Mid Summer Night's Dream!?

I couldn’t write yesterday. It was such a blah day. We left Tofino in the rain. The rain did help having to leave the beach, but it was feeling very much like the end of a vacation. We caught the ferry and then spent 3 hours in Friday Vancouver traffic. In the middle of the traffic, I had to figure out why my mom’s iPhone is not messaging me. Oh, and also convince her that we weren’t dead, we just weren’t getting her messages and couldn’t respond. We were all spent. I kinda felt like crawling in a ditch and giving up, but the Walmart in Kelowna beckoned. Sleeping in a Walmart parking lot doesn’t do much for your mood when you’ve had a nothing day but we didn’t have a lot of options.

This morning I was feeling a little guilty about my foul mood yesterday so I was determined to show the kids a great time on the drive back to Calgary. We needed a good attraction to get us all jacked up again. Kelowna is beautiful and the drive from Kelowna to Revelstoke is a great one. There were lots of exciting places where we could’ve spent the afternoon. All Parker wanted to do was power through and get to Calgary. One suggestion was the Enchanted Forest which looked really great but everyone said no to that especially when Keith saw the parking lot. I thought the roller ride down Mount Revelstoke would be awesome for everyone. Again, no. Not even a zip line enticed Parker.

In the meantime, I saw a fruit market called the Log Barn just north of Kelowna and pulled in. It was an interesting stop. We saw everything you would imagine at a roadside fruit market, fruit, baking, souvenirs, dragons, dinosaurs, gorillas... That stop didn’t do much to convince the kids I knew where the fun was.

WTH?

If you didn't like it, why so many pictures?

The thing that DID have the 2 of them motivated was free Root Beer day at A&W. We passed about 3 A&W’s, each time they are wailing for their free warm Root Beer (it would be so much better with ice IMO). We finally stopped in Revelstoke because at least then it was close to appropriate Root Beer drinking time. Yet again, Keith and I couldn’t handle the crowds so we ended up at Nomads in Revelstoke which turned out to be a great lunch place. Mushroom panini for me – so yummy. After lunch they still thought we were going for free Root Beer even though we had just paid (quite well) for cold Root Beer at lunch…

The winning stop of the day goes to The Last Spike just outside of Revelstoke. It was already a win for the adults because Keith is a history buff and I love anything with a plaque. The kids were thrilled with the gift shop. Win all around! The best part of the stop was the lovely people who run the place. I was trying to figure out if they are volunteers but you could clearly tell they love what they do. The ladies in the gift shop have a prop center set up, complete with beards that the one lady made. If I ever need to make a beard, I’ll be using her tips. It’s funny how someone’s enthusiasm can be infectious. I’m not a ‘dresser up’ person and you can imagine how much Keith enjoys it. Soon we were all dressing up for a photo. So much fun! Who needs a zip line? Oh and the ladies even chased us out to the parking lot with our keys because in all the excitement, guess who forgot them behind???

There's the plaque!

Seriously, they said no to the ride down the mountain, but yes to this...

Feel free to zoom in and look at the beard!

Tonight we have renewed and refreshed ourselves. We are all showered and laundered and hanging out in Calgary so that Keith can catch his plane home. We will be sad to see Keith leave but fret not, Nana is joining the circus. She will fit in for sure. I have high hopes that she will be the star of a few blog entries.

If I Only Had a Brush

Jasper

Not a huge report today. We drove from Jasper to Revelstoke on our way to Vancouver. Keith and I were excited to have visited Jasper. It’s quieter than Banff and the shopping was great! Abby and I set out for another round of souvenir shops and found some great deals. Shoes for me (50% off) and we got ski jackets for both the kids for more than 60% off.  That’s a shoppertunity! A friend had told me to check out the bakery on the main street. ‘The Other Paw Bakery and Café’ had a lineup out the door but I had been warned that it was well worth the wait. A mere 30 minutes later, we had bread, cinnamon buns and raspberry white chocolate chunk scones. All are super yummy especially the scones. Most excellent!

Today’s drive is our favourite part of the road trip. Roger’s Pass is the most breathtaking drive, especially in a 30 ft RV! At some points you have avalanche shoots on one side and a mountain cliff on the other with only a small cement barrier keeping you on the road. We enjoyed pointing out the avalanche sheds and canons that are used to control the snow.

Acting on a tip, we made reservations at the Canyon Hot Springs Resort. It is a beautiful gem nestled in the Revelstoke mountains right on Highway 1. The kids are enjoying the river, the roads to bike on and the mineral water hot pools.  Here I am trying to use my selfie stick. I think people over the age of 40 are missing the gene necessary to work these damn things.

Mommy, you're not doing it right!

Taking pics but I don't know it

This thing is so dumb...

'I think you're taking a pic'

Ok, got it. Abby, get in here quick!

Ah! Perfection. Keith and Parker are bored

Other than all this excitement, I feel like I’ve hit a wall. I can’t sleep enough. Keith has been driving since Calgary and I can’t stay awake for longer than an hour on the road. I did wake up long enough to sniff out the Revelstoke Farmer’s Market.  Once we were loaded up with beef jerkey, cherries, sausages, pepperettes and samosas, we were back on our way and I drifted off again. I feel like my body is punishing me for driving for a week straight and is getting ready to do it again. God bless Keith for coming to save me for a little while. He keeps telling me he’s going to find an airport and fly home for some peace.  The kids are driving both of us bonkers. We’ve each resorted to making side deals with them so they will behave. The latest was that they have 20 Desormeaux Dollars in the bank right now. Every time we have to pick up their garbage or clothes, we are taking away a dollar. We’ll see how much money they have in the bank when they reach Vancouver. At this point, we’re pretty desperate.

In addition to being tired all the time, I look like a sasquatch. My hair hasn’t been combed in days.  It’s clean, but I can’t find a brush. I’m also sporting my summer tan which makes me look a little wild. In an effort to pull myself together today, I painted my toenails, did some laundry and made the bed. I felt so relaxed after the mineral pools, I drank ½ a bottle of wine and needed another nap. I did manage to make dinner tonight and everyone was thanking me and telling me how yummy it tasted. I think they want me to stay awake for longer than an hour. We’ll see how tomorrow goes…