Well, summer keeps rolling on. Since the trip, we've gone to Capital Ex (a.k.a Klondike Days, a.k.a. the fair), a couple of movies and just plumb kicked around.
Sonia and I went to the Ex and had way more fun then anyone else we've talked to. B-L, Trevor and kids went to the fair on Saturday. It was sticky hot, the kids were tired and cranky and so was their mother. All of them said afterwards they didn't have that great a time. Jamie went with friends, as per usual. He didn't get to go until 6:00 p.m. because his friends were late and then he made it on three or four rides and his friends were ready to leave. He was very bitter that he used his $35 all-day pass for that.
Sonia and I went on Sunday. We arrived 10 minutes after the gate opened at noon. We went on all the rides we wanted for the next two hours. We met Sonia's mum at 2:00 and we walked through the pavilions and ate lunch. We went to this amazing acrobat show at 5:00 then walked through the Dream Home and bought tickets. We went to a 50s style show called "Greased Lightening", had a corn dog, went to Blues Brothers Revival that was very cool. Sonia's mum left then (9:00). Sonia and I went on our three favourite rides again. We went on the little train that runs through the park. We walked through the Dream Home one last time and then we left at 10:10. It was fun all the way around and we felt like we did everything we could want to.
I've been trying to get my landscaping and decks done this summer. It has been altogether frustrating. I tried through the month of June to find someone who had someone to recommend. I didn't want to cold call contractors (See bitter, unhappy time getting new windows!) I asked people at work, people at church. Sonia asked people at her work. Eventually, I got a name. I called him, waited two days for a call back and was told he only worked on new construction and was not the guy for me. In the last week of June, I started cold calling. I talked to one guy who sounded perfect. He came out the first week of July and spent almost an hour looking over the job, measuring and planning. He told me it would take a few days to put together the estimate but I should hear from him in a week or so. After ten days, I called him. He said he had been too busy to put together an estimate. He told me that because he makes detailed estimates, he needs a day that he can run around and get real numbers on the materials he would need. He said this could take him up to three weeks (This is only for the estimate!) It has now been three weeks since he first came to the house with, guess what, no estimate. I've lost a month of the summer and I still have no one committed to this job.
I started the cold calls again this week in desperate hope of finding someone who could do the job before the snow flies (my basement can't take another spring run-off flood!) I left three messages on answering machines which no one has returned. I talked to one company and was told they were swamped and wouldn't consider taking on another job. I had one company who said they would give my name to their lady who books estimates and she would call me. It has been two and a half working days and the whole weekend since then with no word from the booking lady. I think I'm screwed on this. I have a very hefty chunk of money just sitting in my bank with no one is this whole freaking city willing to earn it. I don't know what I'm going to do anymore.
On better news, I did find a boarding kennel that will take Destiny while the family is in Florida. I booked her in and then Sonia and I drove out to look it over. It is quite nice and I think she will be well-cared for. Best of all, it is very cheap! $12/day. Way less then I had expected. I had to take her to the vet today because she needed an extra immunization against something commonly called "Kennel Cough". It is some sort of respiratory thing going around and the kennel won't take her without the shot. Colby and I had a date today so he came with me which he enjoyed. We then went for a nice walk in the dog park, went out for dinner and saw "Meet the Robinsons". A decent movie, interesting but not roll on the floor funny.
Tomorrow, I get my hair done (I need it so very, very badly!)
Monday, July 30, 2007
Friday, July 27, 2007
Day 3 - Our final day!
Day three started a bit rocky. We all slept in the largest tipi but the little door flap doesn't actually close so the mosquitos joined us. We had all sprayed down before we went to bed but by 5 a.m. the mosquitos were winning. We were all tossing and turning but it was Paul who suffered the worst of it. He started calling out in his sleep and then he would hit himself in the head and turn over only to start hollering again. By 5:30, Sonia got up and sprayed him in the face with bug spray because the kid was just clobbering himself in his sleep. By 5:45, Karl and Daniel gave up trying to sleep because Paul was being so loud. They actually sat up in their sleeping bags and started chatting. Because we are in Canada in July, by 5:30 it was light enough for them to see each other and for me to see them talking. I made them lay back down but we listened to Paul have conversations with himself until 6:30 when he finally quieted down. Needless to say, we all slept in. Poor Paul woke up with at least 25 mosquito bites on his forehead and the rest of us were not moving too quickly. 
We ate breakfast, packed up the car, drove to Lacombe, filled the car with gas, bought bottles of water and then handed out the first clue. Clues that were supposed to be passed out at 9:00 weren't in the kids' hands until 9:40.
