Calaway Park and The Great Rondini

One of the things that I love as a dad is when the kids do things for each other that are not provoked by Michelle or I.  Since the beginning of the trip, Josh has told us that he wanted to buy Emma a Beenie Boo dog named Root Beer with the money he has saved up.  So while in Drumheller, Josh found Root Beer at a Pharmasave and bought it for Emma.  On our way to Calgary, Emma asked Michelle if there were any presents for this trip and to her surprise Josh gave her his gift to her.  I am so proud of you Josh!  I hope Jamie and Emma realize what a great big brother they have in you!!

We headed off to Calaway Park in Calgary for some entertainment and rides.  We split up for a little while so that the boys could do some of the bigger rides that Emma could not do . . . yes, it is the height thing again.  

Quit picking on your little sister!

I think my favourite ride was the Freefall, where the whole family got to ride together.  Essentially it was like the Tower of Terror in Disneyland, but much more calmer and lower.  When the ride got to the top and dropped Michelle cried out, “I thought this was a kiddie ride!!”  I loved listening to Emma scream then giggle, scream then giggle, as the ride went up and down over and over again.  I think the boys enjoyed listening to their little sister and watching her reaction more than the ride itself.  When we got off of the ride Emma turned to me and said, “my throat hurts”.  

Gee I wonder where she gets it from?

We did a couple more rides and the kids played a game where they fished for snapping fishes.  Once again the boys are looking out for their little sister.  Both Josh and Jamie won a medium prize, which was a stuffed dog.  Whereas Emma won a small prize, which turned out to be a squishy yo-yo ball that she probably would have been okay with except that her brothers won a stuffie.  As Jamie could see the disappointment in her eyes, he offered her the stuffie in exchange for the squishy ball in which she happily agreed to.  Another proud moment as a dad!  Emma is very lucky to have you two as her big brothers. 

On our way out, we were able to check off another thing off of Emma’s summer bucket list, which was to eat a candy apple.  Emma chose a caramel apple with chocolate and sprinkles, while the boys decided to try a maze/obstacle course instead.  Lets just say that the boys were not too impressed with their choice as the maze was not that good and they had to watch Emma eat her caramel apple all the way to Uncle Skip and Uncle Ron’s house.  It was a little torturous for Josh and Jamie as Emma’s lips were smacking and the sweet smell of caramel wafted through our truck.

Emma held off other candy apple until her wiggly tooth fell out.

Today we were treated to a home cooked lasagna meal at Uncle Ron’s house.  Dinner was delicious and the hospitality was great.  Ron spoiled the kids with multiple treats and gifts.  The kids received a game called rings, which is like lawn darts but much safer.  I haven’t quite got the hang of this game yet as my throws are very inconsistent.  They were also treated with chocolate milk at dinner and ice cream cones for dessert.  The coolest thing they got was an eco-flower of the wild rose in honour of Alberta’s provincial flower.  The flower comes in an environmentally friendly bamboo box that after one year you plant the whole box into the ground where it will decompose into the ground providing rich fertilizer for the plant.  A very thoughtful evening that everyone enjoyed . . . but wait there is more! 

We were treated to the inaugural showing of The Great Rondini, card trick extraordinaire.  Despite the warm evening and the hot flashes experienced by The Great Rondini in the pre-show, the card tricks went off with out a hitch.  I loved watching the kids’ faces and The Great Rondini’s face when the trick was revealed, as that sense of wonder and amazement that the trick actually worked was clearly written on their faces.  This combination of humour and talent may find its way on Grammy’s favourite TV show, America’s Got Talent!  Ron even shared one of his tricks to Josh and Jamie where they got to try it themselves.  Josh has been inspired and has been trying different magic tricks at the trailer.  The kids are already planning their mini-shows to put on for Ron and Skip the next time we meet.

Not too sure what to make of this???

Seriously??  Who thought this would be a good idea?  This is quite the eye sore when you are trying to have a relaxing fire!!!  I don't get it!

