Why Did the Dinosaurs Have to Die?

(Note: Due to today's travel schedule, I am not taking the normal time at Tim's to upload pictures. They will come later!)

In the past few weeks, death has been a pretty regular topic of discussion in our household. Our kids have been trying to deal with the reality of Kathleen, an issue that still brings them to tears, and suddenly I was flying home for the funeral of Papa’s dad. Then, I think unexpectedly for them, Vera was gone. We had told them about Vera for several weeks, but I don’t think they fully grasped what it meant. Yesterday and today, at various points, tears were shed for Vera. I suspect many more will come.

The Pacific Ocean.

Today, however, the tears were also shed for the dinosaurs. I vacillate between thinking Evelyn gets what death means and the more probably reality that she doesn’t quite understand. She knows it is bad. She also knows she doesn’t like it. Beyond that, I’m not quite sure what she knows. Today, as we stared at the amazing display of a fossilized dinosaur still in the ground where it had been discovered at Dinosaur Provincial Park, Evelyn shed tears for the dinosaurs.

Climbing in the badlands at Dinosaur Provincial Park.

She kept asking, “Why did the dinosaurs have to die?”

It is a great question, and one that I didn’t answer well. I did try, of course. I explained that everything that is alive eventually dies, that death was part of life. I tried to postulate specific reasons why that particular dinosaur died – perhaps he/she drowned, or was old, or sick. No matter the response, she remained sad not only that the dinosaurs had to die, but that that particular dinosaur had to die.

The sadness for Vera, for Kathleen, for Terry Fox (Evelyn was quite upset that Terry Fox died), and for the dinosaurs has all melded into one big ball of emotion. So, the last day or so we’ve kept brave faces, for the most part. In addition to wanting to be brave for the kids, any sign of sadness might turn Evelyn into a sobbing mess.

I keep reminding Evelyn, and the other girls, that we were lucky to know Vera. Not everyone had the same opportunity as we did. Similarly, we were lucky to know Kathleen. Our lives have been improved by them both – and many others.

It is the many others that have been mostly neglected in the last few blog posts. It is difficult to spend time recounting fun activities – and there have been many – when one’s mind is clouded by grief and sadness. We have had tremendous fun in spite of our mourning. Starting with our time in Jasper, we’ve been surrounded by people we love the past week.

Jasper, of course, included Seth, Kayla, Peyton, Lucas, Dan and Sharline. After Jasper we spent a few days with Gary. As I noted in an earlier post, we love spending time with Gary. In addition to the interesting and challenging conversations, Gary is fun to be around. On Friday, Gary took us to Alice Lake where Leia and I both tried paddle boarding for the first time. I think we annoyed Gary a bit when we both picked it up quickly. Leia did fall once, and I happened to catch the tail end of it. Jordan “fell” as well, when I pushed her off. She’s had trust issues since.

Leia paddle boarding.

Jordan and I paddle boarding.

Leaving Gary on Saturday was actually tough. In part, this is because I didn’t feel we got enough time. Graciously, he was receptive to us using his house as a meeting place with Luke and Lisa. While an important night, I did wish I could be at two places at once. I guess I’ll just have to go back to Squamish soon.

After we left Squamish, we met Eric and Julia and Becky, and eventually Joe, at Stanley Park. It was fun to just chat, to see where Eric and Julia exchanged their vows (Third Beach), and to watch the girls play in the ocean. Becky, who is a follower of this blog, and one of the people who encouraged me to start a blog, had brought the girls a nice souvenir gift. Having read previous posts, one of the items each girl received was a pack of gum.

At Third Beach in Stanley Park.

