Week Ten of Summer Vacation

Well, it is official..... Week ten is only half a week of summer vacation with school retuning on Thursday!

Wow....


The beginning of the week saw us visiting our eye doctor for the all important check up. Interestingly this has led to the most handsome development of the summer! It turns out that CubJ is in need of some glasses for seeing distances. Not at all surprising considering that everyone in my family has some sort of corrective lenses. Also not surprising is that CubJ looks quite nice in glasses (much like his cousins!) and is enjoying how bright/clear the world is looking to him. It is funny how you have no idea how your vision has changed until they show you option 1 & 2, A & B and you realize how much you have been missing. Here is our handsome and much older looking CubJ with his new specks:

The all seeing CubJ

Tuesday saw us enjoying a picnic and park time with one of CubJ’s friends. Conveniently, the boys will be in the same class this year so it was a great way to get them ready for the school year. The weather was outstanding. Sunny, a light breeze and just right hot. All three kids ran, jumped, climbed, swung and walkie-talkied to their hearts content. What a great way to spend a day.

Playing at the park

Wednesday we were doing a bit of last minute running around before school started. The kids got in a little bit of time enjoying the sunshine and +30 weather. While no one enjoyed the prosect of it being the last day of summer vacation or the reality of another school year, the best was made of the day.

It has been an excellent summer. I can not believe how quickly 9 ½ weeks has gone. We have enjoyed so many adventures, such wonderful time with our friends and family and made memories I hope will last a lifetime. We are inspired to keep traveling around North America, enjoying all of the sights and lovely weather we can in our summers. Who knows, maybe this year’s campfire talk will come to fruition just like last years? Thank you SparkJ, CubJ and DaddyJ for all of the fun we have had together. I love you all and look forward to many school year adventures along the path to next summer.
So it begins! May I present to you our First Grader SparkJ and Fourth Grader CubJ. They look forward to a year of learning to read in French and starting Spanish respectively. Here hoping for a wonderful year for both.

Thank you, to all of you who have been keeping up with our summer with these weekly instalments. We hope your summer has/continues to be a wonderful time filled with laughter, adventure and wonderful memories for all of you.

Best Wishes for a fantastic fall,

MommyJ

Week Nine of Summer Vacation

Week Nine of summer vacation was spent with both CubJ and SparkJ in swimming lessons.

CubJ did not initially take to swimming lessons when he was a small boy. He did not enjoy learning to swim. It was incredibly hard for me to relate to his trepidation at being in the water without me. I grew up with a pool in the back yard, doing synchronized swimming and loving my lessons. For me, I could not relate to not loving the water, not wanting to be in it swimming and fooling around. The only time I do not enjoy being in the water is when it is murky, there are leaches or anything creepy like that. Since I feel that swimming is a life skill, we have kept on with the lessons. Each year things have improved, he has learned to enjoy the water, and bit by bit is starting to see the joy in being in the water. Thank goodness! Well, this year, he was a fish! He loved the lessons, can tread water for what seems like hours and enjoys the act of swimming, which made for a very pleasant week for him. His hard work and perseverance was rewarded with his silver "Swim to Survive" pin. Congratulations CubJ!

SparkJ is still working to find her inner swimmer. While she loves being in the ocean, was able to snorkel with us in Cayman, the pool still seems to put her off a bit. In the end, she did well, worked hard and seemed to enjoy her week of lessons. Most surprisingly she was able to overcome he fear and jump into the dive tank! Yeah SparkJ! I now hold out hope that she will learn to love the pool as he big brother has.

Ahh, the cool weather and the smoke!

With some odd weather including cold rain, heavy smoke and then few nice hot days, it was a low key week. We enjoying playing at a two different parks, a trip to Bragg Creek for ice cream and some delightful lunches. It was a nice relaxing way to spend our last full week before summer vacation is over.

Completing the ice cream trinity of Lic's, MacKay's and Bragg Creek!

Finally, a nice HOT day!