Hoodoos / Bernie’s and Brothers / Wayne 11 Bridges

Today, Papa and Grammy joined us as we went to the Hoodoos for a hike . . . more like a climb! 

As we started up the hill, the kids wanted to make it up to the top, of course.  So after a brief look at the Hoodoos, we started our ascent up with Grammy and Papa.  About half way up Grammy and Papa decided that they had gone far enough, however, the kids wanted to continue climbing.  

Note the coffee cup in Papa's hand!  

As we got higher and higher, there was less and less things to grab onto and less traction on our feet.  The steep incline and loose sandy gravel made the trek up harder and harder.  At some points the kids looked like Spiderman climbing up with their hands and feet.  As we neared the top of the climb, the pathway up was getting steeper and slipperier . . . it was like we were nearing the peak of Everest when the voice of reason kicked in and said, “I think we should stop now, I’m getting worried about going down this”.  That voice of reason of course was Michelle, despite seeing the peak within reach we decided that we should head down . . . our Everest would have to wait until another day.  It was a good thing that we started to head down since I had to carefully walk the kids down a section at a time to ensure their safe passage down.  Michelle would go first so that she could wait with Emma as I went back up to get the boys.  So we climbed down section by section, carefully and slowly.  As Michelle put it, “we risked our children’s lives for a good blog post.  This family adventure gave the kids a sense of accomplishment by pushing their limits, but also reinforcing that sense of trust and teamwork in each other in making it down safely.  I must admit my legs were getting pretty tired, as I had to climb up and down each section with the kids.

Finding a cool place to rest

Just about at the bottom.

We made it down in one piece!

If you look way up in the picture you will notice that the path splits into two or three pathways, which is where we climbed to.  

On our way home from the Hoodoos, we stopped at the Star Mine Suspension Bridge, which was used by the miners from 1931 until 1957.  The bridge is 117 meters long and sways very easily as you cross.  Before we crossed the bridge, I grabbed the wires that were holding the bridge and started to move them back and forth and I said to Josh, “Do you think this will hold us up?”  His response was, “It doesn’t seem that strong”.  I guess he wasn’t that worried because he continued onto the bridge without any hesitation.  

When we crossed over the bridge, the boys wanted to climb the hill on the other side . . . I was like no way!  “I dragged your guys’ butts off of the Hoodoos and I don’t want to do it again!”  Dale said to me that they wanted to conquer something today, so up I started again with the boys.  Michelle said that she would wait down below and then asked Emma, “do you want to stay down here or go up with daddy?” . . . knowing full well that she would want to stay with the boys.  So up I went with Papa and the kids up another hill.  

We are the king of the world!

This was a much easier climb, which was great because I was getting pretty tired.  When Josh got to the top of the hill he looked down and screamed at Michelle and Grammy, “I am the king of the world!!!”  Dale was right, they just wanted to get to the top of something.  We found some old nails and some coal that Jamie really wanted to show Grammy and mommy.  This time the trip down was pretty easy with no real problem areas for the kids, which was great for me.

A quick lunch and a dip in the town center fountain to cool off and then on to the next thing on our list of things to do!

One of the things on our list of things to do was to go to a place called Bernie and The Boys Bistro, which was featured on the television show You Gotta Eat Here.  

We decided to go for an early dinner, so we met Papa and Grammy at the small restaurant.  The menu is quite large, but they are famous for their burgers and milkshakes.  Emma ordered the chicken fingers and fries with an Avalanche (Slushie and ice cream together), Josh ordered the toonie burger with a toasted marshmallow milkshake, Jamie ordered the toonie burger with a root beer milkshake, Michelle ordered the mushroom burger with a chocolate milkshake, I ordered the G’s Special with a strawberry milkshake, and as a family we shared some poutine!!!!  

No that is not all mine!!!