Clue #1 - "Take a Hike. Drive to the village of Donalda. Find the world's largest lamp. Starting at the old train station on the left, follow the gravel trail to the white No Trespassing sign. Once both team members have touched the sign and returned to the train station you will receive your next clue." Turns out Donalda is closer to Blackfalds then we had really thought it would be. Both teams found it easily on the map, gave identical directions and arrived within seconds of each other at the lamp. We pulled up first but Cameron and Daniel waited for the other guys to join up so they could walk together. None of the boys read the clue very carefully so it took them a minute or two to figure out exactly where the trail was but eventually they worked it out and they started walking. The path is groomed and has a thick layer of gravel. It has been cleared for a local group who plans to start offering wagon rides on it but it isn't being used yet so it was just us out there. The boys walked together to begin with but after about 15 minutes Cameron started falling just a smidge behind. They walked for about twenty minutes when Daniel veered off the path. Karl, who was leading the group with Paul, noticed him go and asked where Daniel was going. "To touch the sign," Daniel replied. Paul and Karl had to turn around and head back to the sign they had cruised past. By the time the boys turned to walk back Cameron had had enough. He was hot, the rocks were bothering his feet and the bugs kept buzzing around him. He actually broke down shortly after turning around saying, "I hate this task. I've been bitten by wasps like six times by now." The problem was any time an insect flew by him, he'd throw his hands in the air and wave them around. Often this would mean his hand would connect with the poor thing and Cameron interpreted the bump as a bite. He was in tears of frustration. Daniel tried his best to encourage his brother all the while watching the other team get further and further ahead.
Clue #2 - "Yer' Ugly Mug. Find the Viking Troll Park in the town of Viking. In the park, you must find the specific troll pictured below. " Paul and Karl had a five minute headstart but my guys were just happy to be back in the car and leaving the hiking place. Eventually, we saw Sonia's car pull off the highway ahead of us and stop at a gas station. We pulled ahead but when we got to Viking we needed a gas station stop as well so any lead we may have gained was lost. We left the gas station and drove through the town of Viking hunting for this park. Fortunately, the town is tiny as we had no idea where we were going and we drove through a lot of the place. Eventually, we saw a visitor's centre and decided to stop to see if we could get help. We drove past Sonia's parked car, parked and Cameron and Daniel looked around the buildings for a while looking for information as to where this park could possible be. Suddenly, Paul and Karl were there asking them if they had finished the task yet. Cameron and Daniel announced that they still hadn't found the park and the other boy's were nice enough to point it out on the other side of the parking lot! The hunt for the exact troll was on and the boys found it very quickly. The managed to complete the task only four minutes after Karl and Paul. Apparently, Paul and Karl had found the park almost immediately after arriving in town but they took longer finding the right troll.
At this point Sonia and I knew the tasks for the day were moving along much too quickly. It was just after one o'clock and we'd already completed two of our tasks. The next task took us back into Edmonton which was less then an hour away. We had told everyone to meet us at the finish line at 5:00. We needed to stall. We called a time out in the race and made the kids go to a sit-down restaurant with us. They resisted at first but when we made it clear the break wouldn't effect the outcome of the race, the plan was accepted. We were served by the rudest waitress on the planet. She took forever to come serve us. She got our drink order, left three menus for the six of us and disappeared for at least fifteen minutes. She eventually came back with our drinks and then told us, "Hurry up and order. I was supposed to be off 20 minutes ago!" We did get our meals and we enjoyed eating lunch together. After using almost an hour and a half of time, we had to get back to the race.
Clue #3 - "Go Jump in a Lake or Up a Creek ... Find the paddle boats in Rundle Park back in Edmonton. Rent a paddle boat and paddle once around the island in the lake." It was an easy drive up a major highway to get back into Edmonton from Viking. The kids had to go back to their Edmonton maps and try to figure out how to get to Rundle Park. As we approached the city, we asked for directions and were floored to get the craziest directions we'd ever heard. The directions given in both cars would eventually get us where we wanted to go but they didn't even resemble a good way to get there. Eventually, in our separate cars, both Sonia and I insisted on looking at the map. After a quick glance, we discovered that the most direct route wasn't even on the map. We both offered some guidance to fill in where the map had failed us. Paul and Karl had maintained their lead and got to Rundle Park first. When Cameron and Daniel got to the boats, Paul and Karl were about a quarter of the way around the island. The boys quickly paid for the ride, got on their lifejackets and were launched in the water. Paul and Karl saw the boys getting in the boat and started paddling like crazy. The made excellent time and received their next clue just as the other team had made it half-way around the island. Soon Cameron and Daniel made it back to shore and they too got their final clue.
Clue #4 - "Pit Stop. For your final pit stop, you must travel by foot to the Buffalo Wallows playground in Gold Bar Park (see maps provided)." The kids had to find a long footbridge that crosses the river and goes from Rundle to Gold Bar. The maps were from the city but they were still not the clearest of all maps. Paul saw where they were heading and immediately knew where to go. Cameron and Daniel, on the other hand, were confused. We had a hard time finding the bridge so the gap between the two teams widened. Paul and Karl made it to Gold Bar park but instead of the large finish line we had planned only John was there to greet them. Our host, Colby and my mum were lost and we had arrived before they did. Soon Cameron and Daniel arrived, coming in second, but there was still no sign of our host. Karl's mom and aunt made it to the finish line and then we watied. We got to share some stories and the boys debated the merits of different superheros and John got on the cell phone and talked Mum into the park.
When Mum and Colby arrived, they set up the real finish line and had the kids come in order so they could stand on the mat and really signal the end of our adventure. Our host did a fabulous job as he put leis on each boy as they stepped on the mat. He told Karl and Paul that they were the first team to arrive and gave them little gold trophies with their names in stickers on them as well as their gift certificates of $50 each to EB Games. He then told Cameron and Daniel they were the second team to arrive. He gave them their silver trophies and $20 gift certificates to EB Games. The boys were surprised and thrilled to receive this certificates as no one had ever mentioned a second prize.