As with each week, Saturday morning was spent at Cricket practice. The kids all received their 2010 shirts, my favourite part is the back with all of the action characters. Sadly, there is only one more week of cricket left for the season. It has been a great year where CubJ’s skill has improved greatly, he has enjoyed his time there and will end the season feeling positively about returning next year!

A summer relived through CubJ's T-Shirts

We hope that you to have enjoyed a lovely week and that this post finds you all well. May you enjoy the last of your summer ...

Best Wishes,

MommyJ

Week Eight of Summer Vacation

Well, week Eight’s original plan had included a trip to BC, or so we hoped. However, things happened and the plan changed. Momentarily disappointing, until the other door that always opens did. The exciting news is that through that door was a trip to Jasper.

Sunday we checked out a new park. It was perfectly fine, except for the mosquito infestation. We attribute this to the longer grass on the soccer pitch and water pooling in some tire play equipment. After about half an hour of playing, it was time to throw in the towel and try a different park. All in all a good time was had by all.

It seems that every year I say “We should really go to Jasper” and despite the best of intentions, we never make it. Well, this year no more! With our plans for BC postponed and four days free, what more was I waiting for? Armed with a forecast of intermittent rain and a KOA Kozy Kabin list, our plans were quickly made. I would have liked to have done some actual tenting with the kids this trip, as we have loved tenting in previous summers but rain and tents are not my favourite mix. Especially, when I remembered last year’s rain/thunder/lightening/gusting wind 8 hour storm in Peter Lougheed Provincial Park! Let alone how terrified the kids were in the tent! Then, I am all good with our cushy camping. With that in mind we were off to Jasper and an new KOA (for us) just outside of Hinton, 15 minutes outside of the park gates. Think of it as Canmore is to Banff.

We hit the road late in the morning on Monday and made it all the way to Canmore before I was tag teamed by the backseat occupants begging to stop for lunch at the Grizzly Paw. Who can resist the siblings who work together? So 45 minutes into the trip we made our first stop for a delightful lunch. What a great was to start our trip!

Back on the road we passed Banff, Lake Louise and took the spectacular Ice Fields Parkway. Yet another Alberta World Heritage Site! I find it shocking to see the vastness and sheer number of glaciers that we have here. It amazes me every time to know that the runoff from these glaciers will eventually reach the Pacific, Arctic and Atlantic oceans! After all, it is 2000km just to get to the geographic center of the country, Thunder Bay. It was unsettling to see how much the glaciers have shrunk in the 15 years since I was last went that way. It really helps drive home the message that global warming is not just a “theory”, it is happening right in our backyard and we all need to do our part. (We will try to offset all of those Asian, European, and North American flights we have been taking in those 15 years with some serious recycling and water conservation!)

The kids seemed to find seeing all of the glaciers interesting. It was not until we were at Athabasca Falls and they saw the awesome volume of water from one glacier and a map of where all the water goes that it sunk in for them. Despite a light rain, the falls were wonderful. It is so mesmerizing to see the sheer power that water has to shape everything around it, the way it creates the ‘pot holes’, cervices, canyons and white water rapids of these falls. The walkway system surrounding the falls allows you to see them from several different perspectives truly capturing their beauty and power. One can definitely understand why these fall falls have been favourite of travelers since the days of the fur trade.

Athabasca Falls

We enjoyed a brief stop in town for a nice walk around, a quick stop at the candy store and to grab some area information from the park office. After that we were off to our Kozy Kabin for the night. The Jasper/Hinton KOA is located in a flat valley looking out towards the mountains. One can clearly see Roche Miette with its prone profile head like shape from the campground. Luckily for us, from our Kabin we had an uninterrupted view to the mountains.

Roche Miette a stock photo, no I am not that talented!

As our third KOA, we were very happy. The Kabin was as we expected with the added bonus of a small fridge and tiny tv. There is a large cooking shelter complete with stove tops and sinks, and a large fire pit. I have forgotten how strictly fire is controlled in Jasper and the surrounding area. This means that when you are camping you require a fire permit or that there are only communal fire pits. In our case the well sheltered fire pavilion was perfect for enjoying a fire while playing cards, chatting with other people and sipping hot chocolate while it rained in the evenings. Most interestingly, at least 30% of the people in the campground were French speakers. CubJ and SparkJ even had the opportunity to use their French while playing with 3 boys from Quebec!

