A Day in the Life

 After a great continental breakfast at the Riverside Inn, Kamloops, and packing up the van, I was intending on enjoying the rest of my coffee in a lounge chair here before driving to Vancouver . . .  the boys had cooperated in helping to load the van and Jackson tried to hand me my coffee cup.  Unfortunately, it slipped and the lid came off and spilled all over the table and Xavier's journal.  Oops.  So we cleaned up and headed off with the journal on top of the luggage and the back windows open to dry the pages. 

 We (again!) had chosen the scenic route instead of the the toll highway down to Vancouver.  We anticipated about 6.5 hours on the road, plus stops.  We were intending on stopping in Whistler for lunch and then the Capilano Suspension Bridge on our way into Vancouver.  We found the "highway" we were looking for was filled with one lane bridges, construction, and a deep canyon next to the road with hairpin corners and 30kph and lots of signs saying appropriately  "SLOW".  Dave took over the driving near Lillooet.  Quite entertaining with a heavily loaded mini-van and a cargo carrier on the roof!  At least you felt like you were driving in the mountains. 

We pulled off at a scenic lookout here at Duffy Lake and I was ready to abandon the rest of our trip and build a log cabin right here.   I think it was reserve land though as there were no homes in the area at all.  

 A provincial park nearby had an equally enchanting view just a few minutes from the parking lot.  And in another "a day in the life of . . ." moment, just after this great photo was taken, Jack and I stood up, but Jack's foot slipped and he fell backwards, sitting down in the lake and knocking Xavier off his rocky perch as well!  So, Jack had wet shorts and Xavier had wet socks & shoes!  I hauled them out too quickly for Dave to refocus for a photo (he had been zooming in on the glacier) . . . but as you can see below, no one could agree on who's fault the accident was!  Again, no fear of any bears coming too close, the boys' argument echoed off the hillside.

Back in the car we go after changing into dry clothes.  Next stop was Whistler, about an hour away.  The boys were playing their DS games and didn't want to get out.  I pulled a Mommy's the boss card and we headed to Starbuck's for a strawberries and creme frappachino to share while the boys played in the playground.  We found the Olympic Rings photo spot and I requested that J & X go and SIT in the bottom 2 rings, one in each.  See how well they follow instructions????  Xavier insisted that he wanted to be in the top centre ring . . .  LIttle personalities shining through! 

We finally made it to North Vancouver and the Capillano Suspension Bridge.  Our boys had absolutely no fear.  Dave enjoyed walking "just so" with his feet spread wide so that the bridge wobbled and swung gently from side to side.  He tells me it's all about the rhythm . . .  The park has a great Nature Board walk area, Treetop walkway, Cliff Walk and the suspension bridge of course!

Many of the trees were too big for the boys to hug - they just managed this one!

Mom, this photo's for you!  Toes under the fence and over the edge . . .

Xavier was just running through, so I had to slow him down and help him enjoy the view!

Who's kids are these???  I asked if it felt like they were standing on nothing when they were on the glass panels.  "No, there are little squares all over it!"  This was their solution to get a more authentic experience.   Good thing we made it there for 5pm (it was closing at 6).   We saved 30% and didn't disturb too many other guests as we were some of the only people left!   The boys pretty much ran the trails entirely.  

It took another hour to drive through downtown Vancouver and make it to our hotel in Richmond, but we had a treat waiting for us - Grandma & Grandpa had arrived earlier and helped us unload the van.  We had reached the Pacific ocean and the end of the first stage of our adventure - driving out west!  It was a nice reunion . . . and the hotel had free cookies for the boys.  We made tuna and ham sandwiches in the hotel room for dinner and went to sleeeeeeep.

Signing up for Adventure

  Another bright, sunny day dawned and we took the plunge to book a white water rafting trip down the Athabasca River in Jasper National Park.  Dave's back was feeling a bit better than the prior week and the boys seemed keen.  It drove me crazy to have the little ones behind me where I couldn't see them, but the guide actually kept a very close eye on them and kept Xavier within arm's reach.  No one fell out, but wow did we get wet!  

After this part of the run, Jackson was a bit tired of paddling and actually went right to the front of the boat and knelt down in the centre to make sure he got wet!  Xavier didn't want to try being a human "windshield" and stayed back near Daddy. 

Both boys got a bit cold near the end of the one hour trip down the river, despite their wetsuits, boots and jackets, but fun was had by all.  And we had amazing views of the mountains all around us the whole time. 

Mount Robson!  Highest peak in the Rockies.  Nope, didn't climb it, but they boys "conquered" it in their own little way. 

My little bear cubs . . . honestly, they can hardly keep their paws off each other.   We've certainly signed up for a year of adventure, 24/7 with these 2 soon-to-be-kiwis in tow. 

Prettiest Drive in Canada?

  There are lots of places that claim to have the prettiest drive in Canada, including the Niagara Parkway!  I won't make a definitive choice since we haven't driven enough roads around this country, but we did take over 200 photos in one day driving from Banff to Jasper.   First stop was a refreshing hike over the catwalks in Johnston's Canyon to the lower falls where we ducked through a short tunnel to feel the mist.

Picnic lunch of leftover pizza at Moraine Lake, the boys (all 3 of them!) were most interested in climbing over the rocks . . .

 Mandatory stop at Lake Louise for a photo op, there were lots of other people around, not sure how we managed to not get them in the photo . . . and yes, the boys checked out the temperature of the water with their hands - icy!

 Pretty sure this is Bow Lake, but by this point, they all start to look the same!

 We made it to the Columbia Ice Field Centre around 4pm, just in time to climb on one of the last bus tours for the day.  It was a brilliantly sunny day out on the ice, we collected some glacier water to drink and as you can see, this was the only day the boys wore their long pants.  (Jackson had pitched a fit at home for almost half an hour when I was packing because I required him to try on his pants so I could see which ones would be suitable.  He said that he would never wear them even if I packed them . . . )

 The funniest moment of the day was after almost 15 minutes walking around on the glacier, Xavier picked up a piece of ice and  exclaimed "Ice, I found ice!"  Some days I swear he is the "blondest" boy on the planet.  Eventually we had to put them back in the bus as they made it their mission to try to poke holes in the ice and were starting to get wet feet!

 Athabasca Falls

 Most surprising moment of the day came as we entered the town of Jasper and spotted 3 elk, two females and this male on the side of the road.  I shouted for the boys to look up from playing their DS's to make sure they caught a glimpse.  Xavier assured me that he had seen them already and didn't know what all the fuss was about!  *Spoilt kids*  Jackson was much more compliant with giving comments like "Wow - cool mountain" whenever I asked them to look up and see the spectacular sights.  The oldest child knows it's best to keep mommy happy!
 

PS  We topped off the evening with bacon & cheese elk burgers for dinner - YUM!