fiancé and a loving family, Piper is 10 years beyond her experience with a woman who convinced her to smuggle drugs and who when caught years later gave Piper's name as one who was involved as well. She meets women from all walks of life, all dressed in prison orange and her story offers a real and rare look into life in prison. Orange is the new black - it's the orange I look forward to each night before turning out the light.

Stagecoach Stops

We are travelling across the state of Montana on highway 2, a two lane, perfectly paved and flat highway that follows the railroad. We see lots of trains and they are long ones mostly 100 cars or more, mostly hauling oil. Little two bit towns dot the highway; almost all of them have a Stagecoach Gas Station and a Lucky Lil’s Casino attached. The buildings are small and old and there are lots of weathered outhouses with the sliver moons and stars on the door! Most of the motels are closed down; you get the impression these towns were happening places “back in the day” but with all the abandoned farms and houses lots of people have moved into bigger places for more amenities and jobs. The towns feature signs inviting truckers to stop for a rest, a coffee or a shower. These Stagecoach towns are right out of the old western movies complete with the characters that you see ambling down the main street to check out the latest gossip. On to North Dakota – the clock goes forward 1 hour now so we keep motoring until the next Stagecoach Stop that calls our name. The weather is perfect and visibility is remarkable; we get out of the van a couple of times just to take it all in.

Looking For Tuesday On Monday!

We arrive in Minot, North Dakota. It is getting late so we found a campground with a parking spot by the river. Rip checks us in and ask the owners where to eat. They tell him about a place that has “the best chicken in the world”. My mind imagines a tasty Swiss Chalet kind of chicken only better with a nice salad. We have had 5 “van” meals by now; last night it was a take-out salad and some devilled eggs from the Flying J Gas Station. We ate it in the van to the musical buzz of those mosquitoes I chatted about earlier. I am hoping for a different kind of experience tonight. Rip kind of gets the directions and after a couple of twists and turns we find a shopping plaza. I say – “I don’t see a restaurant”. He says, it is called the Market Place. It is a grocery store. He goes in to buy some of the chicken. I am skeptical and suggest that perhaps he can try the chicken and then we go somewhere else. He opens the chicken and pulls out one piece; it looks a bit like Kentucky Fried. Underneath the piece is a pool of greasy oil; even he is not impressed. We ask if there is a Ruby Tuesday in town. There is! We like Ruby Tuesday because they have a delicious salad bar with lots of different greens, veggies, toppings, various other salads, etc. We wind our way in and out of streets; waiting for a train to pass (they are long in these parts!), getting lost then finding the road only to be going the wrong way. Finally we turn around – it just must be really hard to find a Tuesday on a Monday! .

Stagecoach Stops

We are travelling across the state of Montana on highway 2, a two lane, perfectly paved and flat highway that follows the railroad. We see lots of trains and they are long ones mostly 100 cars or more, mostly hauling oil. Little two bit towns dot the highway; almost all of them have a Stagecoach Gas Station and a Lucky Lil’s Casino attached. The buildings are small and old and there are lots of weathered outhouses with the sliver moons and stars on the door! Most of the motels are closed down; you get the impression these towns were happening places “back in the day” but with all the abandoned farms and houses lots of people have moved into bigger places for more amenities and jobs. The towns feature signs inviting truckers to stop for a rest, a coffee or a shower. These Stagecoach towns are right out of the old western movies complete with the characters that you see ambling down the main street to check out the latest gossip. On to North Dakota – the clock goes forward 1 hour now so we keep motoring until the next Stagecoach Stop that calls our name. The weather is perfect and visibility is remarkable; we get out of the van a couple of times just to take it all in.

Dancing Through Montana

We are driving toward Montana from Alberta. The land is flat and the road is straight. We are on cruise control and if there was a “steering control” you could set it and just let it ride. “I can see for miles and miles”; the song comes to mind here. There are a few oil drills and not much else. The tall grasses on the plains are dancing in the wind; it looks like a big green sea with little white caps rippling for miles; it is quite amazing. We stop at a gas station (warning: next gas service 133 km – we have learned!). It is so remote here that big signs say “you must give your driver’s license to the cashier before filling up”!!! That’s a new one! I guess with no one else around some folks have filled up and taken off into the sunset. We are approaching Milk River, Alberta where we will cross into Sweet Grass, Montana. Do you get the picture?? Yes, the river looks like a pale chocolate milk and we cross it several times as we travel. We stop at the Duty Free and the 2 bored-looking clerks are sitting outside at a picnic table putting in time in case they get a customer. We are the only ones around! The line up at the border crossing is unusually hectic – there is 1 car in front of us! Ha! As we approach Shelby, Montana we find a municipal park with camping spaces and washrooms. I get out of the car to pick up the envelope for the whopping $10 charge for the night – and I start dancing. Mosquitoes swarm me from head to toe! I shut the door fast and for the next hour we are on the hunt for the little beggars. We are both dancing the “bug jig” now. During the night the van starts dancing – there is a wild wind storm with rain and you can feel the vehicle rocking. It was quite the production. In the morning I decide to have a shower which was wonderful. Lots of hot water and clean washrooms. But I am in for another dance. As I start brushing my teeth the army of nasties starts again. I do a dance called “kick, kick, brush, brush, kick, kick, brush, brush” as fast as I can and get out of there. We have been dancing since we arrived in Shelby, and our last dance put us back on the road early – I carry the “After Bite” in the glove box now. The Itch Dance is the worst on of all

Give Me Oil In My Lamp!

