Day 12,

With both kids coughing and sniffling we spent a quiet (a very relative term) day at the house. Campbell ventured out for a bit, but without big brother to play with, it was short lived. We spent a good part of the afternoon watching a young robin being fed by its mother on the railing of the deck. Ollie the cat was not very impressed by this as he crept to the window ready to pounce.

We did some shopping last night and were both able to get new shorts for $40. Other than groceries that will probably be the extent of our shopping.

Mike and Mel gave us a night in Canmore so we'll be going to Banff on Friday and spending the night close by. Fingers crossed for continued great weather, we've only seen rain a couple times since being here and it hasn't hampered any plans yet.

I feel like the pressure to get things done has lifted now that I can stay another week. Sal will drive home with me as AJ was able to get a credit for her flight. Hope she knows that it's my playlist we'e listening to on the way home.   

Day 11, Riverfront Ride

The day started slowly, mostly because Campbell slept until 10am and had to be coaxed awake. A short trip to the Red Park followed but once the boys had their sandwiches they were ready to go home. In a park they normally have all to themselves there were a dozen younger kids mostly just sitting on the equipment.

Somehow Campbell napped again in the afternoon. Cullen was supposed to take another wink, wink nap but he fell asleep too.

Mike bbq'd steaks with goat cheese and a balsamic reduction, roasted asparagus, and Sal added potato pancakes. I asked Mike if he wanted to go downtown after supper to ride along the riverfront. We loaded the bikes on the rack and grabbed various camera gear. Parking downtown in the evening is so much easier, and cheaper. We found a spot right along the bikepath/walkway. The traffic wasn't on the streets it was on the bikepath. Close to downtown there were people all over the place, walking without a care in the world, left, right and center. Our bells got heavy use as we weaved around people. One we passed over the Peace Bridge to the north side things cleared and we were able to ride a straight line. We went west as far as the Crowchild overpass and then crossed a suspension bridge back to the southside. We stopped on the bridge to take a few pictures and you could feel the bridge bouncing underfoot. Riding across with the surface moving beneath the tires was a strange sensation.

We decided to stop for some refreshment at Eau Claire Market, beer or coffee was the decision. Beer won. We walked in to the patio and sat outside. A waitress asked if we had been seated by a hostess, no we just walked in the open gate. "Not supposed to do that" she said but left a drink menu anyway. I had a very crisp 7.2 IPA, Parallel 49 Filthy Dirty. My taste has recently moved from dark, bitter beer to IPAs.

I tried a new free video service called 'Relive' that takes the data from a Strava gps recorded ride and creates a flyover video. Check the link below, it's very cool.

I'm okayed for a third week of vacation!

Video from Riverfront Ride

Peace Bridge and downtown Calgary

Lunch at the Red Park

Cullen waiting for little brother

Day 10,

We decided to take the boys somewhere other than the Red park so I Googled kids activities. Since it was going to be a hot day a splash pad seemed like a good idea. When they heard the plan the boys were excited, "best day ever". 

The 20 minute drive was simple enough but the 7 school busses in the parking lot were concerning. I thought that with school still in things would be quiet, who knew the schools would be bussing kids in. If we thought the parking lot was packed, the splash pad was even worse. We managed to find a park bench to sit on and I led the boys to the action. They were very hesitant, sticking together like glue. Cullen put his hands in a few streams of water and Campbell followed but they knew we had a picnic lunch and they wanted to eat before playing. They both gobbled down their sandwiches and we headed back hand in hand. I tried circling the splash pad hoping that if they got splashed they would get into the mood. They struggled to stay dry amid the chaos. Campbell was having none of this and wanted to go back to Nanny. He had a few cookies and we tried again. They climbed on one of the various pieces of playground equipment but the swarm of kids kept them very reserved. As kids hopped on and off and the structure spun around I could see that Campbell was not having any fun and grabbed it to stop the spinning and lifted him free. I tried to coax Cullen into the spray with some success but could see that the this wasn't going to work. Without Campbell to share it with he just wasn't going to have much fun. They might have some tense moments but in the end they are best friends.

We left less than 2 hours after arriving. They napped and then the heat really hit. The sun cleared the low hazy clouds that had been keeping the temperature down all morning and we hit 30. 

Cullen enjoyed the sprinkler in the back yard for a bit but Campbell who is normally first in, last out wanted nothing to do with getting wet. I guess I should have let him wear his toque.

