The Wagon Queen Family Truckster Goes Northwest - Update 10/3 pg 6 (Canada)

So if you are ever in the Lander, WY area I highly recommend stopping by the Lander Bar. :thumbsup2 :thumbsup2 :thumbsup2 (Yes that's 3 thumbs up because 2 thumbs just doesn't cut it)

Yet another reason to get my rump to the Yellow Stone area

No words, just enjoy it.

Done

(I know, not quite the same feeling as entering another park entrance we all know, but it's something)

It gives me a bit of a chill.

I love me some Disney time, but Mother-Nature is a mighty fine Imagineer in her own right.


Just after entering the park we found these guys just hanging around... I think they were looking for a flying squirrel.

Hokey smokes, Bullwinkle!

We then got to the star attraction…

…Ice cream it is! :thumbsup2

Nice attraction


NP8.jpg

Ohhhhhhh… you meant that one.
Yah that’s nice too.

I don't think any picture can do that justice. This was truly awesome.

I suspect that you are right… thanks for sharing though.


"Yellowstone - 100+ buffalo, 5 moose, 12 elk, 2 grizzly bears, a geyser, a waterfall and some hot springs. Add in three happy girls for a great combination."

A one sentence TR update... well said.
Thanks again for the great update
 
:thumbsup2 If I'm ever in Lander, WY, I'll have to remember this one. :lmao:

::yes::

Great pictures of the park! Definitely a lot to take in there, but at least you've been there and seen the major points. Gives you something to look forward to if you ever get a chance to go back that direction!


:thumbsup2

Agreed. This was a great "teaser" to entice us to return for a full experience.

(Furiously scribbling "Lander Bar" in my Places I Need To Visit notebook.)

You have a book? I thought it was just a paper napkin with some cheesesteak grease on it. :confused3

We have a rule on the East Coast: never order a Philly cheese steak if you're anywhere outside the greater Philly area. I'm sure there are exceptions, but most places don't get it right. Once I ordered a "steak sandwich" in Califonia, and they gave me a sirloin steak with a piece of bread next to it. :rotfl2:

I think you might be on to something here. I once ordered a slice of pizza in NYC and they gave me a piece of floppy cardboard. :rotfl2:

How did you grow 3 thumbs? Never mind, I'm not sure I want to know.
I went swimming in Lake Michigan.

:thumbsup2:thumbsup2:thumbsup2 <----thumbs

See, I knew you'd been in there too. :rotfl2:


Amazing scenery, and great pictures. This is one of those places everyone should see at least once in their lifetime.

::yes::

:eek: Did you try feeding them any cheese balls? :confused3

No cheeseballs for this crew. It would cause Megan to "pull an Evan" in the van. :rotfl2:


Yet another reason to get my rump to the Yellow Stone area

::yes::

I love me some Disney time, but Mother-Nature is a mighty fine Imagineer in her own right.

Completely agree. The constant theme from our drive was the pure simple beauty we saw outside our windows at every turn or rolling hill. :thumbsup2

Hokey smokes, Bullwinkle!

Phew, glad someone caught that reference. I was starting to feel old. :thumbsup2

A one sentence TR update... well said.
Thanks again for the great update

Erika was always better at getting to the point than I was.
 
What a great update, Brian.

That is high praise for that Lander Burger since we've got some pretty darn good burgers right here in our neck of the woods. :thumbsup2

The snow covered mountains are beautiful.

And I love the buffalo and the elk.

Great job, my fellow Illinoisian (did I spell that right :confused3).
 
:eek: Jasmine went on your road trip and you're just now getting around to telling us?!?!?! :rolleyes1

{sigh} no, that is not "the Evan" activity I was referring to.

That is high praise for that Lander Burger since we've got some pretty darn good burgers right here in our neck of the woods. :thumbsup2
Agreed, we do have some good offerings locally, but I still would go out of my way for a Lander burger. (Hmmmm... only 1227 miles door to door. :scratchin Anyone up for a road trip? You buy the gas, I'll buy the burgers)

The snow covered mountains are beautiful.

And I love the buffalo and the elk.

Great job, my fellow Illinoisian (did I spell that right :confused3).

I'll say yes, you're right. Of course I was educated in Canada so I'm used to throwing around a few extra "u"s in words, so consider the source my neighbour.