As we pack up from our hotel after "the kids" go to the airport, I am looking up a church to visit this morning in Calgary. Then Rip tells me that the van is leaking oil and we may not be going anywhere. We find a deserted parking lot; he gets under the van lying on a Thermorest pad. Instead of going to church I sing to myself, "Give Me Oil In My Lamp" - what can you do? We finally leave - there is still a small leak; we find a Canadian Tire to buy some oil. We are off to Black Diamond to visit Corey and Cheyanne and family. Praying for oil in our lamp all the way!

Homeward Bound

As I write this post I am watching the plane take off to take Jen and Przem home; Calgary to Hamilton which is nice. The golfers are strutting their stuff in the foreground; I guess this is what lots of people do on a Sunday morning! Who would know? It is sad to see our young people go - they are full of excitement and ideas and we have had an amazing time with them. We are so lucky to have great family. We will pack up soon and head toward home ourselves; stopping in Turner Valley just south of Calgary to visit the son of Rip's friend Ron Caton and meet their brand new son. Then we will cross the border again and head east - hoping to be home by Friday or Saturday at the latest. Hopefully I will be able to add a blog or two as we go. Today is Christine and Vick's first wedding anniversary and we are thinking of them and missing our wee Anouska whose cheeks are filling out like a chipmunk with all the food it needs for winter!! On our way.....

What Are The Chances?!!

After a very full day at the Stampede and all the action we are ready to find a spot for some dinner. Jen has in mind a place where she has a reservation for 9 pm but we are ready to have a break at 7 pm so head over there. What are the chances? 1. There are hundreds of restaurants near the Stampede - we pick Model Milk. 2. We have a reservation for a table inside, but we are early and can only have a table on the outside patio right by the sidewalk on the street. 3. We are ready to go, but Przem says he would like another beer and we are not in a hurry so we lounge on the patio a little longer in the sunshine, watching the street characters. 4. Along comes a nice looking dude who stands and looks at us - what are the chances? It is Shawn Dailey from Aldershot - he went to school with Christine from kindergarten to grade 13 and he has been like part of our family in that group of friends for over 30 years!!! His sister and Jen were best buddies through high school. We cannot believe it. Shawn is stunned too; he thought he recognized Rip first then saw the rest of us and put it all together. I thought to myself, "this guy looks like Shawn but it can't be". He invites us to his condo nearby and open a bottle of Prosecco to celebrate. Shawn move to Calgary for work 4 years ago. He was back in Burlington in May for his parent's 50th wedding anniversary and we didn't see him then even though his parents live 2 km from us, but here we are in Calgary and our paths connect. What Are The Chances??!!

Yahoo!

The first thing we do at the Calgary Stampede is buy cowboy hats - all of us! It really gets you in a mood and the place is alive with people and music. There are deep fried Oreos and chocolate bars, bison burgers, Cokes with your name on it, huge, wild rides at $40 per person, live music and more. We have tickets for the rodeo which is amazing. The RCMP musical ride involved 33 horses with riders who do amazing moves like Wagon Wheels, Cloverleaf, Carousels, Revolving Doors and more. There is a family with a young son who has a front row seat from the "Make A Wish" project. The whole thing is very moving. Our seats are amazing and the show lasts 3 hours - bucking broncos, lasso contests, drum corps bands, pony races, and so much more. In Canada we learn that the proper response to cheer the contestants on is "Yahoo" not "Yee Ha". Our American friends use the latter and apparently we Canadians like to be different! There are some young folks from Saskatchewan in front of us and they explain some of the rules for the bronco and lasso challenges. It makes you proud to be Canadian at this event and we feel like we are westerners by the end of the day - Przemek was born in Edmonton so he is one already. Yahoo!

Calgary Here We Come!

We are off to Calgary for the Stampede. We leave the mountains and the landscape becomes flat and frankly boring compared to what we have experienced. Three of us snooze in the car but it is only 1.5 hours from Banff. Our hotel room is a 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom suite with a kitchen and living area - it is perfect! The hotel clerks all have cowgirl hats on and western music is playing We are in the mood! We take a drive to find the Stampede grounds. We decide to pass on entering for the evening because we are all pooped out. We find out that the grounds do not open until 11 the next morning which is good - no one is in a hurry in Calgary! Our hotel is near the airport and oddly enough our room overlooks a golf course with the planes taking off and landing in the distance. I guess you and "fly and play" in Calgary

Hot!

We have another day in Banff. Our morning visit is to the hot springs - hey, we arranged that for the morning after a campsite; we have hot water and a soak at least! The reviews said to get there early before the buses and yes that was a great idea. There are just a few people there, and the view is beautiful from the hot spring. You can see where the hot water comes tumbling down the mountain, steaming along the way, and registering at about 40 degrees C. Otherwise it is just like an outdoor, public pool, not the natural hot spring that Rip and I found 20 years ago. We had to blaze our way down a logging road that time; the road is now closed which is too bad. After our soak we head over to the gondola the goes up Sulphur Mountain. Jen and Przem brave it up on foot - 1 hour and 15 minutes of hard, steep climbing. You can see the path on the gondola ride and it winds under the lift a few times. We ride up with a couple from San Francisco whose cultural heritage is India. We keep the guy chatting as he is afraid of heights and trying not to look at the view - which is spectacular! We find out about their work and take their email address - new friends! After our ride we sit on the back deck of the Banff Springs Hotel, again with mountains all around us and beautiful flowers. The hotel is like out of a Victorian novel and there is a harpist playing Pachelbel's Canon in the lobby dressed in a long Victorian gown. We notice that there are 3 weddings later in the day and another 3 for the next day. The place is huge and we decide that it is the perfect place for a honeymoon. It is hot on the patio and we have an expensive but delicious lunch - well worth it. The whole day was hot from beginning to end!

Start the car!