We left Stanley Park and headed to Lac Le Jeune, a campsite I picked in BC based on location and driving time, and nothing else. I’d happily return – but I’ll need to figure out how to make my        battery power work (Dad told me to test it out prior to leaving, but alas I did not listen). En route to Vancouver Island, Dave and Krysten joined us for dinner and the evening. It was great to catch up with some old friends. It was also great to see Marley interact with their dogs. Those of you that know Marley are aware that she’s a bit skittish around dogs. For example, for every stop or visit prior to Lac Le Jeune, she’d ask if the friends we were going to see had a dog. Having been bit by a dog as a kid – a small, evil dog, so fortunately only a small bite – I don’t blame Mars at all. Poor Milo suffered Mars’ conquering of her fears. Bhaer, Amos and Faith’s dog, is largely responsible for Marley gaining nerve. In the past few weeks, Mars has done a great job. She never indicated she was afraid of Seth and Kayla’s puppy, Gnessy. With Milo she went from stand-offish to full-on spend two hours with a dog. Now, Milo is tiny, so Mars had little to fear. Milo, on the other hand, had much to fear. As Jordan walked Jay, the rescue dog, Marley dragged Milo. By the end of the night, we were quite enjoying poking fun at how scared Milo seemed to be of being dragged about by Mars. Seeing Marley overcome some of her fears was great to watch.

After Lac Le Jeune, we headed to Banff. Although a beautiful place, we had perhaps our worst campsite of the trip (admittedly, Saskatoon even without the mosquitos was also pretty awful). To have power, we stayed in essentially a parking lot for RVs. It is a step above staying at Walmart, but not by much. What made Banff enjoyable was seeing Rhonda and Mike. The next time we see them, they will be plus one. We’re excited for them to have their first baby, as they’ll be great parents. Mike is a crazy cyclist, and if we find ourselves in closer proximity, I think I’ll get him to teach the girls and I how to ride properly. As I posted earlier, we had dessert at Banff Springs. It was nice of them to drive from Calgary to Banff just to say hello.

With Mike and Rhonda in Banff.

After Banff, we headed here – that is, Dinosaur Provincial Park. This was a highly anticipated stop. Leia and I have been here before (as was Jordan, when she was 9 months old), and loved it. Scott, a classmate from law school, and his two kids, Evelyn and Grayson, were due to meet us there for a night. I was nervous about rain. We left Banff just as it started to rain. It was spitting in Calgary as we got groceries, and on and off as we drove towards the park. And, most ominous of all, there were massive rain clouds in every direction. Thankfully, Scott and the kids stuck to the plan and met us at the park. It never really did rain. It did get to be a late night, however, as Scott and I sat around the fire until nearly 3 am catching up.

The two Evelyns.

Not only were we not rained on, so far on this trip I’ve not yet set up or torn down in the rain, and I’ve only once packed up the trailer when it was a bit damp. I’m expecting a tornado. We’ve mostly avoided crazy weather, and hopefully that trend continues. Tomorrow we’re aiming to get up around 5am to pack up and head off. We decided to spend two night at Rushing River Provincial Park outside Kenora, where I stayed with the girls on the way west. The hope is to rent a canoe or boat and do some fishing – maybe at the campground, or maybe on Lake of the Woods. Either way, to arrive tomorrow means a 15-hour (or so) drive. Our longest. That means if there are few pictures with this blog it is a consequence of having slow internet at a quick stop. No long stops tomorrow, just trucking through.

Exploring at Dinosaur Provincial Park.

After Rushing River we are on the last leg of the journey home. That too will include friends, as we plan to stop in Sault Ste. Marie to see Patrick and Renee and their boys.

Along with Jordan’s 14” bass, one of my favourite memories of this trip will be the time spent with family and friends. I only wish there were more time.

I know that as we continue along on our journey we’ll be excited to get home. Normalcy for the kids will spell relief for us. We look forward to sharing our memories of the trip with family and friends in Ontario. We’re excited that Priscilla and Mark are supposed to be there when we arrive. And of course, there is the garden!

For now, I’ll just listen to the coyotes yelp (I tried to wake Jordan, who loves coyotes, so she could hear, but alas, the wee gal is tired!).

Vera Evelyn Leavoy

I’m not quite sure where to start. Quite a lot has transpired in the past few days. Suffice it to say, the shape of Leia’s family has shifted dramatically.

Saturday morning, we were awoken with the news of Auntie Vera’s passing. Vera was Leia’s only family for the past six years. She has been an important part of our lives. She was loved, and she will be missed. We knew that her time was limited when we left for our trip, as her health was rapidly deteriorating. We contemplated cancelling or postponing the trip – but as there was no real information at the time, and little we could do, we elected to continue. In addition, the Vera of sound health would have insisted that we continue on our trip! While we were in Edmonton, we found out that Vera had a brain tumor, and the doctors estimated she had three months or so. While sad, it explained a lot of her behavior and suffering of late. Only a few short days later, as we were driving into Jasper for ice cream, three months shrunk to a matter of days. We spent our time in Jasper thinking of Vera, waiting for news. It was only a matter of time. Leia and I discussed whether she should fly home to be with Vera. In the end, Leia decided to continue on to Squamish with us. On Saturday morning, our beloved Auntie Vera passed away.

