. August 2018 .
Greetings Earthlings.
Well, we are back from our summer adventure. Another fun time! This year we headed to Alberta, Canada with a short hop over to Bend, Oregon. Just before that, Sam and Jake had their end of season meet up in St Petersburg, Florida.
ISCA
Before the kids could relax and have a lazy few weeks off, they had to finish their season off. The International Swim Coaches Association (ISCA) was the chosen meet to end the season for the senior swimmers. This was a qualifying meet which means that to swim in it, you had to make the qualifying times. Both Sam and Jake made the times in their events, and after their training camp in Colorado a few weeks earlier, were in good spirits for this last competition.
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| Sam in one of her IM races |
Both swam well and made finals as well as personal best times, which is always a good thing!
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| The Cayman Team |
One of the sessions was canceled because of the weather, but it didn't really affect our guys too much.
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| Jake up on the blocks |
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| A Silver medal in the U16 200 Free relay |
Sam and Jake flew back to Cayman from Tampa on the Sunday afternoon. Just in time to unpack, and pack again for our departure to Canada after lunch on Monday!
Summer Trip!
Once the kids got back, we re-packed and then prepared for our trip up to Calgary and thereabouts. We flew to Houston and overnighted there, before a very early flight to Calgary the following morning.
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| Up at about 4:30 am in Houston to catch the first flight out to Calgary. The excitement was electric... |
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| One of the foot bridges around town |
We made it to Calgary without incident, picked up our rental car and started our unguided tour before heading to our Air BnB.
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We were having lunch at a little outdoor cafe when someone came around the corner and launched their car over the traffic island, taking out this sign. The waitress says, "Oh, that's always happening..."
Lunch was nice though!
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We were accomodated close to the middle of town so went for a wander around the streets since it was early-ish in the day.
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| The Calgary Tower was just around the corner - better check that out! |
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| It's a long way down! Rather nerve-racking standing on glass that far up! |
Due to a few forest fires to the South, there was a lot of smoke and haze about which spoiled the distant views. It was still a pretty cool experience up there.
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| Olympic Square |
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| We decided to come back up the tower for Dinner later on |
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| Sunset dinner |
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| Looks good at night too! |
We spent a few hours out at the Winter Olympic Park. This is the same place that the Jamaican Bobsled team came to fame
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| It would have been rude not to give the Bobsleigh a crack! |
While the kids did the Zipline from the Ski Jump, we did the Bobsleigh. Because it is summer and they dont have the ice, they use wheeled Bobsleighs. Man that thing can move! We got bumped around and got up to about 80kmph. Our time was 1 minute 48 Seconds. Not sure how that compares to the pros, but we felt like we were flying. The helmets and the extra rail padding are a must. We took a few whacks!
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| Part of the Bobsleigh track |
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| Meanwhile the kids where getting set for the Zipline. |
After that we all met up and went for a few runs on the Luge. Its the same crowd that run the Queenstowwn and Rotorua Luge. A lot of fun!
After our speed packed afternoon, we navigated our way to our friends Nicky and Ken Thompson (ex-Cayman) who now live in the Calgary area (well actually we relied completely on the GPS but it got us lost and we had to ask for help!). We ended up staying for dinner (and the night) in their very cool house which is out in the countryside, with a river/lake to look out upon. Stunning spot and a really nice house as well.
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| View from Ken's big deck |
It was great catching up with Nicky, Ken, Meagan & Garret.
Next stop was a little shopping before heading South to Lethbridge.
Nicky directed us to a large shopping mall where we spent a few hours. That was quite timely as outside, the temp had risen to 41.5! An all time record!
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| It was still pretty warm later in the day! |
We had some free time later on one afternoon so decided to check out the Calgary Zoo. Trouble was, it closed at 6:30 pm. It was about 5:10 when we got in. But they gave us reduced price entry and we did the zoo at pace!
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| Due to the hot, dry temperature, everybody shrunk. |
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| These guys were pretty cool |
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| Finally, he looks in our direction |
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| These guys were massive! |
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| Ready to clock off after a long day |
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| Mannequin? |
One day we decided to head towards Banff and see what the story was over there.