We loved our night at the Rim Rock hotel. From there we left to visit Moraine Lake where Jen and Przem rented a canoe for a paddle around the lake, surrounded by beautiful mountains capped in snow. Then we were off to Lake Louise which was as beautiful as it was 20 years ago. On our way back to Banff we took the "scenic drive", and suddenly saw many cars pulled off the road on either side. Oh well, "just another elk or caribou" we thought, but no, there was a mama black bear with her two cute cubs, grazing and oblivious to all the attention they were getting. I crossed the road to get closer to them; Jen yelled out, "Momma, come back!" as she thought I was getting too close. The mother bear gave me a little "get out of here" look and I scurried back to the van saying "start the car" to Rip. A little reminder of that great commercial from Ikea where the Mom picks up so many unbelievable deals she runs to the car and tells her husband "start the car!". We are started the car many times on this trip - with amazing deals and results!

Best Wine Story Ever!

Last night the four of us shared a bottle of wine to remember! Last Christmas I received a beautiful bottle of vintage wine (read "expensive"!). It was from a friend as a thank you. I put it in our wine rack to save for a special occasion. A couple weeks later we were invited to friends for dinner and I was in a hurry to get out the door (what else is new?), and decided to take a bottle of wine. I went to our wine rack and quickly pulled out a bottle of red, never thinking that this was the one!! We took it with us and as our friends opened the bag I suddenly realized my mistake - there was no way I could say "Oh, sorry I wasn't supposed to bring this expensive wine, I mean to bring a cheap one - sigh". We came home and decided to google the wine - it was worth $39.95. I said to Rip that I hope they enjoy this lovely bottle, and I bet they won't even know how exceptional, meaning, expensive it is. Oh well, life is too short to worry about this. Just before we left for our trip, these friends came over to our house for dinner. They handed me a bag with a bottle of wine, saying they don't know what it is like, but hoped we enjoy it. You guessed it! They brought back my gift!! What were the chances of that?Needless to say I did not open it at dinner that night but set aside to share with Jen and Przem on our trip. Boy, did we enjoy every sip - how come it always tastes better when you know it is expensive? I guess because it is truly great wine. But I'll be back soon to my $9.95 specials, but treasure the best wine story ever!

Columbia Icefields

We decide to walk up to the Columbia Icefields after seeing the hoards of people waiting for buses for the tour. Rip decides to putter around the Westy - that's his excuse! I stop at the various spots on the way with posted information - they are so smart - with this steep and long hike that feels almost straight up, I am glad to stop and pretend to be fascinated with the information when in reality I am feeling my age and catching my breath! Part of the challenge is the altitude - 6,228 feet to be exact. I make it with a loud "hurrah!". I am in for a shock. There are markers showing where the Icefield was from 1920 to the present. I stand beside the marker for 1992, 2 years before Rip and I were there last and it is a LONG way to the edge of the icefield now. If this is not a wake up call for all of us I don't know what is. It is predicted that in 10 years the Icefield will disappear and who knows what ramifications this will have. Not good. We travel on to Banff and check into our fancy, shmancy hotel - our treat for the trip, the Rim Rock. The views are spectacular and the king size bed feels like a football field after our van bed. Good night!

Top Chef, Jasper!

Canada Day in Jasper is amazing! After our time at Maligne Lake and Maligne Canyon (where Rip and I had a nap while the ‘young people’ hiked for 2 hours!) we set out to our campsite. We picked up some groceries in town for dinner – our first campfire dinner! As we were getting things ready, several families of caribou came sauntering on the edge of our campsite – little ones following big ones – it was amazing. They were coming to have a drink at the stream that went by on the back Jen and Przem’s tent. They were almost close enough to touch, although we kept quiet – well, almost! Przem put the corn cobs in a bag with some holes in it and set I t in the stream for the Glacial Infused Corn. At one point he called in a loud, commanding whisper, “don’t you go near my corn”!! They sniffed around it but left it for us; not that we would have interrupted them if they decided to nibble on our dinner or inhale all of it! The people next to us had Canada Day lights and flags and got right into the spirit of the day – well, to be honest there was something going on there that wafted over toward us that might not fit the rules of Parks Canada, but we said not a word. Dinner – our Master Chef, Przem, created a masterpiece out of our ingredients – potatoes, corn, steak, shrimp, onions and raw veggies. Here is his creation: Glacial Infused Corn, lightly grilled in foil with garlic butter and salt Idaho (or Washington?) potatoes, foil wrapped and hot coal baked Onions with secret spices sautéed in foil Char Grilled T-bone steak, dusted with Montreal Steak Spice Jasper Mountain Giant Tiger Shrimp toasted with sea salt served with Chili Sauce Yum! He surely won the Master Chef – Jasper award for his ingenuity and delicious results! We go to sleep with the memory of the caribou and the sound of the stream dancing in our dreams.