All I can say is WOW!!  The shakes are creamy delicious and the burger was a seven napkiner . . . yes seven napkins!!!!  The first bite is monstrous as you try to figure out how you are going to tackle this behemoth . . . as you sink your teeth in, you can’t hide your first bite as the evidence of sauce and fixings is all over your face.  Next time I know to have napkins ready to go.  The only thing I would change in my meal would be to order the root beer milkshake.  Michelle was a little shocked that I ate the whole burger . . . no need for the double or triple burger, the single is more than enough.  A definite repeat for me if we ever venture back here again.

I think they were rolling me out the back door at this time!  Maybe it should be renamed Emma and The Boys!

On our way home, we decided to take a little detour to an old mining community called Wayne.  At one point the population of the town was about 2500 people in its hey day.  Today there is a sign that has a flip counter on it that says the population is currently at 38 people!  

The only thing remaining there is the Rosedeer Hotel built in 1913, the Last Chance Saloon, and the Bee’s Knees and Confection. 

So why did we make this little detour, well the road leading to this ghost town is in the Guiness Book Of World Records.  As you travel the six kilometer drive off of the highway we crossed eleven, mostly one lane, bridges that criss-crossed over the Rosebud River.  According to the Guiness Book of World Records it has the most bridges covering the shortest distance traveled.  This was more of a personal want to take the family over the 11 bridges that made it into the Guiness Book.  When you make the turn off to the Rosedeer Hotel, you have only crossed nine bridges at that time, so after a short visit in Bee’s Knees and Confection store, we hopped back into the truck and continued over the last two bridges . . . just to say that we did it.   A U-turn up the road and we were headed back to the trailer.  Another very busy, fun-filled day in Drumheller. 

Drumheller and The Royal Tyrrell Museum

I am not too sure what it is about Drumheller, but once again we are celebrating our wedding anniversary there . . . we have been married for thirteen years and we have spent two anniversaries there.  It is funny how things sometimes work itself out.  One big difference is that we have one more child in tow as Emma was not born yet.  The first time we were here, Michelle and I enjoyed a Chinese take out dinner from a local grocery store that we ate in the trailer.  This year, we all headed out to Boston Pizza for our anniversary dinner in Drumheller for some good eats. 

I think the township of Drumheller should trim some of their bushes.  How many pictures have been ruined because of this bush.

A Boston Brute, fries and a root beer, who could go wrong.

It was fun going back to the Royal Tyrrell Museum again with the kids as we were able to share some of the stories and experiences from the last time we were here.  

When we got to the museum in the morning, we did the short hike around the museum since the sun wasn’t blazing yet.  The boys enjoyed running around the natural playground that Mother Nature had provided them.  Emma pretended to be a zero year old, yes a zero year old, learning to walk, talk, and run.  Michelle always comes up with these games with her to keep her appeased and moving forward.  My solution is, “come on Emma, quit whining and lets move” . . . I guess Michelle’s strategy seems to keep everyone happy, including me.

We enrolled the kids in a couple of classes at the museum.  The boys did a class called Jr. Dig Experience where they got to excavate in a realistic quarry.   They walked about 2 km where they learned about an excavation site and the process of removing bones from the earth.  This was the first time that our boys have been in a program where we were not there . . . oh the freedom . . . two gone Emma to go.  The boys had a blast in the program asking lots of interesting questions according to teacher Fred. 

Emma was enrolled in a program called, Dino Adventure Hour, where she got to learn about dinosaurs, hold real fossils and work in an indoor dig.  She also got to make a funky hat with dinosaur stickers on it.  

Michelle decided that she would go with Emma . . . so what did this mean to me??  FREEDOM!!!  So what did I do with my time with no family you ask . . . well, I took my time taking in the museum slowing down and reading the many things that I missed the last time we were here.  No seriously, I must admit that I was drawn to the cafeteria a couple of times, but I resisted the temptation to buy anything . . . no really!!  I know it is hard to believe.  Love my kids, but they go for what’s interesting to them visually, which I understand.  So this was my chance to read the different stories and facts that went along with many of the displays. 