After our awards ceremony we went to a picnic site and Mum fed us sandwiches, pop and fruit. Everyone talked about all the favourite tasks and some of the funny things that happened along the way. It was truly an amazing race and we had a fabulous time. We were exhausted and getting a touch cranky but we built some fantastice memories.
We ate breakfast, packed up the car, drove to Lacombe, filled the car with gas, bought bottles of water and then handed out the first clue. Clues that were supposed to be passed out at 9:00 weren't in the kids' hands until 9:40.
Clue #1 - "Take a Hike. Drive to the village of Donalda. Find the world's largest lamp. Starting at the old train station on the left, follow the gravel trail to the white No Trespassing sign. Once both team members have touched the sign and returned to the train station you will receive your next clue." Turns out Donalda is closer to Blackfalds then we had really thought it would be. Both teams found it easily on the map, gave identical directions and arrived within seconds of each other at the lamp. We pulled up first but Cameron and Daniel waited for the other guys to join up so they could walk together. None of the boys read the clue very carefully so it took them a minute or two to figure out exactly where the trail was but eventually they worked it out and they started walking. The path is groomed and has a thick layer of gravel. It has been cleared for a local group who plans to start offering wagon rides on it but it isn't being used yet so it was just us out there. The boys walked together to begin with but after about 15 minutes Cameron started falling just a smidge behind. They walked for about twenty minutes when Daniel veered off the path. Karl, who was leading the group with Paul, noticed him go and asked where Daniel was going. "To touch the sign," Daniel replied. Paul and Karl had to turn around and head back to the sign they had cruised past. By the time the boys turned to walk back Cameron had had enough. He was hot, the rocks were bothering his feet and the bugs kept buzzing around him. He actually broke down shortly after turning around saying, "I hate this task. I've been bitten by wasps like six times by now." The problem was any time an insect flew by him, he'd throw his hands in the air and wave them around. Often this would mean his hand would connect with the poor thing and Cameron interpreted the bump as a bite. He was in tears of frustration. Daniel tried his best to encourage his brother all the while watching the other team get further and further ahead.
Clue #2 - "Yer' Ugly Mug. Find the Viking Troll Park in the town of Viking. In the park, you must find the specific troll pictured below. " Paul and Karl had a five minute headstart but my guys were just happy to be back in the car and leaving the hiking place. Eventually, we saw Sonia's car pull off the highway ahead of us and stop at a gas station. We pulled ahead but when we got to Viking we needed a gas station stop as well so any lead we may have gained was lost. We left the gas station and drove through the town of Viking hunting for this park. Fortunately, the town is tiny as we had no idea where we were going and we drove through a lot of the place. Eventually, we saw a visitor's centre and decided to stop to see if we could get help. We drove past Sonia's parked car, parked and Cameron and Daniel looked around the buildings for a while looking for information as to where this park could possible be. Suddenly, Paul and Karl were there asking them if they had finished the task yet. Cameron and Daniel announced that they still hadn't found the park and the other boy's were nice enough to point it out on the other side of the parking lot! The hunt for the exact troll was on and the boys found it very quickly. The managed to complete the task only four minutes after Karl and Paul. Apparently, Paul and Karl had found the park almost immediately after arriving in town but they took longer finding the right troll.
At this point Sonia and I knew the tasks for the day were moving along much too quickly. It was just after one o'clock and we'd already completed two of our tasks. The next task took us back into Edmonton which was less then an hour away. We had told everyone to meet us at the finish line at 5:00. We needed to stall. We called a time out in the race and made the kids go to a sit-down restaurant with us. They resisted at first but when we made it clear the break wouldn't effect the outcome of the race, the plan was accepted. We were served by the rudest waitress on the planet. She took forever to come serve us. She got our drink order, left three menus for the six of us and disappeared for at least fifteen minutes. She eventually came back with our drinks and then told us, "Hurry up and order. I was supposed to be off 20 minutes ago!" We did get our meals and we enjoyed eating lunch together. After using almost an hour and a half of time, we had to get back to the race.
Clue #3 - "Go Jump in a Lake or Up a Creek ... Find the paddle boats in Rundle Park back in Edmonton. Rent a paddle boat and paddle once around the island in the lake." It was an easy drive up a major highway to get back into Edmonton from Viking. The kids had to go back to their Edmonton maps and try to figure out how to get to Rundle Park. As we approached the city, we asked for directions and were floored to get the craziest directions we'd ever heard. The directions given in both cars would eventually get us where we wanted to go but they didn't even resemble a good way to get there. Eventually, in our separate cars, both Sonia and I insisted on looking at the map. After a quick glance, we discovered that the most direct route wasn't even on the map. We both offered some guidance to fill in where the map had failed us. Paul and Karl had maintained their lead and got to Rundle Park first. When Cameron and Daniel got to the boats, Paul and Karl were about a quarter of the way around the island. The boys quickly paid for the ride, got on their lifejackets and were launched in the water. Paul and Karl saw the boys getting in the boat and started paddling like crazy. The made excellent time and received their next clue just as the other team had made it half-way around the island. Soon Cameron and Daniel made it back to shore and they too got their final clue.
