I’ve been on the road for 11 days now… about 1/3 of the planned trip. And it is so much more amazing than I thought it would be! The first 9 days with Cat were epic. I saw some of the greatest sights of the American southwest. I hiked some of the most incredible trails. I experienced weather that was unbeatable, and got a greater tan than I’ve ever had (unintentionally, but understandably living outside 24/7!).
Today, I ventured north of the border, into Canada. My trip from Salt Lake City to Calgary didn’t take as long as expected, so I took my time, getting the car and camper washed in Great Falls, Montana, and doing laundry before reaching Calgary. Today was the first day of “bad” weather I’ve experienced in 11 days of travel. It was chilly… never hitting 60 degrees, and rainy when I left the town of Shelby, Montana (for those keeping track, this is not a town worth visiting unless you need a place to stay on the way to Calgary…)
I had to swat at my first mosquitos (die, bastards!) and pack up in the pouring, cold, rain, but still got on the road at a decent time. Even after stopping for coffee at Tim Horton’s, I arrived in Calgary in about four hours, but still ahead of my hotel check in. I headed to the mall for some Lush products, and came back to relax in an actual room with private bathroom, something that seemed quite luxurious after 11 days of shared bathrooms and pay showers!
With half a day to kill in Calgary, I did the important stuff… visited a LUSH store to stock up on some essentials, and found a brewery. More on them later.
My parents arrived after midnight, lucky to have made their connection in Chicago, and we are off to Jasper in a bit.
Teardrops & Ales 