Jasper/Hinton KOA

Tuesday we were off to Maligne Lake. I was excited to take the kids to see what I feel is one of the most beautiful lakes in Canada. We enjoyed a wonderful boat tour of the lake and Spirit Island. The kids took the opportunity to dip their feet in the glacially cold water while throwing rocks. I had forgotten just how cold this lake is even on a hot summer day!

Maligne Lake Boat Tour

Wednesday, we were off to Pyramid Lake. Again we enjoyed a short walk, throwing rocks and braving the cold water. It was a lovely way to spend a few hours after a quick snack at the Jasper Brewing Company, a kindred spirit to our favourite the Grizzly Paw. Once we had had our fill of the lake we were off the Miette Hot Springs. The park’s road sign for the hot springs makes it look like a large pot of hot water with people in it. We now fondly refer to the springs the “People Stew” spot. The kids loved the hot springs! The two cold pools we an absolute riot of laughter from all three of us as we tried to brave the 17c and 22c temperatures. Who knew that one could so clearly feel the difference of 3c between water, and that 17c in water is darn cold while 17c in the air temperature is quite pleasant!

Pyramid Lake

Jasper Brewing Company, Vanilla Blueberry Ale

Thursday we headed back to home with three stops along the way. Our first stop was for lunch and some treats in Jasper. Secondly, we stopped at the midpoint of the Ice Fields Parkway at the Columbia Ice Fields interpretive centre. (ack, I am old, I stop at interpretive centres to ensure that the kids learn important things! Next I will be stopping that those historic point of interest areas just off the highway! Y I K E S) We all enjoyed the models of the glaciers they have on display, we read a few things and generally enjoyed the pit stop. Our final stop on the way home was at Laggan’s Bakery in Lake Louise for an amazing snack of sausage rolls, beef patties, cookies and heavenly macaroons. We highly recommend a pit stop at this bakery.

Our trip to Jasper was fantastic, relaxing and scenic . DaddyJ reports glowing reviews of our time, the kids look forward to taking him with us next time and there are already request for a return to Jasper soon. It is such a different experience from going to Banff; the mountains are more rugged, the town site less commercial, and the atmosphere so laid back. I have no idea why we do not get here more regularly.

The week finished off with another very pleasant cricket practice for CubJ while I got in some extra snuggles from SparkJ. While summer vacation will be over far too soon, we have certainly enjoyed so many great experiences summer. It amazes me how many wonderful things there are to see and do in our own backyard!

We hope that you have had a wonderful week and are enjoying your summer!

Best Wishes Always,

MommyJ

Week Seven of Summer Vaction ~ Yellowstone, Glacier & Waterton National Parks

Week Seven began with a yummy breakfast at a little cafe in town. After that we were off to the pool at the KOA. An hour of swimming, dunking, and some nice hot showers had us all ready to tackle the Upper Loop of Yellowstone National Park.

The Upper Loop has as equally spectacular sites to be seen. We began the loop by starting at the Canyon. They refer to it at the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone, and let us tell you it was GRAND. The pictures taken and created of this canyon are a large part of what led to the creation of the first national park in the USA. We walked the ½ mile down to the look out point at the top of the lower falls which was well worth regaining the 600ft of elevation on way back up. SparkJ led the charge up the hill at a very brisk pace. DaddyJ and I had to work hard to keep up with our little power house. It is amazing what the known reward of ice cream can do for generating good will, a lack of whining and a brisk pace for a 5 year old!