As I write this, I am struck by the profound sadness of it. Leia knows that it will likely sink in when we return to KW. Vera was one of the main reasons why we returned there. Life in Waterloo will be different without her. We will miss Vera’s tenacious spirit, her banter, and her intelligence. We’ll fondly remember how much joy Vera derived from our girls, and how she loved for them to sing and put on shows for her fellow residents at Waterloo Heights. There will be a definite void in our life going forward.

Perhaps most of all, I’ll miss just how much Vera loved Leia. Vera was extremely proud of everything Leia has accomplished. She loved watching Leia as a mother and as a partner. She wanted to throw a celebratory party for Dr. Leia at the completion of her PhD, which unfortunately never materialized given her failing health. She stood up for Leia, and took her in during the blow-up that was Leia’s family. Vera also loved our kids immensely. She derived great joy from them. She also loved me, as Leia’s partner and as an individual. She stood up for me, for Leia, and for our relationship when the majority of Leia’s family reject her and despised me. Vera, like Leia, was eventually cut out of the family, in large part for her willingness to defend me.

Vera would have been special to us irrespective of our experience with Leia’s family. But, she was especially important given that she became Leia’s only family. Unlike Vera, Leia’s family couldn’t find it in themselves to accept Leia for who she was. They’d profess to love her, but that love was conditional on Leia believing and behaving as they expected. It was also conditional on Leia not loving me. Leia’s family never wanted us to get married. Even after several years of marriage, and with a new baby, it seemed that Leia’s family still desired that she leave me.

Even recently, we’ve heard the idea that I stole Leia from the family. Vera never once participated in that bullshit. When Leia asked if she could move in, she didn’t hesitate. She opened her arms wide for Leia and for I – and they remained open and welcoming ever since.

It will be some time before it really sinks in for Leia. Yesterday on our drive through British Columbia, we talked about our favourite memories. Last night, after we had dessert at the Banff Springs with Rhonda and Mike, the girls cried all the way back to our campsite, out of tiredness and mourning for Vera. The grief will likely increase as we drive eastward.

Leia’s family dynamic also shifted in the past few days in another way. When Leia turned 30, she received a Facebook message from her youngest sister, Linae. It was the first we had heard from Linae in five years. We had always told ourselves that if Linae ever contacted us, we’d happily meet with her. After all, she was a kid when Leia’s folks cut Leia out, and that meant Linae had no real option. In fact, we’ve often felt awful about her situation. So, when she messaged, we arranged to meet in Waterloo the next time she was home. So, last June we met for a few hours at a café. It was nice to get to know her a bit, for both of us, but especially for Leia, who was like a second mother to Linae. It was nice to learn that Linae is a really nice kid – who is not at all a kid anymore! After a few hours of catching up, we addressed the elephant in the room, and talked briefly about what had happened. We invited Linae to come meet her nieces, to get to know us, and to discuss what had happened so that we could start establishing a new relationship. She seemed eager and willing. I did warn her, however, that it might come at a risk. When she got to know us, when she saw that Leia wasn’t the Stepford wife her parents claimed, and that I wasn’t an abusive and controlling maniac, when she found out that we were happy, kind and fun, that it would be contrary to the things she had been told about us. And that could be tough to deal with, especially if her parents or broader family gave her grief for spending time with us – and we suspected some would. Becoming friends with us brought the risk of discord with some of the family. Linae still seemed eager to meet with us again, but something must have transpired at home, as it never materialized. Linae did want to keep in touch, and told us to contact her were we ever in Vancouver where she went to school (Langley) and lived in the summer, with Leia’s brother Luke and his wife Lisa.

We weren’t interested in a casual email exchange, and had no interest in getting together in Vancouver. We didn’t contact them when we were in Vancouver in May.