Insurance Plan

Insurance Plan in Jasper We have spent the night in our KOA campground in Jasper/Hinton – okay, it is 4 km from Hinton and 90 km. from Jasper. How deceiving is that to call it the Jasper/Hinton KOA campground! We are still ticked about the ad in Woodall’s campground book – I feel a Trip Advisor comment coming on and Jen is going to write it. We will be kind – it is a lovely spot BUT it is not near Jasper and there is no camp fire spot in the whole park. When I booked the campground the National Park had no availability for July 1st. So I booked the 2 nights at the KOA and decide it is like insurance – you buy it “just in case”. We come back into Jasper on July 1st wearing our Canada t-shirts and jackets and watch the raising of the flag and join in the singing of O Canada. It was enough to bring a little tear to your eye. I have to admit that there were not many people singing O Canada and I have to rationalize this as we Canadians are very polite and I am wondering if people were just listening to the soloist and letting her have the floor. I sure hope so as our singing was very pathetic. I can’t wait to see the pictures of our grand-daughter, Anouska, with her new Canada onesie! We have breakfast at an Earl’s restaurant in Jasper on the second floor balcony overlooking the town and the snow-capped mountains. It is breath-taking. It is great to travel with 4 people; at least one of us sees something the others do not see. Rip spotted this café balcony. Speaking of seeing – on our way back to Jasper, the 50 minutes ride from Hinton, we see an amazing elk by the side of the road with the biggest rack of antlers you can imagine. We pull over with the other 20 vehicles to get a photo. Then we see cars pulled over again – this time a group of mountain goats – pure white and scurrying up the slopes – amazing. Przem chats up a Parks Canada employee in Jasper and finds out the people in the campsites check out by 11 and we should go to the Whistler campground around 12 noon to see if we can get a campsite there, probably from a cancellation – a few minutes from Jasper. We follow instructions and the campground has lots of space – amazing. We find a campsite on a stream – beautiful with a Fire Pit – yeah! There is lots of room for our tent and van and a scenic picnic table – all for less than the price of our KOA. Alas, I have paid for our KOA for the 2 nights; and the 1 night I consider insurance. At least this time I am able to rationalize this as good insurance. It would cost us money and time and frustration to travel back and forth to Hinton – and the image of a campfire tonight is in all our heads. Some insurance plans are truly worth it!

Give us a Hint!

It will be a full day of driving from Kelowna to Jasper - about 9 hours. Every turn we are gazing out the windows, wow, wow, wow!! Rip and Przem take turns driving; Rip is giving Przem instructions just like he does with me, so I am consoled that he is just a "back seat driver" in the front seat when he is not at the wheel. Give us hint, Alberta! We find that the road signs are few and far between, and we somehow missed the turn to Lake Louise for gas and we go a long, long stretch with no sign of gas coming up. Oh no, not this again!! Finally we get to a place called "The Crossing". The gas here is $1.9299 per litre - can you believe it? But they have a monopoly - Jasper is still a couple of hours away and there has been no gas station for a long time. I have booked a campsite at Jasper/Hinton KOA for 2 nights! Now you would think that this campsite would be reasonably close to Jasper, would you not? And the advertising says that it is 13 km from the East entrance to Jasper National Park! We get to Jasper; it is 9 pm. we find a spot for some dinner - and we ask our waitress how far it is to Hinton. She says 45 minutes to 1 hour!!! Really?? We are ready to quit, but press on. Rip says we will be setting up the tent in the dark; but we are amazed. We arrive at the campsite at 10:45 pm; the sun has not yet set. We sit around our picnic table sharing a nice bottle of wine from Mission Hill with candles glowing (there is no fire pit). We go to "bed" around 12:30 am and there is still a glow in the sky. We think we might pack up camp and look for another spot tomorrow closer to Jasper - we like the KOA campground, but really, give us a hint that it is a long haul from Jasper where we want to be!!

The Mission

It is Sunday so we are off to The Mission. What a beautiful setting for a gathering! Set on a hillside overlooking Lake Okanagan, I thought West Plains was the most amazing setting to worship God but this one is also spectacular. It is starting to rain and people do not seem bothered. Lesley says you can tell who is from British Columbia - they are so used to rain they don't bother with umbrellas!! The tourists have them in their bags, ready to go! There are lots of people chatting up a storm; friendly and welcoming. The speaker is awesome; telling great stories and educating as well. It is time for communion and wow - the elements never tasted so good. They give us a tour of the place and invite us to come back again soon. We have been at Mission Hill winery - a new way of doing church this Sunday!

I Dream of Jeannie

It is our first day in Kelowna with Jen and Przmek and our friends Ray and Lesley. We have a 2 bedroom motel with living are and kitchen for the 4 of us and R&L are at a hotel close by. We are all up early and Jen and I begin planning the day. Of course we have googled "best things to do in Kelowna" and our friend, Mark, who lives in Kelowna has given us some tips too. At the top of the list is Myra Canyon and Jen says excitedly that she wants to bike the trail. I see Rip's eyes widen and I know what he is thinking! "No way I am going to get on any bike 3,000 feet up a canyon wall!". Hmmmm. We set out and the first challenge is for the Westy to climb the rough gravel road into the parking area for the canyon tour. In fact, we can smell that the van has overheated when we arrive - we hope we can get back! The Kettle Valley Railway was built through the canyon with 18 trestles (huge bridges supported by long, daddy-long legs kind of supports. A fire in 2003 destroyed all but one of them and since then they have all been rebuilt to preserve this historic railway trail. The skies are cloudy and as we park, and there is the light sprinkle of rain. We discover that the bike ride/walking path is 12 km. There are only 5 bikes left, and Rip has decided to walk the trail for a bit and then relax in the Westy. We set out and very quickly the rain stops and the skies clear. Immediately we are blown away by the views along the trail - Jen shouts to me "Mom, stay on the left side!". The trail winds its way close to the edge of the cliffs, 3,000 feet up, and I decide it is best to pass walkers on the right and stay to the left! It is awe inspiring to see the views of the canyon, the mountains in the background and Okanagan Lake. We also bike through 2 long tunnels and every turn brings a "wow". Along the way, I realize it has been some time since I used my bike. I see a woman in front of me wearing her biking shorts with that lovely padding. I visualize where my bike shorts are at home - our bedroom closet, centre baskets, top basket. I remember the show "I Dream of Jeannie" of years ago where Barbara Eden would twitch her nose to make something happen - genie style! I wish I could twitch my nose to bring my biking shorts right now! My butt is getting very sore! The views keep me going and Jen sees a sign "5 km.". She says, it must be counting down from where we started - so I have hope - only 5 km to go. Only trouble is that the next sign we see says "7 km". Oh no, it is counting up and we are only just past halfway. Again, I wish I could twitch my nose and bring us closer to the last trestle, except for the views that are amazing. Finally we get there. Lesley says, "it is only a 3% grade" on the way back - I realize it is 3% UP grade. I slow the group down a bit, but keep on peddling! We return 2 hours later and 24 km of biking later, with photos and memories of views that no one could create with a twitch of the nose - amazing! And the Westy has cooled down and Rip has had a nap, a snack and read a magazine. We are super pumped from our experience - and so glad to have gone to Myra Canyon. I'll be packing my biking shorts next trip!

