Our Time in the Mountains

Wildlife was all around us as we drove into the Canadian Rockies.    This elk, with soft velvety antlers, was our first sighting.  A rule of thumb for driving through the mountains is whenever there is slow traffic, get your camera ready; there is something great to see ahead.  I did see a mama grizzly bear with her baby cub but by the time we were able to turn around to get a picture, she had gone over the bank and we were not about to chase her down for a photo opp!!  Along the trip we also saw buffalo/bison (plains and woodland), mule deer, big horn sheep, whiskey jacks, magpies, blood thirsty mosquitos, and the infamous, elusive white tail deer—for all you New Yorkers!



In downtown Jasper, Matthew met a friend he named “Bear.”  Matt was amazed at the size of his feet compared to Bear’s.



Here at Athabasca Falls, outside of Jasper, we were amused by one of the warning signs, which read:  “Every year, people die a swift death by falling into these falls.  If one survives the fall, hypothermia will set in, in less than 1 minute. We only recover bodies for mourning families, so please spare us the trouble of recovering your body.”  -- spoken with true Canadian directness! :)  Normally these Falls do not have this much water flowing through but because of the heavy snow fall and melting, along with rain, the Falls are full and overflowing!

As we drove further into the mountains, the temperature continued to drop and snow began to fall.  The temperature decreased to a frigid 33 degrees F (1 degree C) –just my kind of weather for JULY!!  Even though it was brisk and windy, the view was amazing and well worth the drive.

Lake Louise

If there had been digital pictures 18 years ago when Dave and I first got our picture taken at this very spot, I would do a side by side but instead you’ll just have to imagine snow on the ground and more hair on Dave’s head!  It was sweet to reminisce past visits to this beautiful spot of God’s creation.

This was not our best "timed" jump but still a fun picture at Lake Louise.



We didn't stay long here, despite the beautiful view.  It was freezing and we were not prepared for this kind of weather.  Sam was wrapped in a blanket and I was borrowing Grandma's coat.  Something was going to have to change in the wardrobe department for us to spend anymore time outside!

West Edmonton Mall - Water Park

On Wednesday, July 6th, we awakened with great anticipation.  This was West Edmonton Mall day!!!  For those not familiar with this awesome place, I will fill in some details for you.

West Edmonton Mall (WEM) is the largest shopping mall in North America.--  Yes, it is larger than Mall of America. --  WEM is the fifth largest mall in the world. It covers a gross area of about 570,000 m² (well over 6 million sq ft). There are over 800 stores and services and parking for more than 20,000 vehicles. More than 23,000 people are employed at the property. The mall receives 28.2 million visitors per year; it also attracts between 60,000 and 150,000 shoppers daily, depending on the day and season. ~ Wikipedia ~

We had lunch in the food court with this friendly fellow; who seems to be there every time we are so we have made it a habit to always visit with him while we eat our lunch.










Sam, once again, is having her favorite Canadian food, poutin (poo-teen).  This delicious snack is made of French fries, melted mozzarella cheese and smothered with hot gravy!  Yuuummmmyyyy!  It's the perfect kind of high calorie snack to eat before we burn them all off in the water park.

These wonderful water walkways are also in the food court.  Children and adults alike (aka: Dave) love to jump up and stick their hands in the water flow to spray those around them ---so tread carefully!

On this particular day, we were there to visit the World Waterpark, which is the world's largest indoor water park of roughly 30 acres.  It has a maximum capacity of 40,000 guests, an average temperature for the water of 30-33 °C (86-89 °F), and is the world's largest indoor wave pool holding 12.3 million litres.  There are 24 different water slides.  Some can be seen in this picture and the others are innerwoven throughout the park.  One can also bungee jump above the deep end of this pool.  I'm not one to do that though since I get sick to my stomach just watching people take the plunge! :)
 

This is the children's area, Caribbean Cove, where some adults like to play as well. On the top, behind the large blue gorilla, is a 1,200 litre bucket that dumps water down the front of the structure every 2 minutes.  Our kids were dumped on quite a few times

Our favorite part of the water park is the wave pool.  There is nothing like jumping towards a 5 foot wave coming towards you and seeing how far you can ride it before you are run over by fellow passengers and tubes!  You never know where, or with whom, you will turn up after the wave is gone! :)

Here's a "live- action" video of the enormously fun chaos!