Clue #4 - "Pit Stop. For your final pit stop, you must travel by foot to the Buffalo Wallows playground in Gold Bar Park (see maps provided)." The kids had to find a long footbridge that crosses the river and goes from Rundle to Gold Bar. The maps were from the city but they were still not the clearest of all maps. Paul saw where they were heading and immediately knew where to go. Cameron and Daniel, on the other hand, were confused. We had a hard time finding the bridge so the gap between the two teams widened. Paul and Karl made it to Gold Bar park but instead of the large finish line we had planned only John was there to greet them. Our host, Colby and my mum were lost and we had arrived before they did. Soon Cameron and Daniel arrived, coming in second, but there was still no sign of our host. Karl's mom and aunt made it to the finish line and then we watied. We got to share some stories and the boys debated the merits of different superheros and John got on the cell phone and talked Mum into the park.
When Mum and Colby arrived, they set up the real finish line and had the kids come in order so they could stand on the mat and really signal the end of our adventure. Our host did a fabulous job as he put leis on each boy as they stepped on the mat. He told Karl and Paul that they were the first team to arrive and gave them little gold trophies with their names in stickers on them as well as their gift certificates of $50 each to EB Games. He then told Cameron and Daniel they were the second team to arrive. He gave them their silver trophies and $20 gift certificates to EB Games. The boys were surprised and thrilled to receive this certificates as no one had ever mentioned a second prize.
After our awards ceremony we went to a picnic site and Mum fed us sandwiches, pop and fruit. Everyone talked about all the favourite tasks and some of the funny things that happened along the way. It was truly an amazing race and we had a fabulous time. We were exhausted and getting a touch cranky but we built some fantastice memories.
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
The Second Day
We woke up bright and early the next morning. We had a breakfast of itty-bitty cereal boxes and fruit. At 9:00, we sat the kids down on a hill and handed them their next clue.
Clue #1 - "Visit Outer Space. Drive to the town of Vulcan. Go to the space ship visitor centre. Once there you will need to play the Vulcan Space Adventure." Cameron and Daniel are good with a map so we were first to leave the campground. Paul and Karl were right behind us. Both groups of boys had chosen the same route. Unfortunately, we ran into a detour and as I, in the lead, tried to figure it out the other car chose an alternate route and slipped ahead of us. We gave up on the detour and followed behind. We found the town of Vulcan and Sonia drove past the intersection to turn into the Visitor Centre putting my car back in the lead and giving us the needed minute to get in the doors first.
Cameron and Daniel paid for their game and were told to go watch the video explaining how the game worked. We watched an incredibly cheesy video mocking Star Trek. Cameron laughed all the way through it. The doors in front of us slid open and we entered the "bridge". Cameron chose the center command station, Daniel the right and I got the left. This automatically made Cameron the captain, Daniel the gunner and me in charge of shields and the light speed button. Cameron had to put his hand through a round machine that tracked his movements. Where he moved, the computer followed. He guided the ship and locked on targets. We were attacked numerous times but the boys really loved it when enemies tried to transport on to the ship and holographically appeared. The game lasted between ten and fifteen minutes and the guys had a blast.
In the meantime, Karl and Paul had to wait in the centre for their turn in the game. They discovered the visitors centre was a lot of fun on it's own. There were costumes to try on and cardboard cutouts to pose with. Eventually they got their turn playing the game. Karl was captain and Paul was gunner. They too loved it.
Clue #2 - "Visit the Past. Find the Atlas Coal Mine in East Coulee. Once there you will need to join a guided tour of the mine." This drive was our longest of the whole trip. My guys, with their fifteen minute headstart, quickly came up with a plan and happily went on their way. As we drove I would call out interesecting highways so the boys could keep track on their map. As I called out one highway number, Cameron announced, "That road would be good. We should take that. It would be shorter." Unfortunately, we had already driven by the road. He insisted we turn around. We turned and discovered that the road we had just passed was only the south running half of the highway. The north running was at least 10 minutes back the way we came. Cameron was still determined this new road was going to be faster so we headed back on the highway we had already travelled. Just as we came to the correct road, we watch Sonia's car drive by going where we had just come from. We made our turn hoping that this "shortcut" didn't just cost us our lead. This new route was some serious back roads. We drove for an hour and a half on gravel roads. I went 45 minutes without seeing another vehicle but we did see some lovely scenery.
We arrived at the mine at 12:45 and signed up for a tour. The next available was at 1:15. The kids were sure that this half-hour would mean that any lead we may have gained would be lost. We explored the buildings around the mine waiting for our time. We had gone back into the main building just before 1:00 and heard the girl at the front desk tell a couple that they filled the 1:15 tour and the next people to sign up would have to take the 1:45 tour. The boys were ecstatic. At 1:10, we went to the meeting point just as Sonia's car pulled in to the lot. Apparently, Karl had been choosing the major roads to plan their route. At two different points in the drive, Paul suggested alternate routes that would be shorter but Karl insisted. Eventually Sonia pulled the car over, looked at the map with the boys and showed Karl how Paul's ideas are the better routes. She emphasised how the team needs to listen to each other and they started working better together but they had lost a good chunk of time.
The tour was very cool (actually as it was over 30 degrees that day, it was crazy hot but you get the idea). Cameron tried to push a coal car filled with kids. Daniel sat on the bumper of one coal car to show how small the seats were for the pony drivers (They had horses that lived full-time in the mine). We all climbed in to a coal car and bumped along a section of track with an engine propelling us. We walked up this decrepit looking mine building called the tipple which was where the coal got sorted. We came away from the tour enlightened but dying of the heat.