Days 8 & 9

On Saturday Sal, Jess and Mel went wedding dress shopping. Tradition prevents any pictures of that event, sorry. They went for lunch after that so Mike and I took the boys for a ride. Campbell was determined to ride the Strider but we brought the trailer because his range is limited. He was done about 3 blocks in. We rode about 2km to the Rubber Park. The boys played there for a bit and then it was off to Timmy's for coffee and Timbits. Next we rode to the Pirate Park over in McKenzie Towne. Cullen took a small tumble and then suffered through the short ride home. No need for a bell for this leg of the trip.

AJ and Jess were over for supper and Mike put together a very interesting Korean dish that we all enjoyed, bibimbap. Rice with veggies and marinated shrimp topped with a fried egg. After the boys went to sleep, we played some games through our phones and the xbox.  

Sunday morning we watched Cullen's tennis lesson. Mike met a young tennis player and his mom who give lessons to younger kids. $5 for an hour. Some days there are only 2 kids that show up so it's basically one on one. He was actually hitting the ball over the net from the mid court, alternating from forehand to backhand. Most importantly he was having a great time. The Tennis Academy is just part of a huge sports complex including 2 arenas, 5? soccer fields, an aquatic center, a track, a football field, baseball diamonds and a VELODROME.

We met AJ and Jess downtown for dim sum at the Silver Dragon and it was excellent. We wandered around Chinatown for a bit and then went to the Farmer's Market. AJ and Jess were back for Mike and Mel's homemade pizza at supper. Very thin crust, cooked on the barbeque. My favourite was brie and pear with an Granville Island Infamous IPA. 

Mike and I went on a short bike ride before having a piece of Sal's cheesecake. An hour of relaxing in front of Netflix and it was lights out. 

Campbell wanted to go to Starbucks

Day 7, Another Action Packed Day

Our seventh day was highlighted by the chance to see Cullen at his last skating lesson. About a 15 minute drive away, the Trico Centre is an amazing facility with 2 ice rinks, a wave pool, water slide, gym and a host of other amenities. There are so many activities for kids and adults I won't even attempt to list them, check the link for a better picture. As much as I'd love the kids to be closer, this is the type of advantage that they just couldn't experience in TBay.

Having seen videos of Cullen skating let us know that he is improving, but they don't let you see how much fun he is having. He's excited to go and loves every minute. He's moving along, taking short little strides with both feet and when he does fall he pops right back up. I've seen many, many kids push with one leg or spend 5 minutes struggling to get back to their feet. 

Before his lesson we went for our daily trip to the Red Park, the boys scoffed at my suggestion of trying another park. Campbell is gliding up to about 30 feet at a time down any section with a slight grade on the strider. If he hadn't skipped pedalling the tricycle he would most likely be on a 2 wheeler before the end of the summer. Back at the house the boys played with bubbles, watered the garden and then Campbell napped.

AJ and Jess came over for the evening. Hot dogs, marshmallows and a few beverages around a fire with the whole gang. It doesn't get much better than that. We got rained on for a few minutes but no one moved. The boys were snuggled under blankets in a small tent and stayed up well past their bedtime.

Day 6, Cullen's Graduation

Ok, I will be the first to admit, this was both cute and overkill at the same time. I mean seriously, grad pictures for 5 year olds? But look at that mug, how can you not just disregard reason and get all mushy. Multiply that by about 25 and you have the event in a nutshell. The class were presented certificates, sang songs, watched a slide show and enjoyed snacks. Well that was everyone else's program, Campbell had carried in the rice krispie snacks that Sal made and then had to give them up which was devastating enough. But then he had to walk by the long table of donated goodies. Plus he was starving (for treats), so for the sake of maintaining peace he munched a few squares before the event got rolling. Cullen was serious and focused throughout. While some kids lost interest he sang and performed the motions rehearsed for the entire set. Watching him sing along with the music of movies he has watched countless times makes me wonder if he might some day perform in front of bigger audiences.

Another afternoon of long naps ensued. Yes, as has been posted I joined the boys in an afternoon siesta. The Jays game just didn't cut it. Another chance to get to .500, another dismal effort.

AJ came for supper and we enjoyed Sal's lasagna. The boys entertained us with various craziness and another day was done.

