Why I Would Not Have Made A Good Pioneer

Road trips are long and tiring.  Here is a brief summary of our epic drive to Utah.

Friday, July 27

5:30 PM  Jerry's estimated departure time.

6:30 PM My estimated departure time.

8:35 PM  After a full day of work for Jerry and a full day of cleaning for me we finally rolled out of town in our filled to the brim car.

9:36 PM The first time that I looked at my clock and thought to myself "Oh my gosh, it's only (insert time here)"

10:14 PM The time that we decided to give in and get a motel room.  We had planned to drive for four or five hours. We thought crashing in a motel would be better than crashing the car.

10:30 PM  The time the we literally fell into our bed.

Saturday, July 28

6:35 AM I mistook the hotel hand lotion for hair conditioner.

6:47 AM I forced Jerry out of bed.

6:55 AM I put one butterfly sock on wrong side out and didn't notice for about six hours.  I didn't fix it either.

7:15 AM  After a scrumptious (READ: completely unsatisfying and unhealthy) breakfast at the motel, we hit the road feeling pretty good about ourselves.

7:15 AM - 12:00 PM  We enjoyed the last views of Alberta.  (Canola field, cows, hay bails, canola field, cows, hay bails, canola field etc.)

10:30 ish AM  We stopped for snacks in Fort McCloud.  I insisted on buying carrots.

10:30 AM - 12:00 PM We scarfed down the carrots because we remembered we may not be able to take them over the border.

12:00 PM - 1:15 PM  Border and customs.  Better than expected actually.

3:15 ish PM  Jerry's roadside nap in Montana while I tried to break into the outhouse to use the restroom.

3:15 - 7:00 PM  We enjoyed Montana's striking mountain views.  Craggy hills and deep ravines with rivers make beautiful scenery.

4:30 PM  We dug a gift card out of the trunk of our car and used it at the Macaroni Grill.  Protein and vegetables were a nice change of pace.

5:30 PM You know you are in a small town when the gas station convenience store is already closed.

7:00 PM  Are we there yet?

7:35 PM  "My back hurts, my feet hurt, my arms hurt."

8:30 PM  We start making up goofy songs about our surroundings.  We were in Idaho so the only thing we had to go on was hay.

10:15 PM  I realized that saying we're almost there in Pocatello, Idaho is a bit misleading.

10:15 PM  I fed my husband Chicken Caesar Salad while he drove.

11:00 PM  "My back hurts, my feet hurt, my arms hurt."  I try to sleep, I am not successful.

Sunday, July 29

12:30 AM  We hit traffic in Utah in the middle of the night.  I curse road construction.

12:45 AM  Still stuck in road construction.  Jerry tries to block people from cutting in line.

12:50 AM  Are we there yet?

1:15 AM  I hadn't realized we had already passed Salt Lake City.  Now it is safe to say that we are almost there.

1:45 AM  We park in front of my sister's house.   We leave everything but our purses and wallets in the car, and find our way to bed.

Please, do not suggest a road trip to me for awhile.

I WIll MIss ...

looking out my window at 11:00 PM and noticing that it is still a little light.
 

Of course, I will not miss looking out my window at 3:30 PM in the winter to see approximately the same view.

*Please excuse the fuzzy IPod photo

The Calgary Stampede

Yee-Haw

Jerry and I went to the rodeo - the most famous rodeo in the world.  This year the Calgary Stampede was celebrating their 100th Anniversary.  We took this picture after we arrived at our seats and our noses stopped bleeding.  

First, we saw real live Mounties (Royal Canadian Mountain Police) in their ceremonial red uniforms.

Events included bucking broncos and calf tieing.  Below is the women's barrel racing event.  IT seemed easy at first, but I realized that the tight turns must be hard.

 The most exciting/frightening event was the bull riding.  Bulls are pretty mean.

The winners of each event were paraded aroung the arena.  I guess they earned a little money too.

After the rodea, we hung out around the carnival area with Jerry's brother's family.

Everyone that found a hat their size got one.  That means I got one, but Jerry didn't

So Close to Downtown

One of my favorite things about living in downtown Edmonton is how easy it is to feel like you are in the middle of nowhere.  I took a walk for a few minutes today, and found myself on the river trail.  Instead of hearing loud sirens and motorcycles, I heard chirping birds and rustling leaves. 

 

Because we are leaving in less than a month, I am trying to document some of the things I really enjoy about this place.

So far, I have decided that summer here is bliss, it almost makes winter worth it.  It stays light until eleven which gives me so much energy.  There are tons of events, Farmers' Markets, and fun to be had everywhere.

This final view is a little reminder that I didn't stray too far from downtown.

Jerry's Second Visit to Maine

The best part of our recent trip was going to Maine for a couple of days.  We didn't have a lot of time, but it was nice.  The first day was rainy so we went to Freeport for some outlet shopping.  Jerry doesn't understand what is so wonderful about L.L. Bean, but he still allowed me to take photos of him there.

Perhaps, he isn't impressed by L.L. Bean because the prices shock him.

On our second day, we went to the Portland Headlight.  It was a gorgeous day and the perfect temperature to visit the coast.

We also went to Spring Light to walk the breakwater.  I feel like I have done this dozens of times, but it doesn't get old.

Like Keukenhof, But Free

We managed to visit Ottawa at the perfect time of year. The tulips were in full bloom. Every year Ottawa has a tulip festival to commemorate their connection with the Netherlands. Canadian forces saved the Dutch people from the Hunger Winter (1944-1945).  The Canadians also protected Princess Juliana after the German occupation.  As a token of gratitude, the Dutch gave Canada 100,000 tulip bulbs, and every year they give them 10,000 more.  There is even a variety called the Canadian Liberator.

Thus, in early May, the flowers bloom and people flock to see them.  It really was gorgeous.  But then again I am partial to these spring flowers.

I like the specks on this one.

They had many varieties that you don't typically see.

This even had a different shape.

Did I mention that tulips are my favorite flower?

Montreal

Jerry and I took our second trip to Montreal since we have been married.  To describe the purpose of this visit would be rather boring, but suffice it to say that it in no way resembled any recent romantic comedies.  Our trip to the east was about a week long.  We spent the first day and last day and a half in the city.  Mostly, we ate and slept.  The food was good.

We both really like french onion soup and had it more than once.

In seventh grade French class, I learned the word croque-monsieur, and I finally ate one.  Yes, it is simply an open faced ham and cheese sandwich.

Jerry chose crepes with goat sausage.  Slightly more exotic and delicious.

On our last day we had some more time to do the touristy stuff.  First we went to Mount Royal, the highest point in Montreal.  It's not that high and was more of a stroll than even a walk, but gave us a nice view of the city.

Before heading to the airport, we went to the Oratorio, a huge church with hundreds of steps leading to the Basilica.

Devout members from any Christian denomination come here to pray, but what is truly impressive is that at each step they kneel and pray as they climb the stairs.  At this time of year, there are not too many, but we witnessed both young and old climbing the steps on their knees to show their devotion to God.