Our Final Destination - Home

After driving 6,041 miles (9,666 km), we pulled into our driveway at 5:55 am this morning.  We left Shenandoah, IA, Friday morning around 7:30 AM and only made one stop for lunch, fuel, potty; one for dinner, fuel and potty; and 3 other potty breaks along the way rounding out our trip to 21 hours and 40 minutes.  That is a record time for us.

I will continue adding other events to this blog like our day mountain climbing, Montana and Iowa pics but for now I will give some totals for our journey.....drum roll, please!!!!

Final Straw count = 123

License plates: 
Out of  50 States, we saw 47.  
Out of 10 Provinces & 3 Territories, we saw 7 Provinces & 2 Territories

The states not seen by the Travelling Quigley's were Deleware, Hawaii and Rhode Island.  Yes, we did see Alaska---at a gas station in Montana.  They were pulling in while we were leaving and they saw us all point at their license plate and yell, "ALASKA"  They responded with a kind northern smile and wave, knowing they had made our day! :)  The provinces not seen were Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island;  The territory missing from our sight was Nunavut.  I guess we'll have none of that! :)

Total Miles Driven = 6041.3
Gallons of gas used = 282
Average Mileage = 21.4 miles per gallon (We had the infamous Bubble traveling with us.)
Average Speed = 56.2 mph (Our time in Chicago didn't help this number.)

Total Suitcases = 4 -- along with each child and mom having a "carry-on' for the van trip.
Loads of laundry done along the way = 10 and counting, now that we are unpacking! :)

To all those traveling along with us on this blog, thank you for joining us!  We had a wonderful, relaxing vacation with many awesome memories made along the way!  Hope you enjoyed the journey, we know we did!

PS  There are about 3 more blogs coming with pictures and stories for this last fun filled week.

Time At The Cabin - Sunset Pointe--Alberta Beach - July 2-7

   

One of Dave’s favorite places on the planet is this place, Alberta Beach –Mom and Dad’s cabin.  We stayed at some friend’s cabin just a few doors up from here but Grandma’s place was definitely the place to hang out.

Grandma keeps her flower beds so nicely manicured. Neighbors walk by throughout the day admiring the yard and hummingbirds visit frequently.

Dave relaxing in the front yard.

Matthew and cousin Isaiah playing with the bubble machine.  This and the sandbox occupied them for hours.

Isaiah and Matthew sitting on Grandma’s rock.  Say  “Cheese!”

Niece Megan and Emily dressed up for a “Super Hero” party.  Megan went as “Super Megan” and Emily dressed as “Rogue” from the X-men movie—notice the white streak in her hair! J

Dave and I enjoying the beauty of Sunset Pointe on Lac Ste Anne.   The sun would set around 11 PM and rise again between 3:30 – 4 AM.  This picture was taken at 10:55 PM, we continued to watch for another 20 minutes before the mosquitos ate us alive! J

All of us enjoying poutin!   (From Left to Right)  Nephew Isaiah, Auntie Esther, Sam, Auntie Daphne,  Nephew Ryan, Jon, Auntie Vange, Niece Megan, Emily, Rachel, Matthew)

Thumbs up’s verdict by Megan and Emily for cinnamon rolls and cream cheese frosting!

 

Auntie Esther, Isaiah and Sam munching down! J

Sweet Matthew and me—(Love, love this little man!)

Camp is always a blast!  A place filled with lots of memories, love and laughs!