Day 5, Nap Away the Day

Cullen woke up feeling under the weather so he headed back to bed. Campbell had 3 rounds of breakfast. Somewhere around 10am he went up to check on his big brother and when I heard them laughing I did the same. A couple hours of sleep had Cullen feeling much better. He was hungry so I made him a piece of toast with pb&j. And then another and another.

It was too late for school so we went over to the Red park for an hour. The boys played with another older kid for a bit and then we came back to the house for lunch. After they had some mac and cheese, we piled into the car and went to the Super Store for groceries. Campbell, or Metoo as I have started calling him, wanted everything his eyes fell on from apples to zucchini. Mostly he wanted one of the free cookies they hand out if you swing by the bakery. If Cullen says he likes riding his bike, Campbell says "metoo". If Cullen says he missed school today, "metoo". If Cullen says his name is Cullen, "metoo".

At 2:30 I read them a couple books and they went for a nap. In
Cullen's case it was supposed to be a 'wink, wink' nap to get Campbell settled and then we would go for a ride. He fell asleep first and didn't get up until 6. Mel woke Campbell up at 5:30 and he was not a happy camper. Cullen got up thinking another day had passed, telling Mike he had 3 pieces of toast, yesterday.

AJ and Jess invited us to go for supper at Cleaver, a noisy little place downtown. We got there for happy hour where drinks are $5 and the delicious sliders are $3. These are not your average little burgers. Duck with bacon and shallots was our favourite. A shared piece of Toblerone baked cheesecake and we were stuffed. A great meal and hip atmosphere.

I checked the outcome of the Jays game and we were asleep minutes later.

Metoo is really zipping along on the strider

Baked Toblerone cheesecake

Day 4, Cullen Heads to School

With Cullen heading to school for a couple hours, it was our first real one on one time with Campbell. After dropping big brother off we headed for Ikea. As we merged on to the Deerfoot Trail, Campbell's voice exploded from his perch in the back seat.

"Hey guys, wookit that. It's a...it's a...it's a. Hey guys wookit that". He was so excited that whatever 'it's a' was, was gone and he was on to the next highlight. Dump trucks, cement trucks, tractors and every conceivable kind of car travel Calgary's main artery so he had lots to see. It reminded us of our trip to Minneapolis with Brandyn when he was about the same age. Every construction zone was a new thrill.

As the downtown skyscrapers came in to view "hey guys, it's the city". Without Cullen to share in the narrative his voice was loud and hilarious. Our visit to Ikea was more of the same. "wookit those chairs, wookit those couches". Then he noticed the arrows projected on to the floor that direct customers around the twisting maze that is the Ikea showroom. He pointed the direction of each arrow as we approached in case I missed a turn. We found the item we needed in the warehouse where he gazed at the boxes stretching high overhead. On the way home I decided to record him and launched an app on the phone, you guessed it, not a word.

An hour later I went to pick Cullen up and as I drove along a police officer stepped in to the road and motioned for me to pull over. I noticed his radar set on a tripod behind his suv. He came to the window and asked why I was in Calgary, asked for my licence and then advised I was speeding. I had no idea the limit was 30kph, and I was doing 40. He took down the info and issued me a warning. I drove away at 25 thinking I could go faster on my bike. I never saw the sign but it must be there. I got to the church in time to greet Cullen and we idled our way home.

While Campbell napped, Cullen and I went down to watch some tv. In all honesty, I was sharing Campbell's activity while Cullen watched tv. We went outside and the boys used me as target practice with water pistols. It warmed up all afternoon and hit the high 20's followed by some high winds. Red Deer got hit hard with about 20% of the city without power after the high winds and thunderstorm.

Surprisingly, the boys play so well together. Yes, we've seen a flare or 2 up in 2 days but they are rare and very short. I know this doesn't sound like an exciting vacation, but these minutes with the boys are why we are here.

Playing together

Campbell hiding from Nanny

Day 3, A Day with the Boys

My day started early, I just can't get out of the eastern time zone. I spent an hour or so typing in the dark. When I heard the telltale sounds of the morning starting I went up to find the boys at their table ready for breakfast.

Cullen was his normal happy, loud and talkative self. Campbell needs a little nourishment before he warms up, he's grumpy in the morning in Cullen's words. Mike and Mel headed off to work and the boys dug into the lego bucket with Sal's help. They both love building things. At 10 we headed for the closest park, the Red park. The boys on 2 wheels, Sal and I walking. They played on the equipment, rode around a bit and explored. Campbell likes going into the bush looking for bugs, sticks or whatever he can find.