Arrivals

We arrive at the Kelowna airport to pick up Jen and Przemek. It is amazing to me that whenever we pick up family from the airport we are excited more than seems normal. I guess your children are always your children and when they are coming "home" to you it is really amazing. I am thinking now of my daughter, Christine, and how she and Jen have always marvelled at how much I want to be there for them and passionately love them. I think that now Christine has a daughter of her own, perhaps she can now relate to how much I want to do for her and how much I love her to the core. It is hard to describe. Our friends, Lesley and Ray, have decided spontaneously to come to Kelowna with us for the night. We decide to hide them when we pick up jen and Przemek who come through the exit doors quickly from the plane. They greet us with so much happiness and then we move them to the side where Ray and Les are sitting. Quelle surprise! Ray recognizes Przemek first and the rest follows. We leave for our hotel and are really glad to arrive. Arrivals are so important in our family relationships - our baby girl Anouska has arrived and is our new inspiration and joy! In so many ways we have arrived.

Apples!

We have a 40 minute wait at the border to cross into British Columbia, and go sailing toward Vancouver until the gridlock. It is Friday afternoon of the long weekend, and 5 lanes going toward Vancouver are being squished into one! I'd like to know what urban planner thought that was a good idea! Painfully, we inch our way to the 1 lane - and 1 hour later we are moving again, slowly but surely. We arrive at our friends Ray and Lesley. They have a beautiful new condo in North Vancouver with a breath taking view of Lion's Head Mountaintop. Wow. We are glad to have arrived. They graciously give up their bed for us and sleep on an egg crate mattress on the floor. I guess that's what friends are for - we are grateful! In the tour books we read that the Okanagan valley exports 1/3 of Canada's apples - amazing! We thought Niagara Region would have that status. Apparently not. It is good to catch up with Ray and Les - it's about Apples with them too! Rip is in technical heaven as Ray shows pictures on Apple TV. I guess that will be our new acquisition when we get home! Ray is a school VP and Lesley is an Educational Assistant - the teachers are on strike in BC, so there is lots of stress for them. I guess the students weren't able to bring their teacher an apple for this year end!

Mennonite Gray

It is time to do laundry and I get the code right this time. Now the code for the laundry door lock is the same one as for the men's washroom and shower area. I mean really - really? I don't see any men doing laundry today - or how about most days??. I think it is a test on my memory. We have enough quarters for 1 load only, and we have our black shorts and jeans, and of course my lovely brand new white Jockey underwear and a couple of pristine white tops. Challenge - what to do?? I decide to brave it and throw it all in - it goes against everything I ever learned from my mother about laundry, but hey, rules are made to be adapted when you are camping. Right? Apparently not. I leave the laundry to do its thing and we pack up the van. I go back and pull my lovelies out of the washing machine. My cute Jockey whities are now Mennonite Gray. I love Benjamin Moore Mennonite Gray - we painted our cottage walls this neutral, appealing colour. But it is not the colour I had in mind for my lingerie. It is a done deal now - at least I have clean underwear!! The drier is another story. I put quarters in; the dryer swallows them up and then before I get enough of them in it chokes and won't take any more. I move to the next machine - same deal. Finally at the third dryer I get the last of my quarters in and get the load going. I feel like I have been at the casino and - lost! I thought dryers only ate socks, but apparently dryers also eat quarters. Mennonite Gray is no longer my favourite colour.

Swankville, USA

We have arrived in Seattle, Washington. It is 6:30 pm and rush hour is happening, but they have our own wonderful HOV lanes so we go sailing through. We head to an RV campground at 6:55pm – the office closes at 7 pm. There a no tent sites available, which is a good thing because they are “walk ins” – no place for a Westy. We get 1 of the last two RV spots – trees surround us on 3 sides. It is heaven! After a quick bite we continue our Crib Tournament and fall into bed (well, not quite as it is a bit of a feat to get into the smaller than double size bed – you can use your imagination!). In the morning Rip is puttering around at 5:50 am (I say puttering around, but you have to remember that with the bed pulled out and the cooler and our bags on the floor there is may be ONE square foot to putter!). He is reading a 10 day old newspaper from home. I am awake and decide it is time to walk to the washroom. Now in Swankville USA the bathrooms are pad locked and there is a different code for the women’s, the men’s and the laundry room. They are each a 4 digit code – tough ones, not 1111 or 1222, or 1234 – oh no. They are like 8396 or 1683. I head out; it starts to rain, I can see the fuzzy shape of the building, I need to go, and finally – I get to the door. I can’t remember the code. I put in what I think – beep, beep, beep, red lights. I try again. I say to myself, “what am I doing in blinkety, blink, Swankville USA?”. Normal campgrounds have washrooms you can just walk in and do what you need to do. On the third try, I am in!! I go back to “bed” and Rip decides to crawl in for a little more shut eye and we awake again at 8 am. It is time for a shower, and this time I repeat the code all the way there. I have to say that the washrooms are like a 4 star hotel; no sand on the floor; no quarters to feed into the shower; no worry about running out of hot water. Hmmmm. There is no one else in this washroom; and the other times no one either. Oh yes, I remember. We are in Swankville, USA, where everyone else has a 5 star RV with bathroom, shower and satellite TV!! I have a long, hot shower. I even decide to bust loose a new pair of contact lenses. All the better to see Swankville, USA!

