We’re in the USA! We left Calgary last night at about 7 pm and picked up a Swiss Chalet dinner to eat on the road (if you look at the photo below, you’ll see that the quarter-chicken I ordered looks kind of like a buttocks). We drove toward the border via the historic and very scenic Crowsnest Hwy (#3). The plan was to get as close to the border as we could that evening. After four hours of driving in the rain, we stopped at a well-treed rest area about 15 minutes east of Fernie, BC, where we opened a bottle of champagne and celebrated the first day of our trip. The champagne wasn’t very good, actually. We had to cut it with some juice. But we were happy as clams. (more…)
The Biggest Decision
We’re leaving this weekend for our big road trip! After months of careful planning and several days of strategic packing, one decision remained…What shoes do we bring? (more…)
Fowl Play
Ducks crossing the road
While driving to the bank, Gregor saw a mama duck and her baby ducklings non-chalantly crossing Horton Road, just a block away from one of the busiest, noisiest big-box intersections in Calgary: MacLeod Trail South and Southland Drive. The closest water feature to this spot is about 4 km away, at Glenmore Reservoir. There are only office buildings, aging shopping centres, and high density housing complexes nearby. What the heck were they doing there?
“Camping” at Tunnel Mountain
Our first overnight trip in the van this year! I’d like to say that we “camped” last Saturday, but I don’t think that getting an electrical site among the monster RVs parked at Tunnel Mountain campground in Banff really qualifies as camping. Truth be told, I was being a bit of a princess – I wanted to plug in our ceramic heater so that I wouldn’t freeze my derriere at near-zero temperatures. (more…)
Travelling Plant
On Saturday, we purchased a small plant that will travel with us on our road trip. We first went to the local greenhouse to get some expert advice on a hearty plant that could survive the trip. The nice lady at the greenhouse politely listened to our hair-brained idea and examined the tiny white flower pot that we just bought from the “AS-IS” section at IKEA. She pointed out some sad-looking succulents (they were 50% off), but after considering the harsh conditions that we would likely put it through (debilitating summer heat, bumpy roads, changing environmental conditions), she eventually concluded: “Maybe a silk plant would be your best option.” I didn’t like that answer. (more…)