After an hour or so we headed back to the house where Sal made mini pizza with cheese and hot dogs that were a big hit. The promise of cookies had something to do with it I'm certain. They had a bonus cookie due. Earlier they had gone upstairs to their room to read a book. Things got very quiet so we checked and they were cleaning Campbell's room, suspicious activity for anybody in this demographic. They continued with Cullen's room and then requested an inspection which resulted in the extra cookie. They play together very well and I don't remember even a minor squabble all day.

Cullen and I went to pick up a few things needed for supper. We went in the new Murano which I had never driven. Like most new vehicles there are no keys. I asked Cullen if he knew how to open the doors. "Just hold this button", he said as he showed me the button on the fob, and then the tailgate opened. "I'm not climbing through the back mister", I told him as he giggled. We managed to get into the baked interior, get the ac on and drove to Sobey's. I asked him if he knew where everything was in the store, "yep" he said confidently. Do you know where the onions are? Nope. Do you know where the bagels are? Nope. Cheese? Nope. Bread? Yes it's right by the cookies. So he knows where everything is as long as it's in the vicinity of the free cookies.

After successfully completing our shopping we went for a bike ride as Campbell went for a nap. He's on a 16" bmx I found on kijiji right here in Calgary. Longer cranks mean his legs aren't spinning at 1000rpm while going 10kmph so his range has gotten much bigger. We went about 5km to the Purple Park. He played for 30 seconds and said his belly hurt. Would a cold drink help? Sure, he said. So we headed for Starbucks. He really needed to use the bathroom but never said a word until we got outside with his drink. With that problem solved we headed home.

After a supper of Sal's sausage, peppers and pasta Mike led us on another long ride to show me where Cullen's school is. I'll be driving him there today. We took a longer route home and Cullen had a blast getting to ride some singletrack and across a few intersections where he normally has to walk his bike. People love his Ninja turtle helmet especially the streaming red head band,

Back at the house things started to wind down. The boys went to bed and we watched the Jays come back in the 9th to beat the Rangers. Nothing spectacular but a fun day.

Crazy time at the Red Park

Day 2, Brandon to Cowtown

On the road: 5:30am (eastern time)
First rain: 6:40am
Mileage: 1106km
Arrival: 3:15pm (mountain time)

The second day of driving dawned perfectly. We were actually an hour down the road when the sun started peaking through the clouds. I was awake several times during the night, ready to roll in the middle of the night as has been my habit when doing the drive solo. Sal asked me at about 3am our "is it time?", I replied "whenever you're ready" but she was asleep seconds later. This was repeated somewhere around 4am. At 5 we were up and packing. A quick trip to Timmy's for coffee and we were on the way.

It was a partly cloudy morning and we went through spots of light rain with the sun poking through the clouds over Sal's shoulder. I missed that slow transition from the total darkness of night through the first hint of dark blue as the sun slowly starts to spread it's light. But the sunrise provided the kind of light show that I love on the prairies. Dark purple-black clouds to the south horizon and patches of clear sky to the north. The sun poured through openings in the cloud cover, spilling light on fields that turned bright green while the sky behind remained dark and threatening. Light rain and the rising sun resulted in a couple of rainbows. Traffic was very light. In the 350km to Regina I passed 5 transports and was passed by only 2 pickups.

We decided to make a pit stop at Timmy's in Regina. We both had a hand in the adventure that resulted. Sal had taken the ignition key off of the key ring on day 1 as the dangling collection is annoying. I repeated the move day 2 and thought nothing more of it until we exited Timmy's and had the sudden realisation that the ignition key does not open the doors on a 2007 Subaru, either the separate door key or the fob are required. Sal came up with a coat hanger from a neighbouring hotel, the young manager at Timmy's had none but offered me a bungie cord. Timmy's continues to hire good people, he's obviously never tried to break into a car. I managed to pry open the window enough to slide the hanger in with a bracket from the straps on the bike rack. Tinted windows meant I had to have direction from Sal on the other side. I managed to grab the steering wheel and little else. Where are we going to find a locksmith at 8am on a Sunday I thought, along with a barrage of choice words that stayed right there in my head, mostly.