Comfort!

Comfort, comfort! NOT! Our second Walmart night was anything but comfortable! A night full of fellow “trailer park” music blaring; planes soaring overhead, sirens screaming at intermittent intervals, parking lot flood lights that would make you think you were on an airport runway, then rain hammering our roof. Quite a sleepless night and we are glad to be on our way. We cross the International Divide and we are now in Idaho. Idaho – my guess is that on Family Feud the most popular answer to “what do you think of when you think of Idaho?” Survey said, “It would have to be “Potato”!!! That is my go-to answer. But then I am Irish and potatoes are dear to the heart of the Irish. I confess that “Potatoes” are my comfort food. I have never met one I didn’t like – small minis, red ones, yellow ones, white ones, log-sized baked ones – it doesn’t matter to me – they are always first in line to rice or pasta. So where are my Idaho potatoes? As we enter Idaho we are climbing tall mountains! We are circling around them next to rushing rivers, and they are covered with tall, stately pine trees – like a forest brush cut with tops tipped in snow. The snow is so close we can almost touch it! No potato fields. We stop at a town called Coeur D’Alene, meaning, “heart of awl” 20 years ago we stopped here and had dinner at a restaurant called Crickets. It is still here! We find out that the town will host the “Ironman” competition in 2 days time. It is the qualifying race for Hawaii Ironman because the terrain is so similar. We are not quite ready for the Ironman! But we have lunch at Crickets and take a picture in the same spot we did 2 decades ago. Then we are on our way. Washington state is our next crossing. The land is flat; you can see for miles, and the crops are marked for 20 miles – guess what – there are potatoes!! I think I will ask for a Washington potato next time I want a baked potato – hee, hee. You can imagine how silly that would sound; Idaho potato would not raise an eyebrow, but to request a Washington potato sounds very odd. Rip is amazed at the round, green farmlands. He remembers seeing them from our airplane coming back from Arizona to Toronto for my high school reunion on the last Sabbatical trip. Now he know why these farm fields are round – the irrigation system twirls around and around in a circular fashion – it makes sense! It is my turn to drive; I do a double check - the gas gauge is full – good to go. Comfort! But not for long. As Rip sleeps at the back of the Westy and I climb a mountain; and the engine is very sluggish; I shift from 4th to 3rd and back to 4th and down to 3rd. RipsJoy does not like this at all; Comfort, Comfort, dear Westy! It reminds me of the words of the prophet, Isaiah, “comfort, comfort, oh my people”. He spoke these words when the people were going through times of terrible destruction and challenge. Our Westy does not like mountains! Finally we are over the mountaintop and the ride is “comfortable” again. The views are spectacular; the comfort of nature never disappoints. We are thinking “comfort”’ for tonight near Seattle, Washington – we have earmarked at campground with real showers (instead of a Wet One!), a quiet location by a lake and our favourite, WiFi service. The image of comfort is sweet!

Two's and Three's

Two’s and Three’s Today is about two’s and three’s. Our little grandchild Anouska is 3 weeks old today – wow, it is hard to believe She is our newest grandchild; Sean is 7 (2 plus 3 plus 2) and Jade is 2!! My grandmother name is “Go Go”, which is an African name for Grandmother. I like it because it is different, and also because it brings the image of being active and “going” strong! No sitting in the rocking chair for me! So, we have 3 precious grandchildren! Today is our #2 visit to Coeur D’Alene in Idaho. It was 20 (get the “2”!) years ago that we first visited this town and ate at Cricket’s restaurant which is still going strong. We plan to have lunch there tomorrow. Today is also the 2nd time we are visiting our friends Ray and Lesley in their home in Vancouver; we also visited them in 1994. I met Lesley around 1980 when she was the Staff Associate at East Plains United Church in Burlington where I became a student in ministry in 1988. This is our second night in a Walmart parking lot – I hope when we see Ray and Les that they realize that we have now been “2”nights and “3” days without a shower – too (two) much!! We got a surprise in the parking lot tonight – we parked and then a man came what seemed like 2 inches from our van in a big truck and said we were in “his spot”. So much for Montana hospitality!!!! Tooooo much. Now I am too, two, ticked off to say any more. Good night!!!!

Dream Catchers!

We are parked in the Walmart Supercentre Parking lot overnight. I have reservations about Walmart because of the sweatshops they import clothing from, but I am not sure there is a good answer. I mean how do we know who uses sweatshops and who does not? And if we do not buy clothing from those places are we putting people out of jobs?? I guess the real solution lies in improving conditions of those places, but how does one do this?? I am dozing in the early hours of the day. I am in a conscious dreaming state - I am travelling along the highways and I think to myself, wow, we are travelling too much if I am dreaming about it too! BUT - I suddenly realize - I am NOT dreaming - the bumps I feel are REAL. I open my right eye a slit (this is my "good eye", the one I can see vague outlines with before my contact lenses are "in") and I see the shape of Rip in the driver's seat of our van. I ask, "what time is it?" He says, "5:15 am". I groan and roll over and pull the sleeping bag over my head. He drives on! One hour later I am dressed and sitting in the passenger seat and I ask, "what time is it? He says, "5:15 am" - we have gained 1 hour. Here we are at 5:15 am and we have been on the road one hour. We stop at a gas station at 8 am so Rip can have a nap - what do I check? You guessed it - the gas tank!!! I see that it is half full so my heart sighs and I drive on. We drive through what is called The Painted Desert - wow - am I dreaming???? It is amazing - lots of flat topped mountains, with layers of cream and terracotta like a 7 layered cake. It is spectacular!! We stop for gas again (before we need it!!0 at Forsyth - a small town in Montana. We wait for a train to pass ( I counted 107 cars on the last train so this could be a while!. We decide to go into the local IGA. Outside in a bench are 2 locals. Picture 2 men in faded blue jeans with suspenders and plaid shirts, Stetson hats, and long white beards. I expected them to say "Howdy!". They didn't!!! We buy some chicken for lunch. We need more crackers for our "cheese sandwiches" but there are no Breton big ones so we have to settle for smaller "slider" varieties. Oh well. The train passes and we are "on the road again". Around the corner in Montana we are blown away by the Rocky Mountains ahead of us, tall and drizzled with snow, the peaks tipping into the white clouds - it is "dreamy". We realize after 12 hours of driving that we have not seen ONE speck of litter. It is amazing. So clean and pristine. Obviously the people on this land take such pride in their land. I wish, it is my "dream" that our Burlington landscape was as clear from litter. Off to dreamland at the next Walmart in Montana. What a dreamy day!!