Ehhhhh… I wouldn’t be worrying about it.
You just think you old…

I actually am old. :rotfl2:
Not old, just from a different vintage. :rotfl2:
 
You have a book? I thought it was just a paper napkin with some cheesesteak grease on it. :confused3

I say notebook, you say greasy napkin. It's probably a regional thing.

I went swimming in Lake Michigan.



See, I knew you'd been in there too. :rotfl2:

I was so close to going with that joke, and then figured I'd already put up the picture of the Simpsons fish so I'd leave it alone.

No cheeseballs for this crew. It would cause Megan to "pull an Evan" in the van. :rotfl2:

Darn. I was hoping Jasmine would show up, too.
 


Just wanted to pop in and say goodbye....we leave for Disney tomorrow. I am taking my laptop with me so I'll check for an update when I can. :goodvibes
 
Just wanted to pop in and say goodbye....we leave for Disney tomorrow. I am taking my laptop with me so I'll check for an update when I can. :goodvibes

Have a great trip! I'll try not to overload your bandwidth with too many updates. :lmao:
 
So as we left Yellowstone we had a bit of a jaunt to get to our next hotel stop. (about 250 miles or so) So we were fortunate in the fact that we were in Montana, land of the "no posted speed limit durring daylight hours." Or something like that. So we engaged the hyperdrive and took it to Ludicrous Speed. Furtunately we didn't quite make to plaid or I'd have a bit of explaining to do.

Anyways, our drive was fairly uneventful during the daylight hours, however, about twilight (with 150 miles to go) we hit a snag. The road we were routed to travel on was, well, no longer paved. I'm sute that Montana DOT had a project on the books or something, they just forgot to register it with AAA. Well we figured that we'd fight on through and sure enough, the road was paved again about 10 miles down. This was fine until we hit a railroad crossing where we decided to take the opportunity to rustle up some evening snacks for the kids from the back of the van. What came next was the biggest shocker of all.

Mosquitoes. Lots of them. And they were hungry. So I moved as quickly as I could and got everyone situated, but wouldn't you know a few of the vampire bugs decided to stay in the van. So for the next half hour or so all we heard from the back rows was "Mom, there's another one." SPLAT!

However, that was not the last we'd hear from the lost tribes of the blood sucking insects. We got back onto an Interstate and were making good time when we started to hear the sound... "plink, plink, plink plink plink". I turned to Erika and said (fully knowing the answer) "Is it raining outside dear?" Um, no. Not rain. Bugs. Lots and lots of bugs meeting a van going somewhere around 65 MPH (that 65 was for Fed's sake, it was really closer to 90) When we got to the hotel the front of the van had a mean 5 o'clock shadow.

So we got settled into our Hapton Inn in Great Falls, MT for a nice relaxing night. This room was really nice. Not as modern as the Springhill, or as spacious as the Best Western, but overall nice. We had 2 queen beds and a pull out which suited our family well. There was still room to walk through so we were all happy. The next morning we all helped ourselves to the complementary breakfast which was similar to the others we had earlier. Given that this was one of the cheapest rates we had, very happy! Solid B+ rating for Hampton Inn.

Well, we finished up breakfast and headed on north. Today's destination was...

GRANDMA'S HOUSE!!!! (oh, and Granddad too)

So we got moving and hit the road. Before we leaft the country, we wanted to send along some postcards to Nani and Opa back in Chicago so we stopped at a little post office near the border.

Can1.jpg


If you look closely, you can see all (yes ALL) of the mail recipient's boxes that they serve (I think it was 20 total).

It was a cute little town with a grain elevator, a general store (with gas pump) and this post office. Erika we're definitely not in Chicago anymore.

Well we mailed our post cards and headed on down the road to CANADA!!!

Can3.jpg


I always knew there would be a line to get in. Why wouldn't there be? Its Canada!

Seriously though, the line wnet farily quickly and we were on our way. We continued on toward Lethbridge and followed the signs for Hwy 2. I thought we were making really good time, until I saw a sign that said Fernie, 60 km. Um, Fernie is in BC, why would it only be 60 km away? Wait.... D'oh!!!! Missed that turn back at Lethbridge for Hwy 2. So we pulled the U-turn and enjoyed the scenery for the last 40 miles for a second time. Just cause.