While we battled the heat on our tour, Sonia wisely insisted Paul and Karl buy water for the tour and run through the sprinkler they had running on site. Their group began their tour at 1:45 while we were up in the tipple. We passed them as we exited and insults and goads were exchanged. Both our guides told different stories so it was fun to exchange information later at the pit stop.
Clue #3 - "Visit the Gophers. Find the Gopher Hole Museum in Torrington. After you have walked through the museum, find the map with the town's fire hydrants. Using the map, walk to all twelve decorated fire hydrants." Torrington was very easy to find for both groups of kids so after giving their drivers directions both cars were filled with sleeping children. My car arrived to town first. My vehicle had two sleepy and disorientated kids in it so we missed several huge signs pointing us to the museum and we blindly drove around town until we stumbled across it. Although we had taken Cameron here before, this was Daniel's first visit so the boys took their time looking around the museum. They loved the little stuffed gophers in their cute outfits posed in different scenes from around the community. Eventually they got around to finding the required map and started their hunt for the fire hydrants.
We were less then half-way through finding the hydrants when Paul and Karl arrived at the museum. They too spent their time looking through the museum as neither of them had been there before. They were delighted to find our car still outside the museum when they started looking for the hydrants themselves. They knew they had made up some time and were still in the running to win this leg of the race.
Clue #4 - "Pit Stop. Head to the Pit Stop for this leg of the race, Watipi campground on Lacombe Lake, 5km north of Blackfalds on Highway 2A." Cameron and Daniel were confident they had won this leg of the race as the other car was still in Torrington as we left and we had such a nice lead earlier. I cautioned them that we could still get lost and informed them that Paul lives in the area so he may know exactly where to go and we could still lose. This got the gloating down a bit but did cause a bit of a ruckus when we had a hard time finding highway 2A in Blackfalds. By following the signs once we got to the correct road, we discovered the pit stop was actual tipis. As we pulled in to the finish line, Cameron and Daniel clearly came in first. As winners of this leg, they each received a $20 gift certificate from their favourite comic shop.
We had run into some weather on the way into the campground but Sonia driving 10 or 15 minutes behind us got the brunt of it. She had to pull over while the hail bounced off her car.
The second team arrived about twenty minutes after us and we all enjoyed hot dogs and smores that night. The kids played tag and Trevor taught them kick the can, which they loved. At 10:00, Trevor launched some fireworks that he had bought for the trip. They were very beautiful and a great way to finish off a very fun day.
Quote of the day: "It is kind of too bad this is a race. If it wasn't, we'd have more time to spend at places." ~Paul
Clue #1 - "Visit Outer Space. Drive to the town of Vulcan. Go to the space ship visitor centre. Once there you will need to play the Vulcan Space Adventure." Cameron and Daniel are good with a map so we were first to leave the campground. Paul and Karl were right behind us. Both groups of boys had chosen the same route. Unfortunately, we ran into a detour and as I, in the lead, tried to figure it out the other car chose an alternate route and slipped ahead of us. We gave up on the detour and followed behind. We found the town of Vulcan and Sonia drove past the intersection to turn into the Visitor Centre putting my car back in the lead and giving us the needed minute to get in the doors first.
Cameron and Daniel paid for their game and were told to go watch the video explaining how the game worked. We watched an incredibly cheesy video mocking Star Trek. Cameron laughed all the way through it. The doors in front of us slid open and we entered the "bridge". Cameron chose the center command station, Daniel the right and I got the left. This automatically made Cameron the captain, Daniel the gunner and me in charge of shields and the light speed button. Cameron had to put his hand through a round machine that tracked his movements. Where he moved, the computer followed. He guided the ship and locked on targets. We were attacked numerous times but the boys really loved it when enemies tried to transport on to the ship and holographically appeared. The game lasted between ten and fifteen minutes and the guys had a blast.
In the meantime, Karl and Paul had to wait in the centre for their turn in the game. They discovered the visitors centre was a lot of fun on it's own. There were costumes to try on and cardboard cutouts to pose with. Eventually they got their turn playing the game. Karl was captain and Paul was gunner. They too loved it.
Clue #2 - "Visit the Past. Find the Atlas Coal Mine in East Coulee. Once there you will need to join a guided tour of the mine." This drive was our longest of the whole trip. My guys, with their fifteen minute headstart, quickly came up with a plan and happily went on their way. As we drove I would call out interesecting highways so the boys could keep track on their map. As I called out one highway number, Cameron announced, "That road would be good. We should take that. It would be shorter." Unfortunately, we had already driven by the road. He insisted we turn around. We turned and discovered that the road we had just passed was only the south running half of the highway. The north running was at least 10 minutes back the way we came. Cameron was still determined this new road was going to be faster so we headed back on the highway we had already travelled. Just as we came to the correct road, we watch Sonia's car drive by going where we had just come from. We made our turn hoping that this "shortcut" didn't just cost us our lead. This new route was some serious back roads. We drove for an hour and a half on gravel roads. I went 45 minutes without seeing another vehicle but we did see some lovely scenery.