Today was a real - gas!

Remember the number 17. And the last message on this post is the important one. We left Spring Green after trying to find some propane. Turn right at x and left at y - we found the propane tank but no one there. Apparently they do not open on Mondays! So sorry to be there on a Monday. Several gas stations later we have no luck again - in towns we are told, turn at x and right at y and you will find propane. No such luck. Then at Ace Hardware in who knows where they say, "yes we can help you". They hook us up and then say "our equipment is not working"! The turn right at y and right again at X and down several miles to find the gas station. We find the gas station turning right at X and left at y, and they put in 2 pounds - we have a capacity of 10 pounds. At least we have propane. Rip has a couple of naps during the day and I take over driving. I am driving on nap number 2 and after 20 minutes the cruise control stops working; I push the gas petal and nothing happens. There is something wrong with our van &*(P^(. I can't believe it. I pull over to the side of the road and I notice - the gas level is lower than the lowest RED area!~!!! We are in the middle or no where. We coast to an exit to Buffalo, North Dakota. It says 3 miles to the nearest gas station! Lucky us - we land, sputtering and limping in front of a beautiful home and Rip goes to the door. The owner, Stephanie, is lovely and drives him 3 miles to get gas and back again. We go back to Buffalo, population 201, to the only business there, a gas station and garage and we are on our way. Oh yes, on the highway past the exit for Buffalo, we are 17 miles from the nearest gas station down the road. Lucky us, today was in fact a real gas!

Wright On - Loving Frank!

We have a Highlight Tour in the afternoon of the Frank Lloyd Wright home, Taliesin (Welsh for "shiny brow" because the house sits on the brow of a mountain top with the sun shining on it). This is a whirlwind tour first of the Hillside Studio house where the school of architecture trains students still today. We find out that Frank's architectural trademarks include "organic architecture" using natural elements to the area of a building, so there is lots of stone, wood and trees used in his buildings. Also Wright loved music and the beams on the ceiling often resemble piano keys and he has several grand pianos in his Taliesin home. He also incorporates low ceilings, thus manipulating the guests toward the higher ceilings away from doorways. Rip was not the only one who had to duck many times on the tour to clear the ceiling height. His front doors are often hidden from view, forcing his guests to see the entire outside of the house in order to find the way in! Also Wright was the innovator of large, tall windows - and in this case the views of the valley and Wisconsin River are amazing so the windows join the building to nature. Wright also loves the Japanese influence. He spent several years in Japan designing the Imperial Hotel, and he uses Asian artifacts and rooflines and Japanese screens in his design. He loves asymmetry so often offsets fireplaces and builds unexpected angles and arches. Wright was a Unitarian and thus viewed nature as sacred so his buildings look like they are part of the natural landscape - he even had a huge farm and only bought cows that were brown to fit in with the earth!! Those who have read "Loving Frank" would have loved this tour where his journey is brought to life. Wright on! Our tour guide mentioned several times that no one loved Frank more than Frank! Wright's work over 7 decades can been seen throughout Spring Green where his grandmother had a farm and wanted him to take over farming, but in Wright's words farming was "too tired, too tired". Now we had better get on our Western tour even thought we are "too tired" or we will never get there!

Rock-in and Rolling

Our first tour of the day in Spring Green is The House of the Rock. Wow. Alex Jordan built this fantastic home with The Infinity room extending unsupported over the valley floor to a length of 218 feet. The house features a Japanese Garden (with 14 foot quadruple waterfalls), Mill House, The World's largest Carousel with 269 carved animals, 20,000 lights and 182 chandeliers - and that's only one of three carousels in this massive structure. His collections include an organ room with a dozen or more organs and pipes that would have Lianne and Neil spellbound, an enormous sea creature longer than the Statue of Liberty is tall, and collections of everything you can imagine - dolls, circus memorabilia, musical creations, guns, hot air balloons, carriages, 3 hours of memorabilia and the house sitting on the rock with sights beyond imagination and more. It is really hard to express it. We left there for one of our famous cheese and cracker sandwich at a Scenic Lookout closeby. The Cheese is from the Frankenmuth Cheese Haus and tastes delicious sitting on a picnic table overlooking the rolling green valley and the Infinity room of the House of the Rock. After lunch we lie on a blanket on the grass for a quick nap because we are off on yet another tour! We are ROCKin and rolling today!

Gotta Love Camping!

When travelling through the USA you gotta love camping or you would not do it. You have a interesting choice: Motel - $38.95 - hot bath, shower, big bed with real sheets, flush toilet within footsteps, quiet, free coffee/tea in your room Camp site - $29.90 - squishy bed less than a double where when you turn, your partner turns, free flies and mosquitoes buzzing in the night, noisy neighbours with barking dogs, and the delicious tea you were imagining all night long is now not possible because whoever got the camper van ready to leave forgot about the filling the propane tank - no names mentioned! On the other hand camping gives you - cook fresh air on your face at night, the beautiful sound of chirping birds as you wake up, green scape of the river and trees, and a picnic table where you can play cribbage and if lucky like me score a "24" hand. You just gotta love camping!