We found the turn that I missed the first time and low and behold we were travelling North again. (and the crowd rejoiced) Unfortunately our little 40 mile detour although scenic, landed us in the middle of rush hour traffic in Calgary on the Wednesday before Canada Day. :headache: So we crawled though the Stampede City and every few minutes would point out to the girls, look out the left side, you can see the Calgary Tower and the Rockies. See that girls. :rolleyes1

All in all, it wasn't too bad, we got through Calgary in about 45 minutes (South side to North side) and were once again on the open road. One thing I forgot to mention was that the weather was beautiful! 85 degrees, sunny, perfect driving / sight seeing weather. The reason I remembered this now was that as we got close to Edmonton (about 30 miles away) we hit a storm. Big, nasty, thunderstorm. This is not atypical during the summer to have these big rainstorms in the middle of the afternoon. They typically blast for 30 minutes or so, then clear out. Well this one was a little different. It hung. And it was brutal. As we inched along the highway we watched the temperature plummet. As I said before it was 85 degrees, well by the time we pulled off the Highway, it was 55!!!! :scared1:

Fortunately the rain stopped for a while once we got to Grandma's and Grandad's house so that we could head inside and finally relax as the journey was done.

Up Next. A Canada Day BBQ and "Are those Dinosaurs in the woods?"
 
I'm sute that Montana DOT had a project on the books or something, they just forgot to register it with AAA.
A problem with the DOT causing problems for taxpayers! I've never heard of such a thing!

Mosquitoes. Lots of them. And they were hungry. So I moved as quickly as I could and got everyone situated, but wouldn't you know a few of the vampire bugs decided to stay in the van. So for the next half hour or so all we heard from the back rows was "Mom, there's another one." SPLAT!
Sorry to hear about the bugs.
I'm even sorryier to find out that I read this entire entry about mosquitoes and didn't see one "man, that sucks" reference. :sad2:


When we got to the hotel the front of the van had a mean 5 o'clock shadow.
Even worse is when you van is hungover. I don't even talk to my van on Saturday morning before he's had his 2nd cup of coffee.

If you look closely, you can see all (yes ALL) of the mail recipient's boxes that they serve (I think it was 20 total).
And I'll guarantee that you'll be the talk of the town for years to come.

"Hey, remember when that family from Chicago stopped and mailed some post cards?"
"Yup."
"That was cool."
"Yup."

Unfortunately our little 40 mile detour although scenic, landed us in the middle of rush hour traffic in Calgary on the Wednesday before Canada Day.
Rush hour in Calgary? What's that - a heard of cattle and few randomly roaming elk?

All in all, it wasn't too bad, we got through Calgary in about 45 minutes (South side to North side) and were once again on the open road.
Yeah, but what's the exchange rate? That's really like an hour and a half Canadian time, right?

As I said before it was 85 degrees, well by the time we pulled off the Highway, it was 55!!!! :scared1:
Welcome to Canada, eh?

Fortunately the rain stopped for a while once we got to Grandma's and Grandad's house so that we could head inside and finally relax as the journey was done.
:thumbsup2 Always nice to get out of the van knowing you'll be staying for a few days!
 
Furtunately we didn't quite make to plaid or I'd have a bit of explaining to do.
No explanation necessary. Well, maybe you'd have to explain how you got a non-Freezin Rafiki modified van to go that fast.

I'm sute that Montana DOT had a project on the books or something, they just forgot to register it with AAA.
Montana has a DOT? :confused3

Well, we finished up breakfast and headed on north. Today's destination was...

GRANDMA'S HOUSE!!!! (oh, and Granddad too)
Woohoo! :woohoo:

I always knew there would be a line to get in. Why wouldn't there be? Its Canada!
I thought the traffic jam was caused by mounties riding down the highway.:confused3

Wait.... D'oh!!!! Missed that turn back at Lethbridge for Hwy 2. So we pulled the U-turn and enjoyed the scenery for the last 40 miles for a second time. Just cause.
Do they have a DOT in Canada? Don't they put up highway signs?

So we crawled though the Stampede City and every few minutes would point out to the girls, look out the left side, you can see the Calgary Tower and the Rockies. See that girls. :rolleyes1
So, how long did this last before the groaning and eye rolling started in the back of the van?

As I said before it was 85 degrees, well by the time we pulled off the Highway, it was 55!!!! :scared1:
That actually probably felt pretty good! :rotfl2:

Up Next. A Canada Day BBQ and "Are those Dinosaurs in the woods?"
Canadian BBQ and dinosaurs... so in other words, the next update is going to be fictional? :lmao::rotfl2::rotfl:
 
So as we left Yellowstone we had a bit of a jaunt to get to our next hotel stop. (about 250 miles or so) So we were fortunate in the fact that we were in Montana, land of the "no posted speed limit durring daylight hours." Or something like that. So we engaged the hyperdrive and took it to Ludicrous Speed. Furtunately we didn't quite make to plaid or I'd have a bit of explaining to do.

