Three May Not Always be a Charm!

Day Four
Regina to Calgary
Kilometers Travelled; 750

So, I learned a few things today, two small boys plus 3, 10 hour driving days, equals trouble and GORP can become lava! Our day started out like the last two, big blue skys, perfect driving conditions. The difference today was the manic energy level of Will and Nate. I will preface all this by saying that for two small people they have been doing remarkable well and even today was completely tolerable except for a few shortish lived moments. A few minutes into the drive Will was looking out the window saying, "not a cloud in the sky, the sky couldn't get any bluer!" At that point I was thinking we were going to have another day of post card perfect Canadian Family moments. The problem is these boys are now exhausted and Nate has chosen this trip to have a massive growth spurt. There is a constant moan from the back seat of, "Mommy, I'm still hungry!" After distracing Nate with stories, movies and the high five game for about an hour he couldn't contain him self any more, he had reached hungry emergency. Being a prepared mother, I packed a big snack bucket for the car so we weren't short on food. I fully admit that I am more than a little OCD about what we all eat and the amount of garbage we produce so I thought that GORP would be the perfect snack, healthy and I could pour it into reusable containers for the boys. I did not think this through, or I did not think how this food could be used by bored boys. I passed the snack back to the boys and I thought I had bought Ken and I good amount of quiet time. After only a few minutes I felt something hit me on the head, and then another thing, Ken turned around to see what was going on. Turns out that thing was a cashew. Ken could not believe his eyes, there were streams of GORP shooting into the air, he boomed, "what are you doing?" To which Nate replied, it's lava, look Daddy, the volcano is erupting," as he gleefully tossed another stream of GORP up in the air. The moments that followed were not the best moments of the trip but we did have two quiet, contrite boys who vowed to clean up the car at the Alberta boarded before any fun was to be had.

The land scape of the day changed more then I remember it changing on my last trek. Although, it was great excitement when there was a curve or slight hill in the highway. Somewhere in the middle of Saskatchewan we found the iconic wheat field. We turned down a rustic dirt road got out to take that prairie picture that anyone doing a cross Canada drive has to have. The boys got out with their Saskatchewan flags proudly waving and posed dutifully for the pictures. All that big space and warm wind felt so good. You really can see for ever and the air smells like the most delicious mix of wheat and wild flowers. For the later half of the Province the prairie would morph into rough and rolling bad lands and then back to the sweeping expanse of flat fields. As we reached the Alberta Boarder there was again great excitement, as the big moment approached Will yelled, "All Saskatchewan flags waving NOW! Good by Saskatchewan, hello Alberta!" After a thorough car cleaning the boys had a great time picnicking, running and playing. Nate and I ran races in hopes that it would tire him out enough for a good afternoon nap. This however was not to be and the last hour of the drive became a game of keeping Nate happy at all costs. At 5:15 we finally arrived at our destination. We are staying with family friends here in Calgary. Lisa and Don welcomed us and we had a great dinner together with just a few glasses of wine. We are now in one place for the next few days, something we are all very happy about! Tomorrow the Boate Team invades the city, I'll keep you posted!