Spring Green

We left Chicago after a delicious breakfast of carrot walnut muffins and a Mexican egg strata. We decided to visit Frank Lloyd Wright's home called Taliesin in Spring Green, Wisconsin. Thanks to the CAA campground books we found a fabulous campground called Wisconsin Riverside Resort - and when we arrived there was a 4 piece live band playing on a deck over the Wisconsin River in front of a beautiful patio. After a tour of the town we called to book our tour and to our surprise the morning tour of the home was fully booked already - for a Monday morning! I guess we are going to see more of Spring Green than we thought. In the morning we will visit the Tree Top House built by another architect. At this rate, I am not sure how far west we are going to get - but we decided that Tuesday will be a "drive til we drop" day. We have no idea where we will end up, but this van can stop anytime, anywhere so it will be a surprise. At least dinner tonight was more comfortable and I did not leave a "wet spot" on the seat from being soaked by rain! It is raining lightly as we set up the van for sleeping - a good thing to moderate the heat and humidity of the day. One more van challenge today - the odometer that we just had fixed has stopped working again. At least that does not stop us from travelling. With a older vehicle you have to be ready for anything! A little like we aging folk who never know how our parts are going to work tomorrow! Good night!

It's All About the "L"!!

We begin our day with a "lovely" breakfast - raspberry and banana muffins; French toast, fresh fruit and tea. Lovely! LOVE: It's our 17th wedding anniversary and a day of remembering and celebrating LOVE. "L" - we board the train system in Chicago called the "L" to the downtown area. The weather forecast is dismal, but we press on! Our first stop: LEDGE: We are at the top of the Willis Tower (formerly Sears) on floor 103 at 1353 feet! Wow - the view is somewhat foggy but on the north side we can see for 10 miles. There are Ledges four feet by four feet where you step off the tower area onto a glass floor and you can see 103 floors down - not for the faint of heart!! LOOK: Wow - you can look over the whole of Chicago if you dare - we have a picture taken and it's on Facebook - amazing. My stomach did a little "Leveling" on the platform as I stepped out over 103 floors I have to admit. LAUGHTER: We decide that now that the sun is shining and the fog is gone to take the Architectural River Tour - and it is amazing. The tour guide is funny and very informative and we are blown away by the history and rebuilding of Chicago since the fire in 1871 that wiped out most of the downtown area. The new buildings have no wood in them; a new rule after the fire. LAKE: We come back to our B&B to get changed for dinner, and leave on the "L" again, and as we come up to the ground level we are confronted by a Lake of rain - we have never seen rain like this - we have an umbrella but the rain drives this way and that way and by the time we get to our destination we are soaked. Rip has booked a table at the famous Gino's pizza for 6 pm. We arrive and are told that this one does not take reservations. Who would know that there are 5 Gino Pizza Restaurants in Chicago?? We wait in line for a taxi to the "right" one and it turns out not to be the quiet, romantic location that the reviews indicated. Oh well, that is what real love is all about - rolling with the twists and turns of life when it is unpredictable!! We take the "L" back to our B&B and turn in by 9:30 pm - a great day and we were very LUCKY!! Good weather until evening, great experiences and tours and lucky to be in Chicago! We are indeed very lucky.

Tacky to Tasteful!

We said goodbye to Santa Claus as we left Frankenmuth - he was sitting outside the Christmas Store, Bronners. I was going to go in and find something for the new grandbaby, Anouska, (with her name on it) but I could hear my daughters saying "tacky, Mom, tacky" so I passed it up!! We encountered stop and go traffic through a construction zone for 1 hour. In the Westie you get to put that time in differently than in a car - I made Rip a "cheese and cracker" lunch; I tightened a button on my capri pants, and then I had a nap! We arrived to rush hour traffic in Chicago and were every so glad to book into our B&B called "Two Urns" for two nights! Nothing tacky about this spot, but it takes four locks doors and gates to get into our room - a little different from home. Also the parking is very tight; just let me say that our Westie kissed the trim on the garage door, and Rips only comment was "I am glad I did this and not you". Enough said!! We wandered down the café-filled street close by and found a rocking place for salad and chicken called "Smoke Daddy". It was smoking in there with people, music and delicious food! Glad to be staying put for 2 days and not driving in this city.

Without a Hitch - Almost!

Thursday, June 19 We are off without a hitch on our Western Adventure! The Westie is packed up, water tank full, propane tank topped, and we are packed up. Amazing- everything fit in perfectly despite Rip's prediction that we would have to tow the sleeping bags! We had a nice visit with our friends Inge and George in Ancaster and then we are on the road. Everything is going without a hitch, until......Joyce is driving up to the bridge and Sarnia. To pay the toll she opens up the passenger window and the driver's window - oops! No problem, until.......we cannot close the passenger window! Something is wrong and we had visions of sitting in our camper van in Frankenmuth, taking turns guarding our goods while the other enjoys our hotel! Rip spends 30 minutes trying to figure out the problem with no luck, and if you know Rip you know that if he spends time fixing a problem and it is not fixed, we have a serious issue. Then, a miracle. Rip is driving and his knee knocks the window button and the passenger window climbs upward - we hold our breath and then cheer! Next stop we disconnect the power window so it will stay up! We arrive in Frankenmuth and sit on our balcony at the Marv Herzog Hotel overlooking the Cass River and sip a lovely Chardonnay - glad to be hitched and glad to have gotten here in the end without a hitch!! Life is good - thanks to our West Plains family for this second sabbatical experience - we are grateful!