Boston - Day 1

With a 4AM departure from Lethbridge, I of course slept in! Steve arrived on time and I flew into my clothed. Luckily he went and picked up Kev so I had time to get ready. The drive to Calgary was the norm as we solved all the worlds problems in our eyes. Now all we have to do is convince the spouses to buy property in Kalispell!
The airport went smoothly and we arrived in Ottawa for our connecting flight. Steve was sitting on his own as he booked differently, but the TV system on the new Air Canada planes is pretty good. I think I might have seen him watching Treehouse!
Ottawa airport was a bit confusing but we managed to avoid deportation and made it thru customs. We found the only lounge and sat down for a pint and nachos before the connecting flight. It was a wonderful flight South with some interesting landscape, with the exception being the descent. I've never spent so much time in the clouds wondering how fast and how high we were. We finally descended into a rainy Boston, where the ceiling must have only been a couple of hundred feet, so we didn't catch much of the town.
After landing we pondered how to get to our hotel and decided to try public transit. So it was working great until our last station was closed. We had to get off the subway and find our way to our hotel. Heck it was only drizzling. Well after walking for 5 I was soaked and we decided a cab would be a good idea. Funny thing was it was only a few blocks away. Success we made it to our hotel.
After checking in we headed down to Faneuil Hall Marketplace for supper. We ended up eating in this high end seafood restaurant, having striped bass with a corn lobster butter sauce. YUM! After that a pub crawl. Well if you call 2 pubs a crawl then yes. The second pub had 8 dollar pitchers and golden tee. So 2 pitchers later and 10 bucks in golden tee we called it a night. I think I'd call day one pretty awesome.
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British Invasion

We returned from our 3 week trip across Western USA and BC to find friends from London in town.  They were visiting family and were nice enough to come over for a few "play dates".  They too have a couple of boys that are on either side of Logan and he enjoyed having them around.  Watching the three of them play together without yelling, fighting, hitting or crying was a pleasant surprize and one that I'll take.  We managed to get out for a paddle as well and I rigged a system to attach a smaller kayak to mine.  You can see the results below.
This ends up being a short post as I am getting ready to head for Boston tomorrow and I need to get a few hours sleep before we head up for Calgary around 4AM.  Yikes!

From 2010_08 T&H Visit

From 2010_08 T&H Visit

From 2010_08 T&H Visit

From 2010_08 T&H Visit

From 2010_08 T&H Visit

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Whitefish - the return

We packed up and started the drive back to the border. Considering it was only a 2hr drive, we were enjoying the shorter distances. We hit Columbia Falls for beverages for home, which reminded me of an earlier incidence. In whitefish I got ID'd at the restaurant. Then the same thing happened in Columbia Falls! What an ego boost!
With a stop in West Glacier for lunch, we headed to East Glacier for the night, with a visit to the property. We hiked to the top while we were there and ran into some more neighbors who were out hiking with their dogs. They even knew of a local guy who could do our excavation. Not a bad day! We camped in town so we could let the kids run around/crawl and so Dora could walk to town to get a Huckleberry Milkshake. We headed to bed to notice the one pitfall of the campground, TRAINS!! So many trains and so loud at times. Both kids were up throughout the night.
We packed up quick and made our run for the border. After our 3 week trip, 3 days was enough this time. Luckily it was only 2hr home rather than 20! I think we all need a good nights sleep...
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Whitefish Again

Well after a week at home with our British Invasion (I'll post later), we decided that this might be our last holiday together before school starts. We packed up in the morning and were on the road by 2. Much like our last trip we were headed to Whitefish for day 1, except this time things went much better.
Rather than puke going over Logans Pass, we decided to acclimatized and hiked the hidden lake viewpoint trail at the summit. Plenty of parking on a Thursday which was nice. Evan did lots of walking with Dora's help and Logan loved jumping down all the stairs on the boardwalk. If you've never hiked it, it's mostly a boardwalk trail to protect the Alpine environment.
We hit Whitefish with no problems and had an enjoyable supper out. Our evening accommodations... A Kabin at the KOA. We decided to try out one of those little cabins you can rent, probably 12 x 12 in dimensions. It was pretty nice, except the mattress that was pathetic and quite noisy when you rolled over. Evan ended up awake in the night and sleeping with us.
Day 2 involved school shopping and picking up things that are cheaper in the States. After that we headed to our regular stop, the park in Whitefish. It really is a nice park and walking distance to the downtown. After that it was back to the cabin for KD and hot dogs. I think it's amazing how that meal always tastes better outside. Might be one of the reasons I like camping so much.
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Day 18