Last week, however, we sent Linae a note offering to meet. The decision to initiate contact with Leia’s family might come as a surprise to many. I’ve been comfortable with our life without them. In fact, I love our life. Without a question, Leia and I are in the best spot we’ve ever been – both as individuals, as a couple, as parents, as friends, etc. As we were driving to Jasper, I simply asked Leia if we should message Linae. After all, we were going to be in Vancouver.

The decision to message Linae wasn’t really thought through or discussed. We raised the idea, and we both agreed. Certainly, there are many things motivating it. Recently, we learned that Doug and Isabel (Leia’s folks) have separated. The edifice of the family clearly was crumbling, and that changes things. One of Leia’s sisters is also seven months pregnant, meaning Leia’s first biological niece or nephew. There is also the passing of my grandfather, whom I hadn’t had any real contact with for nearly a decade. Being at the funeral was interesting for lots of reasons. In addition to affirming that thought that my Dad deserved better, I was struck by the sense of loss I had when I saw my uncle Chuck. He’s the only one that I could honestly say at times I miss – and seeing him saddened by his father’s passing did move me. The fact that he’s acted like a complete D-bag is not lost on me, but it didn’t diminish the fact that with him, I wish it were different between us. Of course, there is also our friend Kathleen who is bravely confronting the end of her own life, which has been more than inspiring. Her journey has included reconciliations and reconnections that were obviously important, and gave us pause. And, of course, we knew Vera was going to die soon.

Unfortunately, our note to Linae didn’t get a response. Thinking that it might be because she simply didn’t receive it, and as our note offered to meet with Luke and Lisa as well if they interested, we eventually decided to send a note to Luke and Lisa as well. With little discussion, and with no expectations, we eventually arranged to meet with Luke and Lisa. Linae, unfortunately, was unable to meet with us. It turns out that while we were on the West Coast, so too were the rest of Leia’s family, minus her Dad. Because she didn't receive our first note, Linae had already made plans with visiting sisters. While it was too bad that we could meet, we have made plans to meet with her next time she is in Waterloo.

Luke and Lisa did decide to drive up to Squamish to meet. To their credit, Luke and Lisa were the only ones in the family that strove to keep a relationship with us when the rest of the family cut us out. As they stated it, they kept an open door policy towards us. What I don’t think they quite realized was that the door that was opened to us wasn’t exactly one that was hospitable or one we felt comfortable walking through. The visit was interesting, enlightening, and reaffirming. We don’t quite know what comes next, but we’re all open to seeing what happens.

Admittedly, I am still hesitant – and, I think, rightly so. But, we’ll see. At a minimum, I’m glad that Leia and I have reached a point in our own live where we can meet with them without any fear of what it might mean for our own relationship. We probably reached that point years ago, but until Friday, we hadn’t really tested those waters. Come what may, the Minakers pose no threat to our relationship. Perhaps it is fitting that we met with Luke and Lisa while on our tenth anniversary tour. In the past ten years, we’ve been through hell and back with the Minaker family. We’ve overcome significant obstacles. We’re better people for it.

The time of Vera’s passing is not lost on me. She helped Leia and I through the past ten years. I don’t know what would have happened had Vera not opened her arms to Leia, if she hadn’t been willing to take one the scorn and anger that followed for supporting Leia. There have been many people that have supported Leia and I through the years, but perhaps we owe the greatest debt of gratitude to Vera. As Leia and I work towards another ten years, we’ll be sad that Vera can’t be there with us, but we will be thankful that she was there for the first ten. We will continue to honour her as we celebrate each year of marriage. Her support and love were instrumental for our marriage.

We love you and will miss you a lot, Vera.

Moving up in the world

I’m gently swaying in our hammock in Gary’s yard in Squamish, listening to the kids playing with Gary’s son, Eli, as the sweet voice of Kirsten (Eli’s mom) resonates from the stereo through the window. There is a soft breeze, just enough to rustle the leaves, but not quite enough to justify a sweater just yet. Leia is helping Gary prepare a late dinner, after a late lunch, and I’ve put myself on bear watch. Apparently, it is not uncommon for bears to wander through the yard just before dusk. Last night it was a coon shortly after dusk. It had gotten high up in a tree, and was barking and hissing like crazy. It was unlike any coon I’ve ever heard – I thought there was a possibility that it was a mountain lion. My imagination may have gotten away from me a bit, but there are mountain lions here, no doubt. I shone my light into the tree where the noise was coming from, heard some frantic scrambling, and then a thud. A few seconds later, a fat coon was on the lawn (fat, but not Toronto fat!). I shone my light on it, and for a few seconds, we just stared at each other. It then meandered through the hedges and was off. My close encounter with a mountain coon was over. As the hammock sways, I don't think I could be enjoying myself more. Today was another great day, and relaxing now is a good change of pace.