Checking out the interpretive centre

The Grand Canyon of Yellowstone

After the canyon, we were off to Mammoth Hot Springs. This is a lovely stop on the loop as there is a mini-town. We enjoyed watching people get far too close to some young elk while we enjoyed the promised ice cream. The hot springs at this section of the park are quite large and different from the pools we saw in the lower loop as they are terraced. These are larger hot springs which bubble to the surface creating fantastical shapes with the elements they bring to the surface. One of the neatest is a large extinct formation called the Liberty Cap which is strangely reminiscent of an Easter Island statue, or a rock from Stonehenge. The colours and textures of the terraces are vivid.

Yes Mom, we did stop to see the Petrified Tree!

Mammoth Hot Springs Terrace

We finished the day touring the rest of the loop, enjoying the Obsidian Cliffs, varied scenery and magnificence of the park. When we asked the kids if the long drive was worth it, they both responded quickly ans resoundingly with a yes. Pleasantly, they even said that they would like to come back next year. In the end, all 4J’s say that if you have the chance, take in Yellowstone National Park, it is the definition of natures’ awesomeness.

On Monday afternoon, we hit the road for Glacier Nation Park. It is approximately 600km between the parks. Again the scenery was lovely, the roads in good condition for driving 75mph, except in a few construction zones where people we actually working and the drive uneventful. We did make a quick stop at Target in Missoula for some treats for the kids and snack. Everyone enjoyed the chance to peruse one of our favourite fun and functional stores. CubJ picked up a learn to play the harmonica kit with the money he had earned for the trip. It turns out that those music lessons at school really have sunk in, he was able to read the music and kept us entertained for the rest of the drive.

Just prior to arriving in West Glacier, we all enjoyed driving around Flathead Lake. DaddyJ, the lake lover, was particularly happy to watch the water and road while I enjoyed all of the cherry orchards. In the background, SparkJ was happily playing with her newest Littlest Pet Shop addition to the rather pleasant harmonica music. Hard to beat that for a happy drive

It was wonderful to return to the same campground as last year and to have the same cabin. The kids were quickly off to the park for some playing while we got organised for dinner and a fire. Tuesday morning, we were in to Hungry Horse, for some delicious huckleberry pancakes at the Huckleberry Patch. It is always to satisfying to eat simple food, prepared with love and quality ingredients. All four of us left with full bellies and happy hearts. (Despite some time spent looking for a red tiddlywink on a reddish brown floor, LOL)

We made our way into the park and went directly to Lake MacDonald to skip some stones. While skipping, I happened to mention to DaddyJ that I thought CubJ might enjoy going out in boat with him after his big canoe adventure at camp. Well, that led to discussing the powered boats, 9.9hp metal boats for rent. For those of you who know DaddyJ, you know that he is not a man prone to giddiness, well he was full scale GIDDY this day! Watching his joy at being out on the water was infectious. He taught CubJ how to steer the boat, the dangers of swamping it, and how to navigate to your destination. You can really tell that his whole life before coming out west was spent on the water, enjoying the water, thinking about the lakes etc. I think it could be one of the happiest times on the whole trip! Our great adventure on the water led to lunch and a visit to cool gift shop with the trees growing through it. It was a lovely visit to Apgar, the memories of the day will live with me forever.

We spent the rest of the day relaxing at the campground pool, playground and ice cream parlor. Our time in Glacier was so relaxing. The most difficult thing we attempted was to play go fish in the wind while our camp fire kept us toasty. It was the ideal way to unwind before our vacation came to an end.

On our way home we went through Waterton National Park as we traveled up the Cowboy Trail home. It was nice to be back home and look at all of our pictures from the trip. Everyone enjoyed the trip but each have different favourite parts. For SparkJ, it was the paint pots, for CubJ Old Faithful, for DaddyJ, the boat ride and for me, having seen our plan from last years camp fire chat come to fruition! Thanks for a great trip family and here’s looking forward to many more

The trip on the Going to the Sun Road and St Mary's Lake

The last days of the week were spent with DaddyJ and I busy with our chores as the kids enjoyed the comforts of home. We managed to play at the playground, enjoy cricket practice and enjoy being together.

We hope that this post finds you all well and enjoying your own summer!

