Are you awake up there?

That was the classic quote after spending 34 hours in the car traveling to and from Edmonton, Canada last weekend.

My mother-in-law wasn't making sure the driver was awake. She merely wanted the radio turned on! Tyler either obliged or serenaded us with his Coyote song.

Whoo, yip, whoo, yip, whoo. Whoo, du, yip, whoo, yip, whoo, whoo.

All week I stewed about going and made the final decision when I was able to get my Primary responsibilities taken care of. Then Tyler called from the airport to say he was finally on his way home after a long week away, and we hung up. I immediately called him back to tell him I was going to Canada for the weekend and he decided to tag along.

It was so good to see these guys and meet little Ames. He is an absolute doll. (I might have pilfered a few pictures that I didn't take.)

I became well acquainted with all the rest areas. It's a long drive! . . .

Even for Mrs. TomTom, our navigator, who finally called it quits after 26 hours, and even if it really wasn't her fault. She'd just assume we "turn around as soon as we are able" and head back home.

The Saturn we drove had a possessed cruise control. Unreliable. We all suspect it just wanted to get us there and home a little faster.

Three hours from home and I saw my Uncle John at a gas station in Idaho Falls at 7:30 am on a Saturday. At least I'm pretty sure it was him walking out of the convenience store. I'm still waiting for confirmation on that.  

The Canadian border guard was not an especially happy fellow. I asked a simple question about bringing kids next summer and would they need a passport. "In MY country you  . . . yada, yada, yada. It's YOUR country with the problem."

Thank you, sir. And try to have a better day. I never really did get my question answered by him. Nor did I dare ask for a REAL stamp in my passport.

We had a much different experience talking to the American guard on our way back.  And unless the government changes things between now and next summer, children 16 years and younger only need a birth certificate if traveling with parents.

Tyler learned he's not quite to fast at Sudoku as he might have once thought. He and his mom participated in quite a few Sudoku tournaments where he got burned. I quietly bowed out after the first round. I've attempted 2 puzzles I found in the paper this week and wasn't able to complete either one. Maybe the 5 star difficult rating just isn't my skill level :)

Amber and Aaron were perfect hosts for the 18 hours we were there. They showed us their new home and the myriad of projects they've tackled, like a whole new kitchen makeover.
We took a walk to see their river.

They fed us wonderful food. I'm sure it being Fast Sunday had a little something to do with that. My favorite (besides the fresh carrots from the garden):

Peach Goodness

I don't really know what it was called. I just know I couldn't stop eating it and took several pieces for the road. I'm definitely going to need that recipe.

Thank you Amber and Aaron for inviting us. Can't wait for next summer.

Goin' to Canada for real this time

My mother-in-law offered an offhanded question a couple of weeks ago wondering if anyone would like to go to Canada with them for the baby blessing of my newest nephew. Even though I have a passport, I silently dismissed it.

Then I received a comment on a blog post from Amber, "come to Canada with Mom and Dad next weekend for our baby blessing!?? Yes? :)"

That seriously got me thinking. I asked Tyler more than a few times if he wanted to go. Nope. Too far too drive. That's exactly what I thought. But it kept coming back to me.

Reason number 1: I should go to help drive. That's a lot of driving to do in 2 days.

Reason number 2: I wanted to see baby Ames and Amber and Aaron's new home.

Reason number 3: Never REALLY been to Canada other than the little jaunt we did on our cruise in June. So that means I might get an official stamp in my passport, not just some touristy mark.

Reason number 4: The fall colors right now are BEAUTIFUL! I suspect the drive would be just as gorgeous.

Reason number 5: I got kind of giddy thinking of all those hours of reading I would get to do. I just got a new book for book club and am way excited to get started on it. But I'm holding out.

So Amber, in answer to your question . . . YES! I'm coming.

I never thought having a passport could be so much fun. It has definitely allowed me to take advantage of this weekend.

* * * * *

My main go-to fly swatter was out of town this week. I'm sure he doubted my ability to keep up with the pesky things, but between me and Al we managed to hold down the fort. Alex said, "Fwy" and I armed myself with the fly swatter.

* * * * *

Last Thursday Ash and Nate and I had parent teacher conferences where Ashlyn's teacher handed us the dreaded poster board. Ohhhhhh! I forgot that 2nd graders get to put together their 1000s chart. You know the saying that goes, "Stick to your task 'til it sticks to you?" Well, Ash totally stuck with it. She diligently worked on her poster all weekend and handed it in Monday. I couldn't be more pleased to have that done.

Alaska - Skagway and Canada

After boarding our ship we hit the buffet where I had the most delicious flourless chocolate cake. It was like a dense brownie or fudge. I was quite bummed when they didn't offer it again all week, so I came home, found my own recipe, and made it. So good if rich chocolate is your kind of thing.

When we booked our cruise, we paid more for an exterior room but a little less to have a partially blocked view out our window. I think we scored the right room. On either side were the lifeboats. I loved being able to look outside when were coming into a port or just watching the scenery from our room.

Tyler's type of vacations are go, go, go, see, see, see everything. We paid for it, we're going to see it. I like the hit-the-beach-and-read-all-afternoon kind of vacation. This cruise was a perfect compromise. We saw, saw, saw on land but had to take it easy on the ship. I found my perfect reading nook where I could sit inside by the window and Tyler could watch the water outside. If he happened to see anything, he knew where to find me.

After two days at sea we arrived in Skagway for a day of touring. Skagway was the jumping off point for the gold rush in Canada's Yukon territory. When we got back from our trip, the kids and I watched White Fang where Skagway was briefly shown and mentioned. Our first excursion was to the dog sled mushers camp where we got to ride a wheeled cart while the dogs pulled us, much like a sled. These dogs do their training here with all the tourists that come through and are very ready to compete in the Iditarod, a highly competitive dog sled race of a 1000 miles in early March of every year. Tyler's not terribly fond of dogs and really came along with me for the ride in the unimog.
The dog sled ride was a ton of fun. Those dogs are not the typical Alaskan huskies you think of when dog sledding comes to mind. Huskies are used to pull weight, these other dogs are bred for speed and are often a mixture of different dogs.

 

I had to get a picture of this particular dog for Ashlyn. It isn't hard to tell that that dog has two different colored eyes, just like our Ash, although her's aren't as distinctive.

And no. Tyler wouldn't let me bring this little pup back. Holding that puppy took me back to my childhood when our dog "Lady" had a litter of pups. 

We arrived back at our ship in time to catch our next excursion to Canada and the expansion bridge which I learned was only built six years ago for the tourists. It's nothing more than a chain bridge that extends over the river below and goes really nowhere. It was kind of lame, but I did get a stamp in my passport and got to sample some yummy maple cookies. Tyler even spotted a black bear right next to the bus on the ride up, but our young, Utah bus driver didn't see it and didn't stop. The good tour guides will faithfully keep their eyes peeled for wildlife and will try to stop if reasonably able to because they know that's what people come to Alaska to see.

Back in Skagway we enjoyed a salmon bake for dinner where Dolly, a beautiful 9-month-old Alaskan husky, enjoyed it with us. I would have taken her home with me too.