First up was Lake Minniwanka. Yes, we did get corrected on the pronunciation - Minny-Wonka (like the Chocolate guy).
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It was a pretty lake with lots of trees, and mountains surrounding it.
You can make out some of the hazy smoke in the distance.
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| Squirrel guy popped out in the morning sun to say Gidday |
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| These too were just parked on the side of the road enjoying the view |
Time to visit a few waterfalls and do a couple of hikes that were recommended to us.
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| Johnson Canyon |
Johnson Canyon was a shortish hike that featured three main waterfalls. It was a nice walk although busy with lots of tourists (including us)!
Jake was feeling the cold!
We also went up the hill beside Lake Louise. That one was a slightly tougher hike. It took us just under an hour to get up and didn't have a great deal of flat spots. Great views though and a lovely lake and tea house at the top!
Lake Louise
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| There was a little lake about 3/4 of the way up |
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| Then at the top, there was another lake! |
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And a little Cafe!
Apparently the done thing is to have a pot of Tea up there. They had plenty of Teas to choose from. This one was a South African Red Tea
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We went into Banff later in the day and had planned to go up the Gondola to check out the views. Unfortunately another fire had started up in the area and the smoke and ash made it a little less appealing. Instead we found a little bar in town for dinner which was quite nice. Even had a Kiwi waitress, all the way from "Willung-tun!"
Waterton was next on the list. We were looking forward to doing the Red Rock Canyon hike, however when we arrived we found it was closed due to the massive fires they had there a year ago. It was clear that there had been some real big fires in the area. So, instead of that we found another, smaller hike closer to Waterton and then went on a boat trip down the lake (to Montana) and back.
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| Pretty windy up here! No wonder the fire ripped through the place. |
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| A year on from the big fire |
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| After about a 45 minute trek uphill, we made it to the falls |
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| There's not much to say about that... |
We caught a boat trip that went down to the other end of the lake and back. It stopped at the far end to drop off and uplift serious hikers/trampers that head off into the hills. There is a little US Border Control unit there with about three people stationed there. The only way south from there is on foot, and nothing for about 4 days.
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| And we're off on the boat cruise. A bit windy and fresh on the lake! |
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| This is the Canada/US Border - Alberta/Montana |
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| Standing in Montana |
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| A Waterton resident |
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| These are on the edge of Waterton |
Now it was time to head to Lethbridge where we had booked a place for a week. Everyone we know who knew anything about Canada said "Why Lethbridge?"
It was a bit of a random choice really. Even when we flew into Calgary, the Immigration guys asked, "Do you have family, or know people in Lethbridge?"
"No."
"Then...errr...why would you go there?" We were starting to have second thoughts!
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| However, when we saw that they were National Champions of Communities in Bloom all of our fears were put to rest... |
We managed to find our lodgings - at Paradise Valley Golf Resort on the South side of town. It was actually a really nice place with plenty of room and situated near the 15th Tee on the very well-to-do golf course.
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| Apprentice Chef with Training Tongs |
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| Our view every morning |
Michelle and Dave went for a run early one morning and decided to see if there was a track around the outside of the golf course. All was looking good for the first 20 or so minutes. Suddenly the cart path they were on headed across the middle of the course and then wound it's way around several holes, that happened to have golfers playing them. It seemed that most of the groups were Ok with us out there, as we stopped if there was someone about the play. However one guy wasn't so happy and voiced his displeasure at our presence. "Have a great day!" we replied as we sped off.
He must have called the course management and our next encounter was an official looking chap asking us to remove ourselves from the course... Kicked off without even playing a stroke!
We decided that course probably wasn't up to our standards anyway, so we headed into Lethbridge where there was a Nine-hole Par Three course - and it was managed by a Kiwi!
This was more our style.
Believe it or not, we played there three times...and never lost a ball!
Despite quite a few hacked shots, there was some half decent golf - on occasion!
Sam had never played before and even she didn't complain about coming back for another round.