When we regrouped as a family after the programs were over, we walked through the museum together.  This time around I was able to experience the museum through the eyes of my kids and looking at things that they thought were interesting.  An awesome experience both times!

After the day at the museum, we picked up some rocks that the kids could excavate using the skills that they learned in their course.   The kids found several polished rocks inside their pieces.  

Buddy and The Rodeo

This morning the kids somehow saw a frog behind the trailer’s wheel . . . so the hunt was on, which resulted in Buddy being captured.  Buddy kept the kids busy for most of the morning as they looked for flies and crickets to feed him.  I am saying him, but it could have been a her . . . there were no distinguishable body parts to make it clear to me, so I am going with a him based on the name the kids gave him.  As the kids roamed around the campground looking for things to put in Buddy’s habitat (which was a bucket with a badminton racket taped to the top of it) they met up with another boy who also had a frog.  

The search was on for more frogs, which resulted in a total of four frogs.  The kids really enjoyed playing with and taking care of the frogs, which resulted in talks about taking them home.  Michelle talked them out of it, but of course Josh wanted to make a deal.  He is all about the “deal” right now, even though we usually don’t give into his deals.  Josh’s deal was that if they released the frogs, they could get a pet when they got home.  Emma was an easy sell as we had already promised her that we would get her knew fish.  Jamie wanted a frog since that is what his most recent experience was and because his uncle had a frog once.  Josh on the other hand wanted something that he could train to do tricks.  He thought about getting a parrot to teach it to speak, then he thought about getting a guinea pig/hamster to teach it how to jump through hoops, but then he settled on getting a chipmunk so that he could teach it to sing and dance.  Letting the frogs go to return to their natural environment was a little tough on Emma as she cried a little and told us that she did not want to leave the next day.  I wish them all luck in getting their pet when we get home!

The plan for today was to head to a small rodeo in the township of Consul, which was about an hour away from Maple Creek.  There seemed to be only one main road in the town that brought you to a place that seemed like a slower pace to the everyday rush that we are accustomed to.  The rodeo consisted of bronco riding, bull riding, roping and a couple of other events.  The kids enjoyed all of the events, but particularly liked the trick riding. 

Yee Haw!!!

It was really cool to see a different lifestyle being celebrated than what we are used to seeing in our hometown.  Most of the kids were wearing cowboy hats and cowboy boots and dressed in typical western outfits.  You could tell that it was a way of life for these families.  The coolest thing that I saw was when we arrived, there were about five or six kids chasing each other around with ropes trying to lasso each other.  Watching these kids run around playing this game was no different than watching my kids play road hockey with their friends.  Different experiences, different lifestyles, different games, but similar in fun and enjoyment . . . kids being kids.  Emma loved feeding the cows and horses hay while they were in their corrals.  At first she would walk nervously towards the animals and throw the hay into the pens . . . it was interesting because the cows and horses were just as nervous about Emma as she was of them.  Seeing these huge animals back away from this pint-sized girl was quite entertaining.  As Emma became more confident with them, so did they . . . they realized that this little girl was not there to hurt them, but to feed them.  Within about 15 minutes she was feeding the animals from her hand . . . she thought the cows’ tongues were hysterical, as she would imitate them after they took the hay from her hands. 

Emma loved feeding the cows and horses hay.

I am glad that we got to see a different side of Canada . . . small town, rural Saskatchewan, taking in a local rodeo, parachuting in and exposing the kids to a different type of entertainment and lifestyle than their own.

Hello Cow

A prairie zamboni!!

We have been seeing these hay rolls all over the prairies and Jamie wanted to take a picture beside one of them.

Emma enjoyed helping Papa packing up the trailer.

Emma helping Papa change the tire.

Emma jacking up the trailer and lowering it again.