Did anything happen when you hit 88 mph? I know I'm mixing my movie references here, but work with me.

Anyways, our drive was fairly uneventful during the daylight hours, however, about twilight (with 150 miles to go) we hit a snag. The road we were routed to travel on was, well, no longer paved. I'm sute that Montana DOT had a project on the books or something, they just forgot to register it with AAA.

Geez, you had a perfectly good road. Who says it has to be paved? All of these high-quality roads around the rest of the country (such as in Delaware) must have turned you into a road snob.

I bet in other countries, they don't even put signs up to tell you where you're going.

Mosquitoes. Lots of them. And they were hungry. So I moved as quickly as I could and got everyone situated, but wouldn't you know a few of the vampire bugs decided to stay in the van. So for the next half hour or so all we heard from the back rows was "Mom, there's another one." SPLAT!

Yuck. I know you're in Montana, but oddly enough, this reminds me of a vacation my family took to the Everglades.

I turned to Erika and said (fully knowing the answer) "Is it raining outside dear?" Um, no. Not rain. Bugs. Lots and lots of bugs meeting a van going somewhere around 65 MPH (that 65 was for Fed's sake, it was really closer to 90) When we got to the hotel the front of the van had a mean 5 o'clock shadow.

:eek: Were they locusts? Did you find any lamb's blood to paint over your door that night?

Given that this was one of the cheapest rates we had, very happy! Solid B+ rating for Hampton Inn.

Decent room, cheap rate, and free breakfast always makes for a winner. :thumbsup2

GRANDMA'S HOUSE!!!! (oh, and Granddad too)

So even when you're older, Dad is still the low man on the totem pole? Now I have nothing to look forward to.

If you look closely, you can see all (yes ALL) of the mail recipient's boxes that they serve (I think it was 20 total).

Exhibit A for why the Postal Service is losing money.

I always knew there would be a line to get in. Why wouldn't there be? Its Canada!

I heard Canada Day is also known as Free Beer Day. Did that have something to do with it? :confused3

We continued on toward Lethbridge and followed the signs for Hwy 2. I thought we were making really good time, until I saw a sign that said Fernie, 60 km. Um, Fernie is in BC, why would it only be 60 km away? Wait.... D'oh!!!! Missed that turn back at Lethbridge for Hwy 2. So we pulled the U-turn and enjoyed the scenery for the last 40 miles for a second time. Just cause.

See? I tried to warn you.

Big, nasty, thunderstorm. This is not atypical during the summer to have these big rainstorms in the middle of the afternoon. They typically blast for 30 minutes or so, then clear out. Well this one was a little different. It hung. And it was brutal. As we inched along the highway we watched the temperature plummet. As I said before it was 85 degrees, well by the time we pulled off the Highway, it was 55!!!! :scared1:

Lamb's blood, I'm tellin' ya.

Up Next. A Canada Day BBQ and "Are those Dinosaurs in the woods?"

No, it's just that giant beaver balloon from the Olympics.
 
A problem with the DOT causing problems for taxpayers! I've never heard of such a thing!

It was a road. They drove on it. They got where they wanted to go. Where's the problem? :confused3

Yeah, but what's the exchange rate? That's really like an hour and a half Canadian time, right?

:lmao::rotfl2::rotfl:

Do they have a DOT in Canada? Don't they put up highway signs?

See, you learn to appreciate us when we're not there.
 
A problem with the DOT causing problems for taxpayers! I've never heard of such a thing!

You understand my surprise then.

Sorry to hear about the bugs.
I'm even sorryier to find out that I read this entire entry about mosquitoes and didn't see one "man, that sucks" reference. :sad2:

Barry, I knew I could count on you. :sad2:

Even worse is when you van is hungover. I don't even talk to my van on Saturday morning before he's had his 2nd cup of coffee.

::yes::

And I'll guarantee that you'll be the talk of the town for years to come.

"Hey, remember when that family from Chicago stopped and mailed some post cards?"
"Yup."
"That was cool."
"Yup."

Sounds like the dialogue from a DisDad Meetup.