We arrived at the mine at 12:45 and signed up for a tour. The next available was at 1:15. The kids were sure that this half-hour would mean that any lead we may have gained would be lost. We explored the buildings around the mine waiting for our time. We had gone back into the main building just before 1:00 and heard the girl at the front desk tell a couple that they filled the 1:15 tour and the next people to sign up would have to take the 1:45 tour. The boys were ecstatic. At 1:10, we went to the meeting point just as Sonia's car pulled in to the lot. Apparently, Karl had been choosing the major roads to plan their route. At two different points in the drive, Paul suggested alternate routes that would be shorter but Karl insisted. Eventually Sonia pulled the car over, looked at the map with the boys and showed Karl how Paul's ideas are the better routes. She emphasised how the team needs to listen to each other and they started working better together but they had lost a good chunk of time.
The tour was very cool (actually as it was over 30 degrees that day, it was crazy hot but you get the idea). Cameron tried to push a coal car filled with kids. Daniel sat on the bumper of one coal car to show how small the seats were for the pony drivers (They had horses that lived full-time in the mine). We all climbed in to a coal car and bumped along a section of track with an engine propelling us. We walked up this decrepit looking mine building called the tipple which was where the coal got sorted. We came away from the tour enlightened but dying of the heat.
While we battled the heat on our tour, Sonia wisely insisted Paul and Karl buy water for the tour and run through the sprinkler they had running on site. Their group began their tour at 1:45 while we were up in the tipple. We passed them as we exited and insults and goads were exchanged. Both our guides told different stories so it was fun to exchange information later at the pit stop.
Clue #3 - "Visit the Gophers. Find the Gopher Hole Museum in Torrington. After you have walked through the museum, find the map with the town's fire hydrants. Using the map, walk to all twelve decorated fire hydrants." Torrington was very easy to find for both groups of kids so after giving their drivers directions both cars were filled with sleeping children. My car arrived to town first. My vehicle had two sleepy and disorientated kids in it so we missed several huge signs pointing us to the museum and we blindly drove around town until we stumbled across it. Although we had taken Cameron here before, this was Daniel's first visit so the boys took their time looking around the museum. They loved the little stuffed gophers in their cute outfits posed in different scenes from around the community. Eventually they got around to finding the required map and started their hunt for the fire hydrants.
We were less then half-way through finding the hydrants when Paul and Karl arrived at the museum. They too spent their time looking through the museum as neither of them had been there before. They were delighted to find our car still outside the museum when they started looking for the hydrants themselves. They knew they had made up some time and were still in the running to win this leg of the race.
Clue #4 - "Pit Stop. Head to the Pit Stop for this leg of the race, Watipi campground on Lacombe Lake, 5km north of Blackfalds on Highway 2A." Cameron and Daniel were confident they had won this leg of the race as the other car was still in Torrington as we left and we had such a nice lead earlier. I cautioned them that we could still get lost and informed them that Paul lives in the area so he may know exactly where to go and we could still lose. This got the gloating down a bit but did cause a bit of a ruckus when we had a hard time finding highway 2A in Blackfalds. By following the signs once we got to the correct road, we discovered the pit stop was actual tipis. As we pulled in to the finish line, Cameron and Daniel clearly came in first. As winners of this leg, they each received a $20 gift certificate from their favourite comic shop.
We had run into some weather on the way into the campground but Sonia driving 10 or 15 minutes behind us got the brunt of it. She had to pull over while the hail bounced off her car.
The second team arrived about twenty minutes after us and we all enjoyed hot dogs and smores that night. The kids played tag and Trevor taught them kick the can, which they loved. At 10:00, Trevor launched some fireworks that he had bought for the trip. They were very beautiful and a great way to finish off a very fun day.
Quote of the day: "It is kind of too bad this is a race. If it wasn't, we'd have more time to spend at places." ~Paul
Thursday, July 19, 2007
The First Day
Last fall Sonia came up with with idea of doing an Amazing Race type adventure with the boys. We talked about it off and on through the winter and this spring sat down to fill in the details. It became apparent there is a lot of cool stuff in Alberta and no possible way to do it all so we decided to spend most of our time in central Alberta.
In the last week of June, we gave our four nephews their invitations and on Saturday, July 14 we met at 9:00 a.m. outside the Coliseum at the Wayne Gretzky Statue.
We were all very excited and after a few minutes of milling around we had the kids sit down so we could review the rules and clarifying a couple of questions for the boys. (Oddly enough as we gathered everyone this complete stranger joined the boys on the bench and listened to instructions too. After we went to the cars, he told my sister how nifty he thought this whole thing was.) After our short review, we handed out the first clue. The kids read that they needed to "Take a Ride." The clue told them to "Find Edmonton's most popular tourist attraction and take a Swing of the Century." Both teams headed to their cars to figure out what they needed to do.
The brothers, Cameron and Daniel, figured out West Edmonton Mall was the place to be very quickly. They used the map provided in the car and gave me excellent directions to get there. The cousins in Sonia's car had a harder time figuring out where they needed to go. Eventually they decided on the mall but my team had a five or ten minute lead.
