Aug 28, 2020 Smithers!!

We woke up to a chilly morning. It didn't quite freeze overnight, but it was close.  Good thing it is our last night...our trip back will be colder, so this is a good wake up call to be prepared!

Evelyn hates layers, so she refused to put on her jacket.  And she was not happy with any of her old pants either.  Since shes worn shorts since May, I didn't know she'd be unwilling to wear any of the thicker options I brought.  Or layer anything. So she was cold.

No gloves! Good thing we had a hot breakfast planned! (As always -my travel meals are predictable)

Yeah, I'm cold.

Cold fingers! Matthew helped pack up. It helped keep him warm and got us into a warm van faster. More helpers might have sped up the process. 

Mountains in the distance!!!!

The kids liked the mountains too, hard not to with all the adult enthusiasm. 

As per tradition (second time now on our cross country road trip) we got out to do the Maligne Canyon trail. Otherwise Philip would not be happy.

Kinda annoying "trying" to physically distance on narrow trails. Wasn't too packed, but the parking lot certainly was not empty!

I did have to acknowledge that the Canyon was impressive.  But. We were delayed an hour from our destination.  

BC border!!!!! At last!

Oh, wait, it's a few more hours to go still.

We had paving construction delays that made our last "hour" of driving torture.  Well, slow, anyways. "When can we go?" "How much longer?" X4 each stop. 

But we made it!!! It sure felt surreal when we arrived.  Nathan and Melanie looked so different.  And Grandma and Grandpa too. And still the same.  Unbelievable to be there at last. Safe and nothing to delay us but a bit of paving.  Soooooo thankful! Soooooo tired.

Aug 27, 2020 Rainbow Valley Campground Edmonton

We got going as soon as we could and zoomed through the prairies as fast as possible without getting in accidents or ticketed. 😁

When Philip was driving, that is.

So, three days of driving in a row is certainly tiring. Today is less than 12 hours, but still more than 10. 

Evelyn liked one of my Audiobook choices.  Good thing too, since they all had to be prechosen and downloaded before we left.

Matthew liked tracking our progress and would check in regularly...hoping we'd arrive on schedule. 

Jennifer turned a water bottle into a baby to keep herself occupied.  I wasn't sure how accessible things like water might be on different provinces, and stocked up on essentials. 

Daniel is still in good humour. Nice to have cheerful company!

Into Alberta we zoom, so far on schedule!

Beautiful skies!! A lovely drive, despite being long and tiring. We had company coming to visit us at our private campground in Edmonton to look forward to. And a playground for the kids to enjoy while the adults chatted. 

Aug 26, 2020 Ofty's Riverside Campground Westbourne Manitoba

On the road again! We packed up and got going relatively quickly.  The kids were mostly helpful. 

Eating while driving is a great time taker-upper. Definitely don't spend time eating anywhere but on the road if you are trying to go places. Except dinner,  which is nice to have hot. We did have a hot breakfast too...but a fast one made while camp was being packed up.

Through the Canadian shield. 

And into Manitoba. 

Yup, its the prairies!!

After scrambling around online with my phone while Philip drove I rescheduled our site on a Winnipeg KOA (they were happy to cancel me, and keep my fee) to a private site further on. So tomorrow we wouldn't be late for company.  Was hard to find a place in the right stretch of highway.  And public campground are for locals only. Its covid after all. And despite rules, you can stay the night with no restrictions if you are just traveling through. There was a playground so the kids were happy. 

Luxuriously camping. 

The river did not tempt us. 

Bedtime routine.  Gets dark so soon. Good thing we are going west.  Gives us an extra hour. 

Tired. Ready for the night.  Thankful for another uneventful safe day of travel.  Halfway there already!!!!

 

Aug 25, 2020 Neys Provincial Park

12 hours of driving today! Destination is along Lake Superior. Kids are excited to be on the road!

12 hours is long, though. So they took turns trying out music and audio books when they wanted something to do. Or looking at maps.

Yay! A gas station stop! We "run" as efficiently as possible through the bathrooms and then enjoy stretching our legs until Dad is ready.  Then buckle up and off we go. Usually five minutes a stop, and rarely a stop sooner than every four hours...unless we are switching drivers. 

12 hours are up. And we have a reservation! So happy to be out of the van!

I booked a site close to the playground.  We quickly set up tents and the kids played while I made an easy dinner. Then we went for a walk while the daylight lasted. So nice to be traveling into longer days!

Yay, we can run!

We went for a walk on the beach as the sun set. Amazing. 

A lot of driftwood seems to pile up here. We didn't make anything but enjoyed exploring  what others had built!

Not hot enough for a swim, but nice to get wet anyways.

 It was soooooo beautiful. Stonehenge replica in driftwood looked great against the backdrop.  Lovely end to a smooth day of travel.  Off to bed for an early start tomorrow.  Hopefully. 

Aug 24, 2020 Final prep for the big trip

I asked a friend to take care of my plants. I moved them all to one location and they looked amazing.  Too bad I have to spread them far and wide again when we get back!

Matthew helped me organize the space in the van. How much can we bring and still look out the windows?

One last grocery run.  What snacks will we want, and breakfasts?

Waffles? No, sorry. 

We brought the obligatory masks, but not shoes. Nobody noticed that. Too many other things on their minds? Although, to be fair, Daniel did sort of squeeze behind the crowd of us through the door when we went past the greeter to escape notice.

It fits! And you can see out the back!

The middle row gets filled up by gear as well...so we can have our camping gear along. Minus things like lifejackets and paddles. Plus things like luxurious sleep mats.

Traps are ready...time to go!!!!!!!