Catching You All Up

So I’ve heard some rumblings from those still in the working world that there have not been any recent blogs and all I have to say is: “I’m vacat-ing!!!”  Yes, it’s my word for what I’m doing on vacation. J  --sleeping, swimming, water sliding, eating, mountain climbing, soaking in hot springs and visiting with great family & friends –all of which you will read about in the new blogs coming soon, but for now I will do some catching up for you.

To catch you all up, it is now Wednesday, July 13^th and we crossed back into the good old States, namely Montana on Sunday, the 10th.  When we made our first stop we were quickly reminded of small town America.  Where else can you pull up to one small building and get fuel, eat at Subway, gamble at the casino, visit the local tobacco outlet, and sit at the lunch counter  in the family restaurant ---all in the same small building!

In answering the question:  “What is a butter tart?”---I actually tried to answer this question last Sunday but my internet connection at the cabin was not allowing me to download to the blog so I couldn’t get it done but here’s the answer!

A butter tart is a Canadian pastry, similar to a pecan pie, but on a smaller scale.  It’s a pie shell with a diameter similar to a muffin and the “pie filling” consists of brown sugar, butter, egg, cinnamon, nutmeg, raisins and other ingredients.  It does not contain pecans, I just mentioned pecan pie to give you an idea of the consistency.  It is very sweet and Dave loves them!  When he saw the blog question, he took a picture of one before he devoured it just so you could see one for yourself.

More Catch Up:

            Miles driven:  3727 miles (as of 7/11)

            Straw count:  118

Cheapest gas price for the day: $3.58 – small town Montana

            State count: 40

            Province & Territories: 4

The Wonderful Omnipresence

This being Sunday, my thoughts wander to my home of Asbury; thinking of those I love and praying for their time together as a family.  We also enjoyed the wonderful presence of God today. 

Family camp is going on this week in Alberta Beach.  Dave loves coming here because so many memories were made here for him.  Many weeks of his summers growing up were spent in his family’s cabin surrounded by good friends.  Riding bikes through the camp ground with his comrades, devouring chips and gravy at the snack bar, and playing Rook into the early hours of the morning were all parts of these memory-making moments.  But for me, the most significant are those spiritual milestones that have helped grow him into the man I love.

This morning as we were in the chapel together, my mind tried to imagine him as a younger man and the many speakers he would have heard, the songs that would have touched his heart and the times he had spent around the altar listening to the voice of God.  I was not here to witness those moments myself but I know they existed from the stories Dave has shared with me.  They are not my stories to tell but I am thankful for the faithfulness of God and how He shapes us through time and circumstance.

As my mind wandered through time, I was brought back to the present and reflected on how important and significant even today is.  Dave commented at the beginning of the service, “Wow, I’m actually sitting next to my wife! Do you know how long it has been since we sat together in a church service?”  I replied, “Sure, honey, it was last week…for about 2 minutes during announcements!” J  That’s just one of the prices you pay with being in the ministry and it’s one I am willing to pay.  However, it did trigger thoughts in my mind. 

During the worship service, we sang the chorus, Your Grace is Enough, by Chris Tomlin. 

Great is Your faithfulness oh God
You wrestle with the sinner's heart
You lead us by still waters and to mercy
And nothing can keep us apart

So remember Your people
Remember Your children
Remember Your promise
Oh God

Your grace is enough
Your grace is enough
Your grace is enough for me

My mind focused in on the words: “Remember Your people, Remember Your children, Remember Your promise, O God.”  And I thought of “Your people”…..These people…all standing around me who don’t know me, but their lives intertwine with mine because we share a common place in the heart of God.  We are all experiencing His Presence as He visits us here in His sanctuary.  Then again my thoughts wander to how many times my husband has experienced His presence in this sanctuary and where, even now, my own children are experiencing this same Presence at the same campground as their Dad. 

He remembers His people, He remembers His children and He remembers His promise to us.  He is faithful to a thousand generations of those who seek Him and love Him. (Deut. 7:9).