Best Wishes Always,

MommyJ

Week Six ~A Geothermal hot spot!

Week Six began with 2CousC’s first birthday party. CubJ loved that UncleJ let him light the sterno for the buffet chafing dishes! SparkJ was ecstatic to see 2CousM again so soon. Thank you for inviting us R-Q’s.

After a flying tea due to a nose bleed, the middle part of the week was spend cleaning the house. Some people spring clean, well, we the 4J’s do summer cleaning LOL. This even lead to a massive team cleaning of the playroom, no small task. In the end, despite all of the work, it was well worth it as it helped us get ready for our end of the week adventure.

Friday we were off on our great adventure to Yellowstone National Park, which we started planning in Glacier National Park last summer! We began the trip with a drive short of 700km to Helena, Montana. We got caught at the border in long-weekend traffic for about 30 minutes. Despite the length of time, we were all entertained by the trucks around us and some funny tricks to pass the time as the line inches along one car at a time. Thankfully, the staff at the Coutts border crossing are always very pleasant and relatively efficient.

We rolled into our hotel after a quick dinner at IHOP. As Fairfield Inns go, the one in Helena is nicely decorated, new, clean, and easy to find. The buffet breakfast staff are fantastic, while the desk staff will leave us with many things to joke and laugh about! For a mid-point rest station, this place did the trick perfectly. We would recommend it to anyone passing through so long as you have a good sense of humour about cultural differences when checking in.

Saturday morning we were up and off to West Yellowstone, approximately 350km away. The drive is lovely,as it takes you through Montana and Idaho while the scenery constantly changes. Conveniently, with all of the terrain changes we did not get board along the way.

Driving from Helena to West Yellowstone

When we arrived in West Yellowstone, we headed to our Kozy Kabin at the KOA. This is a huge KOA! There is an indoor pool, crazy bikes to rent, a Koffee Kabin for espresso drinks and ice cream, mini-golf, a playground, and a cooking pavilion complete with cook tops, sinks with hot water, lots of lighting and plug ins! This is camping at its cushiest without being in a 400k motor home.

After check in we were into the town of West Glacier for lunch. We ate a nice little place called the Old Town Cafe. DaddyJ and I have fantastic bison burgers. They were juicy, flavourful and just the right size. The kids menu has of the usual choices. For a cute and tasty lunch, the Old Town Cafe was great stop.

Then we were off to the main attraction, the Lower Loop of Yellowstone. This part of the loop includes that majority of the parks thermal hot spots we most wanted to see, and they certainly did not disappoint! We saw the Artist’s Paint Pots, Old Faithful, and the Geyser Basins. The sights were amazing! The variation in the colours that result from the depths of the pools, the composition of the waters and the bacteria made each one different. Some of the pools like the Abyss, we so mesmerizing that you could truly lose track of time staring into it. Some of the thermal pools were so deep that you felt sure they really must reach all the way to the earth’s core. Fantastically, the kids loved seeing all of the thermal hot spots from the bubbling pools or mud, giant pools of acidic bacteria laden water to the mini volcano cones being created. After the first stop, we knew that the drive had been worth it without a doubt.

The beautiful scenery in Yellowstone

Fountain Paint Pots

Fountain Paint Pots Continued

Old Faithful

Geyser Basins

DaddyJ's happiness at being near a lake, Yellowstone Lake

Dinner at the Fishing Village and then seeing our dinner of the drive to our Kabin!

Given the two rounds of epic rain that might made one consider building an Arc, we were very thankful not to be in our tent as fun as it is. The kids love the bunk beds in the Kozy Kabins and are always sure to angle for the first night on the top bunk! We enjoy the porch swing, the fire pits and the guarantee of being dry despite the weather. The last things the kids said to our Kozy Kabin after our two nights there was that they hoped to see it again soon! Seems like a ringing endorsement to us.

We hope that this post finds you all well and enjoying your own summer vacation. Check back for a new post next week about the rest of our trip to Yellowstone and Glacier National Parks in the Week Seven recap!

Best Wishes Always,

MommyJ