A couple of driving days have past not much to report apart from a wonderful stop at a Campground with a swimming pool and a playground, a nice break from all the driving, a lazy morning, a 'spectacle carefully prepared by the boys at the playground a mega shopping at the supermarket and me going into a Ace (local Hubo) to get an axe and a Winchester multi tool.
We're in Montana! Long winding roads up and down hill in a scenery that is changing from greens to yellows with the occasional red rocks, one can easily imagine this place all white with snow, wish we'd seen it but happy it is 34° out here!
We stopped at noon in Choteau close to the local pool, best break ever.
Djudju finally mastered the courage to get up the board and jump from it. It took a little forcing from dad but he is running and jumping of that board as if there is no tomorrow.
Meanwhile Matthew met a new friend, Brian, since that encounter and for the last one and a half day we are hearing a new learned expression "oh my gosh", repeated on every occasion. It replaces the French 'mon dieu' and the Georgian 'waimé' learned at school.
We blindly followed the GPS to Glacier National Park to find out that instead of crossing it we went around it, but who cares we have so much time and so many things to see. An old nearly abandoned campground by the lake allowed the kids to play baseball and soccer in the open space and me to go fishing (the fish are winning) in the evening and first thing in the morning. I did wake up in the middle of the night hearing footsteps that kept me awake for a while but the pepper spray and the axe brought me enough peace of mind to take no further notice and fall back asleep.
A short drive (90 minutes) took us across Chief Mountain(there's another name for ya) to Canada into Waterton Glacier National Park.
There is a little village there with a historic 'The Shining' looking hotel with amazing views.
A lazy afternoon after having the kids playing in the fountain pool, where Djudj fell and scraped is arms and side and of we were to collect the Cherry on the Cake.
Go to Red Rock Canyon the lady at the visitor center said, your best bet to see animals, so of we went. A one km walk around the creek and over the two bridges we had seen deer, again, chipmunks, again, and on our slow way down with the RV and trying to keep Julian quiet in order for us to maybe spot a bear, a few car pulled over by the side of the road and people pointing in the direction of the golf courts green we saw a grizzly and her cob on the other side of the creek, playing an laying on the green.
A lady told us that the week before friend of hers couldn't complete their 6th hole cause they were chased away by a bear.
Matthew was overwhelmed at the sight. And I couldn't get enough of it.
The bears finally came of the golf court into the wilderness and on we went to fill our stomachs and get a good nights rest.
What a day, ending in sighting millions of stars and what seems to be milky ways.
We are so privileged to be able to see these wonders, to be able to feel and experience this quality time together and although there are times I want to sell my kids for a few hours these are blessed moments of togetherness.
We decided to stay another day at Waterton, a serious hike steep up the hill taking us 300mt higher brought us to Bears Hump for a magnificent view of the area.
Another lazy afternoon and a drive to the lake and another day has passed.
On to Calgary in the AM.
Arrival at Calgary our camper is toooo big to get into town so we went on to a campground rain rain rain 6°C, me and the boys took a dive into the so called heated pool, the showers afterwords were fantastic and Val had prepared us a bowl of Jewish penicillin with rice. It ended in a cosy evening, cartoons and internet with the drip drops of the rain intensified on the campers roof.
On to Banff tomorrow the temperature won't go above 10° not what we signed up for but not that we have a choice.
By the way did I mention Val's breakdown? She had a fit of crylaughing, the road, the weather, the cold, the No bath since 6 weeks, the to much national parcs, the too much kids ending in a "je veux rentrer" laugh half ironical, half truth.
I am actually looking forward to a more sedentary travel in Asia.
Still happy but pretty exhausted today.
Banff in the rain turned out to be not bad at all, one huge shopping area allowed us to pass the afternoon. Val found a soft-shell and a raincoat, hers had mysteriously disappeared, or didn't she bring it at all, even the kids were happy to trot along a more civilized world.
The campground however built in the sixties just about fitted the RV after a little maneuvering.
Another amplified plic ploc on the campers roof for a wake up on a casted day.
The river next to us is emerald green, we have noticed that the color of water as we know it is a non reference point in Canada and certainly in Banff and Jasper.
Julian was speaking of letting go of is 'bib'(bottle) for the back to school day, let's see how that goes tonight.
We left Two Jack campground on the way Val started with Matts home schooling while i was getting Djudj to speak Nederlands.