Last Day! Who knew that vacations were part fun, part endurance trial, part stress test and part experiment? Kudos to our parents for doing this with more than 2 kids! With stuff starting to fall out the windows and Evan down to 1 diaper we head to Calgary. Breakfast had the Husky's Restaurant was suprizingly peaceful with Logan demonstrating his prowess at eating. The boy is demonstrating some amazing Iwaasa talents these days. It was nice quick drive to Calgary and straight to the zoo. We bought season passes last time we went so it makes the zoo an affordable short stop and a great way to breakup the drive home. It was a super fun time at the zoo and we went through Dinosaurs Alive, the new robotic exhibit. Logan was a little freaked at first and Evan kept saying "wow". Of course, we hit a snag. Apparently I couldn't count. We had no more diapers and Evan pulled a number 2! Luckily we were at the playground and another mom took pity on us. Then he pooped again! Well we packed up and left for Ikea, the land of meatballs cheap furniture and free diapers. After a quick trip thru the maze Ikea calls an isle we were on the road again. Oh wait... Is it 5:30? Rush hour! As we limp through Calgary we are elated to be so close. 2hr later and we are detoxifying everything. We are home, yet a part of me wants to take a couple of days to relax, start packing and hit the road again. I guess that's why summer is always too short.
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Day 17

Day 17. Really? 17 days on the road with this crew? Perhaps that explains the edgy feeling everyone is experiencing. Even Evan sounds like he's loosing it a times. I think he's learned how to do random screams on this trip. He's now quite good at it! We were up and on the road by 10 and off to Revelstoke to visit with July. A poor continental breakfast at the motel, a huge lineup at Tim Horton's and a McDonalds so full in Revelstoke that it was standing room only just about put Dora over the edge. It's a good thing it started to rain while we were eating outside. It was just enough crazy to make her start laughing. Any less and someone was gonna die! July showed up while we were all smiling and we had a nice visit. She's almost ready to pop (baby boy for those who don't know) and looks great and happy. Still have yet to meet Ben, her husband. After the short visit it was back to the road. The rest of the drive was going fine until we hit the dreaded summer word "construction". Outside of Banff we hit a standstill with traffic. Logan was asleep, but Evan had a meltdown before we were through.
We pulled into Canmore for supper since it was getting quite late. Boston Pizza, 25 minute wait, Sage Bistro, too pricey, Gasthaus, looked empty and had a kids menu. Perfect, until we found out they were short staffed. Of course, we found out they were short staffed from this table of 4 near us. I don't know if they were actually that pretentious or just trying to, but all the complaining sure made for a good dinner show! It took awhile for the food to arrive, but when it did it was great. I had a strip loin steak sandwich for 10 bucks and Logans veggies were maple glazed carrots and butter nut squash. Yum!
We were back on the road and Evan was losing it again. This time, staying awake. He was falling asleep with the windows down and me holding his eyes open. We pulled into Lac Des Arcs campground to find out it was reservation only, you had to book online. With the campground almost deserted, we said whatever and setup for the night. Finally, back in Alberta !
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Day 16

Considering the fact that this is the longest we've been away from home in 5 years, I'm amazed Dora is still talking to me. 2 kids, 1 dog, a typical male and a truck packed to the nuts with nothing in the same spot as when we left should have put her in the crazy house awhile ago! I think we might have a chance at this camping with kids thing!
After getting the OK on the truck this morning we started the long road home. Dora went for a run this morning with Meg, while Shane introduced Logan to the PS3. Logan had mastered the basics of little big world by the time Dora was back from running. With some quick goodbyes we were off with one stop left. My uncle David was on the way so we stopped in for lunch. It was an amazing meal of somen noodle, maki and fried chicken. I think Logan ate as much chicken as me! The only disappointment was the fact that my cousin couldn't make it. I can't even remember the last time I've seen him.
We hit the road after lunch to start the "long haul". With the rain coming down, we were expecting to hotel for the night rather than camp. We stopped at Skinny's Grill in Hope, BC for supper. A quaint local restaurant that has live music every night. Maybe next time we can stay and enjoy it. We jumped back in the truck and hit the road. 2hr later... Kamloops! The only problem was that Evan lost it about a 1/2hr before we got there. With Evan crying I was 0 for 2 at the Holiday Inn and Super 8. Next on the road, the Alpine Motel. They had room so we were done for the night. A floor for Evan to crawl on, Treehouse for Logan and two beds, enough for everyone. Ahhhhh...
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Day 15

We woke up to a beautiful morning, the perfect temperature. I was defeated by my bladder and was out of the tent before everyone was fully awake. It was nice to get breakfast started in the morning calm. We contemplated what time we should get to the ferry and felt 30min ahead would be best. Sure enough we were running late. We had 15min instead, but literally ended up driving straight onto the ferry! Finally some luck.
This luck however was short lived. Our truck was squeaking and not in a furry or cute way. Our rear passenger tire was giving off a weird noise when we were braking. We decided to try and find a brake shop to have it looked at. Good luck! Using Google maps the first Midas didn't exist. The second too busy. We found a place down the road from Meg and Shane's (our friends that we are staying with), Wu Automotive and they can look at it tomorrow morning. We have our fingers crossed!
As for the rest of the, another BBQ with friends. Steve T joined us which was a nice treat. After the BBQ the boys slipped away to hit Best Buy and Steve bought Borderlands. We then proceeded to play the night away on his PS3. Man I miss playing video games. Another great day on the road.
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Day 13 and 14