We got to the mall but the kids had no idea what else they needed to do. My guys thought that they might need to go to the big movie theatre which they thought might be a Century theatre. As we were driving into the parking lot though, they remembered about Galaxyland and thought the answer to the clue might be there. We got to the park in the mall only to find the gates were locked. We got there at 9:45 and the park didn't open until 10:00. The boys decided they would use that time to walk to the other side of the world's largest mall to see if maybe the theatre was the right place so we walked the length of the mall. Meanwhile, Paul and Karl arrived and made it to the park which was still locked. They waited until the gates opened, asked the ticket booth person what the swing of the century was and discovered it was the name of a ride. They bought tickets and were the first people on the ride that day! As they went on the ride, we discovered the theatre was not useful and walked the entire length of the mall back to the park. We walked through the park, past the giant swings, desperately trying to understand the obscure clue. Eventually, we found Karl and Paul just outside the exit of the swings receiving their next clue. Even then Cameron and Daniel needed the swings pointed out. (Thanks, Paul and Karl!) The brothers bought their tickets, went on the ride and happily received their next clue.
Clue #2 - "Get Outta' Town. Find Heritage Ranch in Red Deer. Once there you must sign up for a trail ride." Both teams used their Edmonton maps to get from the mall to Highway 2 (although they used very different routes!) They used their Alberta maps to get us to Red Deer. In Red Deer, we followed signs to the ranch. My car arrived seconds before Sonia's car and we all went on the trail ride together. It was the first time any of the four boys had ever been on a horse. Karl being the biggest kid was put on a rather large horse first. He sat there waiting for everyone else to get on their horses. This doesn't sound like a big deal but each person needed to be helped up, their stirrups adjusted and instructions given on how to ride. He probably sat on his horse for a good 20 minutes when he started panicking. Sonia approached the teary Karl and asked him if he was afraid. He said he was. She asked what he was afraid of and he cried out, "Everything!" After narrowing down the problem, she reassured him enough that as we started our walk he calmed right down and did great.
The guide took us on an hour long trail ride that was surprisingly advanced for a bunch of rookie kids and we did have a couple of mishaps. Paul's horse loved the low bushes. He strayed off the path into the bushes and did a dance enjoying the good belly scratch. Paul's horse was also not a fan of tailgaters and kicked out at other horses when they got too close. Paul handed it all like a pro. He laughed while the horse was dancing and just rode out the kicks like they were nothing. He is a natural horseman.
Daniel's horse tried to run on him once and although it frightened him, he handled it very well. It was Cameron who had the largest adventure. We were heading down the steepest hill on the trail when his horse decided going up would be better. It started up the hill with only Sonia behind him to try to help him figure to how to guide his horse back to the correct trail. The trail was too narrow to go up herself so she just tried to talk him back. This had Cameron quite panicky as he is not altogether confident and certainly not great at steering. Eventually, he made it back to the correct trail and as he started down the steep hill, his saddle started slipping. He got to the bottom of the hill in a near panick which turned in to sheer terror as the saddle continued to slide sideways. Sonia got her horse close and held him as he slid to the ground in a very funny (for everyone but Cameron) slow motion. At this point, Cameron was bawling and vowing that there is no way he is getting back on that horse. The guide came back and traded horses with him. Cameron got on the new horse with no fuss and made it back to the corral with no further incident (much to his great joy!)
Clue #3 - "Cool Down. Look for MacKays Ice Cream shop in Cochrane. Once there both team members will need to order a double scoop of ice cream in any flavour. Once both team members have finished all their ice cream, you will receive your next clue." This clue was met with a chorus of "Eating ice cream! This is an awesome challenge. Easy!" Cochrane though is a bit off the beaten path so both teams had to be creative in how to get there. The guys in my car had a plan which looked great on paper but not so hot in real life. The road takes a serious turn that isn't shown on the map and I drove by it twice before finally turning correctly. Paul and Karl got to the shop first and left town at least ten minutes before my car.
Clue #4 - "Pit Stop. Head to the pit stop for this leg of the race, Foothills Lions Centennial Campground in Black Diamond." The boys headed back to the highways, correctly getting us out of town and towards Black Diamond. Paul and Karl read the road sign and stuck to the highway they were on. Cameron and Daniel, on the other hand, had a shortcut. They ignored the signs and went with what looked shorter and easier on the map. Unfortunately, this short cut took us through Calgary during rush hour traffic. Paul and Karl arrived a good twenty minutes before us. They were met at the pit stop by our host, Colby, who gave them their prizes for winning that leg - twenty dollars each at Toys-r-us.
We cooked burgers that night and roasted marshmallows. Trevor took the kids down to the river and they got to see a black bear across the river. The kids went to bed just after ten wondering what the next day would bring.
Quote of the day - "You know this is pretty fun. I thought this might suck but I'm having a good time." ~Karl
In the last week of June, we gave our four nephews their invitations and on Saturday, July 14 we met at 9:00 a.m. outside the Coliseum at the Wayne Gretzky Statue.
We were all very excited and after a few minutes of milling around we had the kids sit down so we could review the rules and clarifying a couple of questions for the boys. (Oddly enough as we gathered everyone this complete stranger joined the boys on the bench and listened to instructions too. After we went to the cars, he told my sister how nifty he thought this whole thing was.) After our short review, we handed out the first clue. The kids read that they needed to "Take a Ride." The clue told them to "Find Edmonton's most popular tourist attraction and take a Swing of the Century." Both teams headed to their cars to figure out what they needed to do.