We stopped by the upper and Lower Falls on the way to Lake Louise, the trail took us for a three hour walk, where the kids were climbing rocks, making their own trails, falling down (djudj has been specialising in falling since a day or two) to see two powerfull waterfalls as a reward midway and on top.
A good meal at three pm and Mom and Djudj went to sleep in the back of the camper while Matt and I pushed on to Louise.
A couple of hours later we arrived to what was an amazing sight, the two still asleep Matt and I got out to see what was so special about this lake.
A apple blue sea green colored lake surrounded by mountains greeted us, the water clear as crystal.
We drove to Louise Campground and after a good steak Djudj said he was going to have his last 'bib' tonight and then send his bottles to Jackson and Saul in Belgium.
On the next day Val and I enscened a little play with the lady at the campground registration and sure enough Djudj gave her the bottles after depositing a paper in each one with what bottle should go to who, thus we left the 'bibs' at Lake Louise campground on september second.
A buffet breakfast with lake view at the Louise Fairmont and on we went.
The road to Jasper is amazing and even if our moods were down with the grey weather gods the long turns up and down across the rockies rendered me speechless a few times(not that I was going to speak a lot I was the only one of our party fully awake.
Long ups and downs lefts and rights to reveal snowy mountaintops, glaciers, vast forests, cliffs carved by the waterfalls resembling an old mans facial skin dried up and carved by the sun.
Viewpoints on the valleys, lakes and streams in turquoise and jade colors.
Dried up rivers that takes but little imagination as to how the'd fill up during melt.
We got to whistler mountain campground took a walk in Jasper, a litle town of five thousand people(twenty thousand in high season) and what struck me as special was that no matter what direction I was looking at we were surrounded by mountains. Djudj had a ten minute fit about is 'bib' before going back to the campground but went to bed as a grand garcon drinking a bit of choc of a cup.
the next morning took us by tramway (teleferique) to the top of Whistler Mountain. No description here te pics speak for themselves.
On we went for what was going to be two long days of driving to Vancouver.
Again the roads are hilly, laky and foresty, it just keeps on comming to you this green beauty and snowy peaks.
After a long stop we pulled over at Blue River, another little jewel.
At the campground the kids found some bicycles, the best stop we ever had they both said. For the next two hours they rode those bikes furiously. We crossed the road to the lake, a little fine sand beach a pontoon, slide and a diving board, had the kids in the water in no time.
Val came running crying, in panic an hour later, she didn't see me leave with Julian and I guess the nature of her job and other feminine unexplainable hormonal thangs had her imagine the worse scenario's about kidnapping, abuse and chopped up limbs and of course nothing I could do or say could possibly make up for her suffering.
A horrible meal at the local road side restaurant and of to bed it was.
The next mornin;, I took djudj for an early fishing and........
Another long stretch towards Vancouver, we wanted to get there in a day but...no room in the hotel.
Our campground angel still with us we arrived at, here is a funny one, English Lake Lagon is a fonetic translation of the french Lake Lejeune. A evening bbq followed by a huge campfire with marshmellows and stories, a morning with a campfire and freshly half burned bbq bread made a pefect start for our last stretch to Vancouver where a four **** hotel with jacuzzy swimming pool and 'separated' connecting rooms awaits us (call me poule de luxe i dont care)
I feel a chapter of our vacation has ended, we're going beach side from now on, that is after Vancouver. We've driven lots of miles seen lots of things, felt tremendous emotions, we've grown closer to the kids and have wanted to sell them or ship'em back.
All in all we've grown closer as a family, we're learning to know each other, we're discovering each other under a new light, being together 24/7 isn't always easy and demands a huge dicipline on a level 'L'istening to each other.
So far I feel we have all evolved when it comes to comunication and boundaries, beeing setting or respecting one anothers.
More Pics here or on in the right hand column
A couple of hours on The Pacific Coast Highway 1, now there is a road that deserves clarification. Driving that road with a large camper isn't the most relaxing thing. Think one narrow lane and hilly curves, but the scenery is well worth it.
We got our RV diagonally in a corner allowing a little corner of privacy, set up table and chairs and got to lunch.
an amazing sun moving quickly as if in a hurry lowering itself in the sea to go from one then two then half until it disappeared totally into the ocean, leaving behind beautiful colors for us to savor.