Rush hour in Calgary? What's that - a heard of cattle and few randomly roaming elk?

No, in Calgary they have horse trailers, cattle cars and oil rigs. It can cause quite a mess if there ever is a pile up.

Yeah, but what's the exchange rate? That's really like an hour and a half Canadian time, right?

I think you double it and add 30. So that would be like 2 hours or something.

Welcome to Canada, eh?

Take off Eh!

Always nice to get out of the van knowing you'll be staying for a few days!

::yes::

No explanation necessary. Well, maybe you'd have to explain how you got a non-Freezin Rafiki modified van to go that fast.

Remember, I've actually met the frozen monkey a couple of times. Maybe he modified something, maybe he didn't.

Montana has a DOT? :confused3
They do. Just not nearly as famous as those DeDOT guys. They get all the press. :lmao:

I thought the traffic jam was caused by mounties riding down the highway.:confused3

No way, the mounties are too polite. They always let the other guy go ahead.

Do they have a DOT in Canada? Don't they put up highway signs?

Signs, signs? We don't need no stinkin' signs.

So, how long did this last before the groaning and eye rolling started in the back of the van?

I don't know what you're talking about Andy. They were begging for more, at least that what I remember.

That actually probably felt pretty good!

It didn't bother me too much, but Erika was shall we say... put off by the temp.

Canadian BBQ and dinosaurs... so in other words, the next update is going to be fictional?

I did not say Canadian BBQ, that would be fictional. I said a BBQ in Canada.


Did anything happen when you hit 88 mph? I know I'm mixing my movie references here, but work with me.

We saw some serious splat. :rotfl2: (Thanks for that setup there Capt!)

Geez, you had a perfectly good road. Who says it has to be paved? All of these high-quality roads around the rest of the country (such as in Delaware) must have turned you into a road snob.

Actually even though it wasn't paved it still was better than 90% of the Chicago roads after the winter thaw and exposure of all the pot holes caused by our snow removal folks.

I bet in other countries, they don't even put signs up to tell you where you're going.

Signs, signs? We don't need no stinkin' signs.
(is it wrong to quote yourself in the same multi-quote :confused3)

Yuck. I know you're in Montana, but oddly enough, this reminds me of a vacation my family took to the Everglades.

Yeah it was.... memorable.... :sick:

:eek: Were they locusts? Did you find any lamb's blood to paint over your door that night?

Sorry, they were fresh out at the local 7-11. Maybe I should have tried the Circle K.

Decent room, cheap rate, and free breakfast always makes for a winner. :thumbsup2

:thumbsup2:thumbsup2 (2 thumbs up!)

So even when you're older, Dad is still the low man on the totem pole? Now I have nothing to look forward to.

Well, you have your looks to fall back on..... yeah you got nothing. :rotfl2:

Exhibit A for why the Postal Service is losing money.

I also think that Elvis was the postmaster.

I heard Canada Day is also known as Free Beer Day. Did that have something to do with it? :confused3

Free Beer in Canada? Now that is blasphemous. Canadian Beer should never be given away for free.

See? I tried to warn you.

I didn't know you could predict the future. :confused3 Got next week's lotto numbers handy too? :rolleyes1

Lamb's blood, I'm tellin' ya.

Yeah, I gotta put some of that in the emergency kit for next trip.

No, it's just that giant beaver balloon from the Olympics.

The beaver is a proud and noble animal.

It was a road. They drove on it. They got where they wanted to go. Where's the problem? :confused3

Now I understand the DOT logic base. :rolleyes1

See, you learn to appreciate us when we're not there.

You're right, when I need to rest on a shovel, I like knowing my local DOT is close by. :rotfl2:
 
Great update. Too bad about those nasty mosquitos and the van being covered with bugs--YUCK! But glad you reached your destination safely and were able to settle in.
 
Great update. Too bad about those nasty mosquitos and the van being covered with bugs--YUCK! But glad you reached your destination safely and were able to settle in.

Thanks Kathy. Hope you are enjoying your trip.
 
I'm so glad I stumbled upon this TR from another Disney TR! It's a nice, refreshing sidetrip away from WDW.

I read all of your pages, and since the NW is a part of our country that I have never been able to visit, I am thoroughly enjoying the virtual trip. :thumbsup2

Looking forward to visiting the grandparents. :surfweb:

ps - only thing worse than massive amounts of bugs hitting your vehicle, is trying to get the glued carcasses off! :scared1:
 

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