With our stay on Vancouver Island coming to an end we packed up from China Beach and headed to Victoria. Almost right away we were dealing with Logan feeling ill from the curvy roads. Dora pulled over when we got to Sooke so he could get some air. He started feeling better and I noticed we were parked right beside a patch of wild blackberries. Logan and I began picking a bunch. Now as a disclaimer, I thought the roads got better after Sooke and he was feeling better! As you can imagine, the roads didn't get much better and we greeted with Blackberry surprise! Turns out this would be the third time this trip I would have to clean up a car seat on this trip, not to mention Denali's accident! Man, I sure hope this is the last of that! We continued to Mike's with a stop at the pound to pick up Denali who seemed more happy to get back in the truck then to see me. At a cost of 60 bucks, it was the cheapest 3 days of kennel ever. Who knew? We got back and relaxed for another BBQ at Mike and Jenn's which as fun. Oddly enough Logan found a patch of blackberries and quite enjoyed them. What a way to finish his day!
The next day we packed up to leave for the mainland. I was heading out on Mike's boat later in the morning, so Dora and I headed downtown to do some shopping. We hit Robinsons and Capital Iron as well as Lululemon (Dora not me!). Then to Cattle Point to meet Mike. We headed out with George's family too and cruised around Oak Bay to see the local wildlife. This was much better than watching the hobos in downtown Vic (the other wildlife)! We found a secluded bay for lunch and then headed back. After a quick check on the crab trap, we were back to the dock with a nice 10 inch crab. Dora picked me up and we were off towards the ferry. I saw a provincial park, John Dean and thought it would be nice camping for the night. It would be if they allowed camping. Turns out it was day use only. No big deal, we pulled into Sidney and found a national park, McDonald Campground. It was cheap at 13.70 a night, but who packs that exact change? Funny enough we were able to pay in change. Tomorrow it's back to the mainland for us.
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Day 11 and 12

With a call to pound and still no Denali we headed out for China Beach. Dora was still quite sad, and I thought we would hear something before we left. The drive out was going fine, then I got a voice mail message. Denali was at the pound! In a way she might enjoy her time away from the kids and she gets 3 walks a day. We would pick her up after our trip.
The trip was extra special because 2 families of friends were joining us, both Mike's. We arrived in the late afternoon to enjoy food and beverage together. Logan and I also did a quick run to the beach to burn off some energy. A quick note... Sites 6 and 7 are too close to the washrooms as the breeze changes directions at night!
The next day we headed to the beach as a group to enjoy some sand and sun. It was kind of crazy to see all the kids, moms and dads rather than the foolish adults we use to be. Apparently we grew up at some point. Heck our parents might even be impressed! We stayed a bit longer at the beach, with Evan having a nap in his kid carrier and Dora and Logan building a sand observatory. Dora said the sand was perfect for building!
Mike and Jenn were off that afternoon, so we had a second night with the Mercier's. It was a nice evening, with a meal of pan-fried sockeye and good conversation. Both boys loved the fish! The only downside to the day was Evans poor sleep. I think he woke everyone in the campground! Good Times!
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Day 8-10

Well after our first cool nights sleep we had a short day ahead. Or so we thought. A 1/2hr drive to the ferry was interrupted by a sign we saw, talking about reserving the ferry. We got there to find we had a 3hr wait with 2 kids. What could have been a nightmare turned out to be a nice relaxing time. Evan napped, Logan and I played on the beach and we all went for a quick meal before we left. The rest of the day was uneventful and we arrived at KOA in Port Angeles. A night of laundry and showers were a great finish to the day
The morning saw us packing up to catch another ferry. Luckily we had a reservation, so it was an easy arrival. We had an hour to kill so we headed to the city pier, just down the block. We arrived to find some amazing sand sculptures! It was a quick hour and we were off to Victoria. The sail was quite foggy and we passed the breakwater under a veil of fog. Customs went quick and we were off to Mike and Courtenay's. We were greeted with a soft bed and a BBQ. An old work friend of Mike's was in town with his family. Logan had 3 new friends to play with.
After a great nights sleep we started prepping for our next camping adventure. I got a trip to Capital Iron ( a must for any man visiting Vic) before our evening activity.
For the night we headed downtown for the Symphony Splash, a yearly event were the symphony is floated on a barge in the inner harbor. No sooner had we gotten a spot that my phone rang. "Hello Mark, this is Harald. How are you enjoying the music?". It was the Dad of a good friend of mines. His parents were in town on vacation and he had told them we were in town as well. We were lucky enough to watch the show together. Thanks to Harald and Bev again for being a jungle gym for our kids.
After the fireworks finale we headed back to the truck, only to notice the topper window open. Denali had escaped! Right now our dog was lost somewhere in Victoria! Mike was nice enough to come down and help me look for her, but left in the end with no dog. This was not how we planned to finish our stay in Victoria! (For those that are worried, she was found)
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