We also did a few of the local tourist things, including visiting Fort Whoop Up, Helen Schuler Nature Centre, Fort Museum of NWMP horse parade and Head Smashed In Buffalo Jump. We also tried out the Escape for LA, which is where you get locked in a room and have to find clues to get out!
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| Fort Whoop Up was an old trading post from days gone by. Whisky trading at one point! |
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| This little critter was a week old |
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| Just saying hello! |
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| This the rail bridge that has been in use for over 100 years |
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| Conference Centre |
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| Jake got the hang of it |
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| Michelle nearly hangs herself! |
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| We went on a little nature walk by the river and spotted this guy. |
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| More widlife roaming around town |
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| Out in the Alberta countryside |
One night we decided to head over to Cardston (about an hour's drive) to watch a show put on by the local thespians. We'd been through Cardston a few days ago and it didn't really look like much, but we thought we'd check it out anyway.
We arrived in town around 5:30 pm (for a 7:30 show) so decided to dine before the show. We spotted a Chinese restaurant so wandered in. We were seated at a table, given a jug of water and four glasses and then directed toward the buffet. We weren't in a hurry so thought we might order a drink beforehand. The dude never came back to take any orders, so we decided just to eat. On the way to the buffet we noticed that all of the other tables only had water, which explained why there were no drink orders! Maybe he didn't have a liquor licence. There were some interesting clientele coming and going. Anyway, the food was fine! Maybe we could get a wine or something at the show.
After dinner we jumped back in the car and drove all the way across the street, and parked outside of the Theatre. We still had a bunch of time so went for a bit of a wander about.
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| Apparently Fay Wray (original King Kong movie.Girlfriend of ) came from Cardston! |
While wandering about, we did some research on Cardston, and learned that it was a predominantly Mormon Community which had been alcohol free for 105 years! I guess the chances of a beer or wine at the show were now looking real slim!
On with the show. We were pretty sure we were the only out-of-towners at the show (lucky we booked!). It was packed. We weren't expecting a great deal from the show, but given the buzz in the crowd, maybe it would be alright.
The show was "You're a good man, Charlie Brown." It wasn't Broadway but was probably one of the best shows we've ever been to. The actors were very good, they could all sing and the show was very professionally done. They were also running two other shows during the summer, alternating nights with many of the same actors. Very impressive from a population of about 2000.
The kids were in tears laughing for most of the show, which was not what we were expecting.
So, go to Cardston for a show, but don't expect too much else!
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| Snoopy was the star of the show |
The town of Fort McLeod was another on the list of places to see. There is an old Military Police Fort that puts on a horse show a few times a day.
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| Checking out the troops before the show |
We wandered around the Fort, which is basically a Museum now. Sam and Dave were amused by some of the Indian (First Nation) names that were on display. How did these guys get their names? ("Why do you ask, Two Dogs F.....?")
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| Did he run a Gym or something? |
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| Maybe this guy ran a failed Butcher shop.... |
Anyway, back to the show. It was really a Military-type dressage where they went through a bunch of different formations and crossovers, finishing with a "Charge!"
Next, up the road just a little was......
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| Yes, that is the name, and is very descriptive of what used to happen here |
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| Way back when, the Indians used to chase the herds of Buffalo over a cliff and then butcher them at the bottom and be supplied with meat and furs etc for the winter. It took a lot of planning and preparation and sometimes Indian lives were taken during the chase, which is actually how this place got its name - an indian child had been watching from the bottom and got crushed between the cliff face and herd. |
Head-Smashed-In-Buffalo jump was actually really interesting and well set up to educate us simple tourists in the ways of the past. Many of the staff there are descendants of those that used to run around doing the hunting here.
After Lethbridge, we headed back to Calgary so we could catch a flight to Portland, Oregon the next day. We found out that the town of Vulcan was 'sort of' on the way. It's a tiny place but they've made a real effort to incorporate the Star Trek theme throughout the town. The visitor's centre is basically a tribute to Star Trek - Spock even visited it a few years back.
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| Even the streetlights are little USS Enterprises! |
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| Checking out Starfleet Command |
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| This is on the entry into town |
So that was it for Alberta. Next stop - Bend!