The brothers, Cameron and Daniel, figured out West Edmonton Mall was the place to be very quickly. They used the map provided in the car and gave me excellent directions to get there. The cousins in Sonia's car had a harder time figuring out where they needed to go. Eventually they decided on the mall but my team had a five or ten minute lead.
We got to the mall but the kids had no idea what else they needed to do. My guys thought that they might need to go to the big movie theatre which they thought might be a Century theatre. As we were driving into the parking lot though, they remembered about Galaxyland and thought the answer to the clue might be there. We got to the park in the mall only to find the gates were locked. We got there at 9:45 and the park didn't open until 10:00. The boys decided they would use that time to walk to the other side of the world's largest mall to see if maybe the theatre was the right place so we walked the length of the mall. Meanwhile, Paul and Karl arrived and made it to the park which was still locked. They waited until the gates opened, asked the ticket booth person what the swing of the century was and discovered it was the name of a ride. They bought tickets and were the first people on the ride that day! As they went on the ride, we discovered the theatre was not useful and walked the entire length of the mall back to the park. We walked through the park, past the giant swings, desperately trying to understand the obscure clue. Eventually, we found Karl and Paul just outside the exit of the swings receiving their next clue. Even then Cameron and Daniel needed the swings pointed out. (Thanks, Paul and Karl!) The brothers bought their tickets, went on the ride and happily received their next clue.
Clue #2 - "Get Outta' Town. Find Heritage Ranch in Red Deer. Once there you must sign up for a trail ride." Both teams used their Edmonton maps to get from the mall to Highway 2 (although they used very different routes!) They used their Alberta maps to get us to Red Deer. In Red Deer, we followed signs to the ranch. My car arrived seconds before Sonia's car and we all went on the trail ride together. It was the first time any of the four boys had ever been on a horse. Karl being the biggest kid was put on a rather large horse first. He sat there waiting for everyone else to get on their horses. This doesn't sound like a big deal but each person needed to be helped up, their stirrups adjusted and instructions given on how to ride. He probably sat on his horse for a good 20 minutes when he started panicking. Sonia approached the teary Karl and asked him if he was afraid. He said he was. She asked what he was afraid of and he cried out, "Everything!" After narrowing down the problem, she reassured him enough that as we started our walk he calmed right down and did great.
The guide took us on an hour long trail ride that was surprisingly advanced for a bunch of rookie kids and we did have a couple of mishaps. Paul's horse loved the low bushes. He strayed off the path into the bushes and did a dance enjoying the good belly scratch. Paul's horse was also not a fan of tailgaters and kicked out at other horses when they got too close. Paul handed it all like a pro. He laughed while the horse was dancing and just rode out the kicks like they were nothing. He is a natural horseman.
Daniel's horse tried to run on him once and although it frightened him, he handled it very well. It was Cameron who had the largest adventure. We were heading down the steepest hill on the trail when his horse decided going up would be better. It started up the hill with only Sonia behind him to try to help him figure to how to guide his horse back to the correct trail. The trail was too narrow to go up herself so she just tried to talk him back. This had Cameron quite panicky as he is not altogether confident and certainly not great at steering. Eventually, he made it back to the correct trail and as he started down the steep hill, his saddle started slipping. He got to the bottom of the hill in a near panick which turned in to sheer terror as the saddle continued to slide sideways. Sonia got her horse close and held him as he slid to the ground in a very funny (for everyone but Cameron) slow motion. At this point, Cameron was bawling and vowing that there is no way he is getting back on that horse. The guide came back and traded horses with him. Cameron got on the new horse with no fuss and made it back to the corral with no further incident (much to his great joy!)
Clue #3 - "Cool Down. Look for MacKays Ice Cream shop in Cochrane. Once there both team members will need to order a double scoop of ice cream in any flavour. Once both team members have finished all their ice cream, you will receive your next clue." This clue was met with a chorus of "Eating ice cream! This is an awesome challenge. Easy!" Cochrane though is a bit off the beaten path so both teams had to be creative in how to get there. The guys in my car had a plan which looked great on paper but not so hot in real life. The road takes a serious turn that isn't shown on the map and I drove by it twice before finally turning correctly. Paul and Karl got to the shop first and left town at least ten minutes before my car.
Clue #4 - "Pit Stop. Head to the pit stop for this leg of the race, Foothills Lions Centennial Campground in Black Diamond." The boys headed back to the highways, correctly getting us out of town and towards Black Diamond. Paul and Karl read the road sign and stuck to the highway they were on. Cameron and Daniel, on the other hand, had a shortcut. They ignored the signs and went with what looked shorter and easier on the map. Unfortunately, this short cut took us through Calgary during rush hour traffic. Paul and Karl arrived a good twenty minutes before us. They were met at the pit stop by our host, Colby, who gave them their prizes for winning that leg - twenty dollars each at Toys-r-us.
We cooked burgers that night and roasted marshmallows. Trevor took the kids down to the river and they got to see a black bear across the river. The kids went to bed just after ten wondering what the next day would bring.
Quote of the day - "You know this is pretty fun. I thought this might suck but I'm having a good time." ~Karl
Thursday, July 12, 2007
My First Blog
I just recently bought a new laptop and a new digital camera. With all the fun events I have planned through the summer, now seemed the time to get a blog started. Tomorrow, we start our Amazing Race style adventure around the province of Alberta. I'll be updating this and other summer activities regularly.
J
J
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