Day 2 (7/11) - Calgary and drive to Fernie

Our flight to Calgary was easy and smooth. At one point, the flight attendants announced that they had to pick up our garbage early and that everyone needed to sit with seatbelts because it was going to get very turbulent. Will and I were a bit nervous because the kids were seated by themselves across from us. We waited and waited, but it never got bad. There were a few very minor bumps right before landing. Oh, Canada.

Immigration was easy as can be, and it wasn't long before we had our rental car. We have a dark grey Malibu that still smells new. With leather seats and a sunroof, it's one of the nicest rentals we have had. It has a navigation system, which is super handy, too. The only drawback is that it is so new that it doesn't have a CD player. We brought several books on cd for the car rides. Thankfully, I was able to download a couple of youth audiobooks onto my phone last night, so we can listen through the Bluetooth system. I also have several kids' podcasts downloaded on my phone. On our drive yesterday, we listened to a timely science podcast about why people get car sick. 

The drive to Fernie, our stop for the night, was a bit longer than anticipated. The kids were not thrilled to learn they were going to have to sit down again and for triple our flight time. But shortly after leaving the Calgary airport, the landscape is beautiful. Huge, rolling hills and ranch after ranch on either side. It reminded me a lot of our drive through Vermont on our way to Maine. As we moved along, we got closer to the mountains, and we all peeled our eyes for bears, mountain Rams, and elk. We didn't spot any. 

When we were about 20 minutes away from our lodge, Will saw a sign for the World's Largest Truck, so, obviously, we had to stop. It did not disappoint. It is a truck that was used to carve up the mountain, essentially. Admittedly, I didn't read all the placards, so Will can fill you in at some point if you're so interested. We took the obligatory pictures and were back on our way. 

Our lodging for the night was at Lizard Creek Lodge, a ski resort. For less money than our Seattle Days Inn, we have a one bedroom condo with a living room (with fireplace), kitchen, and huge loft for the kids. They each got their own bed and have a bathroom up there. Not bad at all! Both kids are disappointed that we are only here for the night! The place does have a restaurant, but with $30 entrees, we opted to cook. Will volunteered to shop while I took the kids to the pool. Oh, and there is also an Ice Bar here, a bar made out of ice. We peeked in but obviously couldn't take our kids in there. I think they do vodka tastings there. It didn't appear to be open, so may be more of a high season thing. 

It was only in the 60s here yesterday, but the pool is nicely heated, and it is our favorite hotel pool to date. It looks right out at the mountains and ski lifts - so picturesque! Several times, I made the kids stop and take mental pictures. I took some actual pics, too, which I will try to include here. We swam, soaked a bit in the hot tub and then headed back to our room for showers and dinner a la dad, which was spaghetti and some broccoli. Felt good to have a real meal after a lot of quick bites at the airport or on the road. 

Both kids went to sleep quickly since it was after 10, and I got to work taking some things out of the suitcase to make room for WIll's clothes, which were packed in a roller cooler we bring as a carry-on. I packed several toiletries in tupperware so we can have it on our trip. I moved those to smaller bags, and our leftovers went into the Tupperware. We have done enough of these trips that I've learned some tricks along the way. Will even remembered to bring our good carrot peeler. As he always says, "You never want to be stuck someplace without your good carrot peeler." Ok, he doesn't actually say that, but he might some day. 

While I worked on the suitcase, Will went to get something from the car and to just "check things out." He came back about 30 minutes later with a tale of seeing an adolescent brown bear just off this little path, behind someone's garage. He said he thought it was a cat at first (big cat!), but then realized it was a bear. By the time he took out his phone to get a pic, he heard another noise. Worried it could be another bear, he got out of there quickly. Everything we read says that the bears are not interested in us. As long as you are talking and making your presence known, they will stay out of your way. We will also be sure not to leave a trail of nuts and berries for them and also carry some bear spray, whatever that is. And we will only hike well-populated trails. I'm typing this with Mr. Ethan by my side, as we both couldn't sleep much past 6. When I told him his dad's bear story, he was ready to go walk on the same path. I said, no way, Jose.

Today, we will do a little exploring around here and then hit the road for Whitefish, MT, where we will be for the next five nights.