We Are Finally Out of the Van

We arrived around 3:30 pm on June 30^th.  Grandma and neice Megan and nephew Ryan were there to greet the van-bound travellers.  In reality, the trip wasn’t as bad as I had imagined it was going to be.  Sometimes it’s nice to be stuck in a closed-in area with those you love.  Our only regret at this point is that we didn’t bring 2 audio books for the trip. 

On long road trips, we try and pick audio books to share together.  During past trips we have done Boxcar Children,  The Hobbit, Huckleberry Finn, and others.  This time we chose Moon Over Manifest, by Clare Vanderpool.  We weren’t sure how it was going to be but it was a Newbery Award Winner so it had great potential. And that’s why we should have brought along 2 books. 

This one was so well written, charming and captivating that we finished it on this side of the trip so we have nothing to listen to on the way home…unless of course, we decide to “read” it again, which all good books should be! J

Last night, we enjoyed a great dinner with the family and today we are celebrating Canada Day with pony rides, cook-outs and topping the evening off with fireworks!  Happy Birthday, Canada!

Tomorrow we leave for the cabin with more relaxing to come!  Thank you to all those praying for our safe arrival!  We have made it!  We pray you all have a wonderful and blessed weekend!

Dad Makes Up for the Night Spent in the Van

We rolled into Saskatoon, Saskachewan around 1 pm on Wednesday.  Dave began the hotel availability check for the night.  He came back with one of those looks.  What???? Are there no rooms at the inn???  He replies, “No, they have rooms just no pool.”  --What a good man! 

The next hotel won the big prize!  Awesome pool area, hot tub and fantastic water slide!  We spent a few hours splashing around and judging between who could make the biggest splash coming out the slide. The life guard even let us do shoulder stand throws!!! (One more way you know you’re not in over- regulated New York.)

 Matthew and Dad kicking around in the pool.

The awesome waterslide!!!  aka:  The Swirling Blackhole!

Even Matthew took a turn on the big swirly slide!!!  Of course, Dad was holding him the whole time! :)

All smiles and beginning to "prune up"!!!

After we were all “prune-like”, we went back to the room while Dave, the hunter-provider, drove somewhere to bring back food for the starving.  All the kids were enjoying the Discovery Channel’s River Monster’s  when we realized Dave had been gone quite a while…longer then he should have been. 

 Well, those who know me well know what’s next….

…He’s dead in the ditch somewhere and I’m in Canada with 4 hungry children armed with only Doritoes, one MooTube and 3 cheese sticks to sustain us! J

He left around 4:30 so I was giving him until 6:30 pm before I went to the front desk to report a missing person.  He was lucky he came back at 6:15 with pizza and pasta in hand!  (Can you believe a 2-liter of soda costs $3 bucks!)

For those wondering, like me, where he was----His exact quote once inside the room was: “This city has terrible traffic patterns! In rush hour, it seems as though a green light is equivalent to a 4-way stop.”

Once again, Dave and the 3 “older’s”, as we call them, went back to the water extravaganza while Matt and I let our heads hit the pillow at 7:30 pm, not to rise until 7:30 am.  Aaaahhh!

Breakfast found us hungry.  The continental breakfast in the hotel was delicious with waffles, muffins, cereal and butter tarts.  That’s right.  You read correctly, butter tarts for breakfast.  I commented how I wished I had brought the camera to take a picture of Dave’s smile while eating his butter tart and Jon says, “That’s ok, mom, I can take a picture in my mind! -- CLICK! -- Oops, my thumb was in the way!” J  What a funny boy! 

You Know You're in Canada When...

You Know You’re in Canada When….

…a gallon of milk costs $5.69

…people say “Good Morning” and mean it. J

...peanut butter packets are placed on the restaurant table right along with the jellies.
...you can eat butter tarts for breakfast.
…“Moose on the Loose” signs are posted along the highway.
...towns are named “Cut Knife”, “Moose Jaw”, and “Assinaboine” --Don’t ask me what that means but it's fun to say! :)