We had an(other) early flight the next morning so we booked in at the Airport to reduce the travel time and gain a few extra minutes of sleep!
Soon we were up and away and heading to Portland, Orgegon.
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Somewhere over Oregon.
That smoke actually looks quite cool at times
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We arrived in Portland without incident, jumped in our rental and headed South (ish) via a cool Russian Cafe (Babushka's) where we got some lunch.
A few hours later we arrived in Bend and found the Campsite.
Our friends Tonya and Russ had packed an extra tent and other bits and pieces so that we would be set up when we arrived. I guess that's almost "Glamping!"
It was so good of them to do that, as we would have struggled carting all that stuff around Canada for a couple of weeks beforehand (not that we have any of that stuff here anyway!).
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| Our House for the next few days |
Soon after arriving, Tonya, Russ, Skyler & Garrett arrived. They'd been checking out the Bend Brewfest in town, with their other Vancouver friends (think back to the Vancouver Sevens in March) who then came over for a beer before we all headed off to the Brewfest for the evening. In all there were 21 of us! That included the kids. Unfortunately (for the kids) they couldn't come with us at night - so we were let loose!
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| Us, with a few added extra's at the Brewfest - very friendly bunch there! |
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| No shortage of beers! |
It was a pretty cool set up. I don't know how many thousand people were there, but they were all having a fun time! So, we'd better join them!
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| Russ got his hair done special |
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| One or two beer-lovers.... |
Funnily enough, the next day was a little quiet early on. The general consensus was to head over to the river and chill. Nice!
The kids went off and played games and hung out while the parents chilled out on the grass and went for a 'float' down the river.
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| The water was fresh but we weren't actually in it. |
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Russ, Dave & Mike.
Life is tough...
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| The kids take over the floats |
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| The Camp is invaded! |
That night we decided to bike down the road to the local pub for dinner. I think there were about 15 or 16 bikes in our peleton.
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| It was about a 15 minute ride |
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| That's our parked bikes |
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There were about 4 food trucks at the pub, so there was a choice.
The kids await burgers etc from Rogue Chef!
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The next day a few of the families headed back to Canada with their trailers packed high.
Russ & Garrett took Jake and Dave for a mountain bike ride along one of the rivers nearby, which was pretty cool - although a couple of the slopes were hard work and Jake found out how quick a bike can stop when confronted with a sizeable rock.
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| Some of the rapids were impressive |
The next day is hiking, and Tonya is in charge. We went up to the top of one of the peaks, but unfortunately the smoke came back and the view wasn't as spectacular as it could have been. Cool hike though!
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| At the top. Apparently there are some mountains behind there somewhere! |
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| Group shot at the top. |
In the afternoon we went into Bend with the floats and went down the river there, which is a pretty popular activity.
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| Don't get your chips soggy! |
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| And we're off! |
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| Very relaxing... |
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| Doing it hard... |
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| This is during the day - the smoke is back! |
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| Books instead of phones.... Doesn't happen often enough these days |
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| Tonya and Dave enjoy a pre-dinner aperitif! |
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| Chefs? |
The next day we all packed up, had a nice breakfast at a local spot before saying goodbye to Tonya & Russ. It's always a fun time with these guys.
Until next time!
Randoms
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| Steak night back in Cayman with some of the Super Rugby Tipping guys |
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| Cowgirl night? |
Summer Touch finished last week with Finals Day. It didn't work out too well for Michelle or Dave's team. Although having said that, Dave's team (Team Heineken) was pretty happy to hook into the sponsor's product earlier in the day! Both Michelle and Dave reffed a few games as well. The reffing in that heat certainly takes it out of you!
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| Dave (Pink) refs a game of Touch |
On the visitor front, Brownie, a mate of Dave's from his Army days passed through Cayman on a Cruise ship last week. Dave was able to pop out and have a quick catch up, and maybe even a beer! It's always great to catch up with mates from various times in your life.
| Brownie - looking comfortable at Sunset House! |
Well, that is it for August. September has started off pretty slow, so we'll see how that goes! The Touch Dinner is coming up so that should be a laugh!
"Live long and prosper......
......Beam me up, Scotty!”