A young guy passed and said "bummer", but then offered the help that saved the day. He had just finished working for a towing company that could get the door open in minutes. We checked our location on Sal's phone and called. I was sure we would lose at least a few hours and $100. Fifteen minutes and $42 later we were back on the road. Whew. Needless to say our collection of keys dangled annoyingly for the next 7 hours.

The rest of the drive went smoothly. Traffic picked up marginally. The miles went by. We ate lunch on the move and made up the time lost playing with coat hangers. Texts with Mel kept the boys up to date with the ETA of the cookies.

As we made our was in to Alberta we began to notice prairie dogs. On our first trip out they were everywhere, most noticeable standing on the side of the road on their hind legs looking proudly out over the vastness of their domain. Recent years have seen very very few but a huge increase in hawks. There were hawks on every telephone pole and half the fence posts. Okay that's an exaggeration, but here were more hawks than prairie dogs as far as we could see. This year very few hawks, lots of prairie dogs but mostly of the roadkill variety. I would venture 1 live for every 15-20 dead.

A long drive will do funny things to your thinking, a second day with 10 plus hours in a tin box going 120kmph makes odd things hysterical. Bob the prairie dog carefully scans the sky, watchful for the winged death, the red tailed hawk. Bob has lost many friends and family to the talons of the hawks and he's not going out that way. Looks good, no hawks here, Bob takes a step and.......splat. Fun Fact. The top 3 predators of the black tailed prairie dog in Alberta are:
1. Goodyear
2. Continental
3. Michelin
Well maybe you had to be there, but it was hilarious halfway between Medicine Hat and Mike's house.

We arrived 45 minutes earlier than expected. For a few minutes, silence. Then as I made my way from the car I heard Cullen yell "Nanny and Papa are here" followed by Campbell "the cookies are here". We had all kinds of devious plays to make on how the cookies were forgotten, but finally seeing the 2 little faces made deception impossible.

Jess and AJ came for supper and we spent a quiet evening, well as quiet as it get around here.

Mission accomplished

Day 1, TBay to Brandon

On the road: 6:25am
First rain: 6:37am
Mileage: 963km

Not a lot to say about this day. The drive went by quickly until the perimeter highway around Winnipeg. Very slow going with traffic.

There were an over abundance of idiots on the road. Cutting in where there was nothing but room in a passing lane. Transports passing a line of cars against a double yellow line pulling in with little room. And then there was the guy that passed the pilot truck at a construction and went against the flow of traffic causing the empty flatbed in front of us to lock up and leave a nice patch of rubber. Or the guy who was entering the divided highway from the left, I was in the left lane to give a car on the right shoulder with flashers on room. So the genius crosses in front of me and goes into the right lane. Good thing I guessed right or I might have joined him there.

Lesson learned: never believe the reviews when the hotel is lower than most others. When you are greeted at your door by this you know you made the wrong call.

Last Chance

This will probably be my last chance to post before we leave on Saturday. I just looked at my OneOldWrider blog and it has been nearly a year since anything has been added there. That's odd for me, probably because I haven't been doing any long rides where I compose things in my head for later. Somehow I overdid it last June and riding has not been the same since. I'm riding but heading out for hours just hasn't had the appeal that it used to. Maybe a change of scenery will help get my butt on a bike and words flowing.

I got an email from the Ride to Conquer Cancer yesterday, which I haven't done since 2009, thanking me for my help raising $175 million in the 10 years they have held the event. $20 million this year alone. My $10,000 contribution seems so small now.

We arrive in Calgary on Father's Day. I'm looking forward to some time to think under the vast prairie sky, but mostly these two...

Vital Cargo:Prepped for Delivery

Counting the Sleeps

As departure approaches, the days start dragging. We're counting the number of sleeps now. Passing the evenings with House of Cards and Jays games.

The Impreza has been checked over with a brake job and starter replacement completed. I had the 'magic' tranny lube added again and it worked its magic one more time so I'm feeling much better about the drive, looking forward to it actually.

I promised myself I would take a ton of pictures, no matter what we're doing. Looking back to some of the shots from previous trips and working through the memories they invoke has been fun. Not as great as being there but not a bad way to spend a cold January evening.

For the better part of the spring I've been riding Lisbeth back and forth to work so I think she'll get the call to make the trip. Once I got used to the simple shifting and comfortable ride I've avoided the other girls.