Yesterday was the longest drive of the trip yet. Just over 850 tough but very picturesque kilometers. In total, it was 11.5 hours of travel (with stops), with temperatures up to 36. Without air, it was a hot day. I was pleased with the truck, as this was definitely the toughest part of the trip yet. Leaving the lower mainland will prove the greatest challenge, as we’ll gain over 1200 meters going from Vancouver to the top of the Coquihalla. I might crawl up, but I will conquer the hill.

Being at Gary’s has proven to be very relaxing thus far. This is not surprising. We always have a great time with Gary. He not only is a fantastic host, he is a great conversationalist. In addition, we have the creature comforts of a home, and no need to do dishes with water we’ve just boiled on the stove. We elected to stay in the trailer last night, even though Gary has a spare room, only because it was easiest. We didn't the kids to bed too early, as Gary took us out for some sushi after we arrived for a treat. 

Today we visited Whistler. I had never been before. Although I’ve been to the West Coast numerous times, I’ve never ventured up to Whistler. Last time we visited Gary in Squamish, the weather was pretty miserable, and the kids young enough, that going to Whistler seemed like more of a pain. I’m glad we went today. We went up the gondola, to Whistler Village. Once again, the kids were able to experience snow in July. The elevation was 1850 m, which made me extremely curious as to how high the notch was (see previous post). I thought it was over 2000 m, but couldn’t recall. Turns out it was 2511 m. Rob, we have to go next year! Having spent over 20 minutes riding up the gondola, it is amazing to think I hiked higher and further. Of course, it took longer than 20 minutes!

Going up.

After lunch in Whistler, we came back to Gary’s and just hung around. The badminton net, ladderball, and hammock all were enthusiastically used. It was a relaxing afternoon for Leia and I, especially after the jammed packed schedule of the past few days. The most exciting part of the day was when I got the badminton birdie out of the cedar hedge, which is about six feet across, and Evelyn gave me a hero’s parade.

 

Tomorrow is another easy day, for the most part. We might go to a lake. We’ll probably make pancakes again. Then on Saturday, we’re starting our journey back. We are considering going through the US – cheaper gas, cheaper scotch, and the fact that neither Leia nor I have ever gone through the North West (I once drove from Sarnia to Winnipeg via the states) makes it tempting. Fishing in northern Ontario with the girls might win out, however. We’ll have to see. Either way, the adventure continues.

While the kids and I were busy driving across the country, Leia was at Lake Michigan.

 She's hot! No wonder my kids are so beautiful!

All smiles on the West Coast!

Where the Wild Things Are

If it hadn’t been for Jordan’s eagle eyes spotting the moose in Northern Ontario, driving across the country would have pretty much been a bust when it came to spotting wildlife. One of the more exciting wildlife moments for the girls was a bunny rabbit at the children’s park in Winnipeg. It was hardly wild, although it was alive, albeit quite dopey.

The last breakfast in Jasper.

Jasper was initially a disappointment with respect to wildlife. Most, if not all, of my previous visits, I could count on seeing bighorn sheep at a specific spot between the gate and the town. On Sunday there was none. On most of my trips I saw elk. Sometimes only a couple, other times hundreds. On Sunday and Monday, there was a grand total of zero.

Of course, even without any wildlife, the park is beautiful. The views are stunning in every direction. The lakes are emerald green. The shallow, silty ones Jordan described as ‘shimmering gold’. The snowcapped peaks are enchanting. Everything is picturesque.

That doesn’t diminish, at all, the desire to see some wild animals. Perhaps it is something innate, the ancient hunter within, looking for the next satiating meal. Or perhaps it is something more profound, about our connection with nature and our biological ancestors. Either way, we want to see something wild.

Today Jasper delivered. It really started last night with the bear I mentioned in my previous post. As I hadn’t uploaded the pictures from the evening to my computer when we went to town to post yesterday’s blog, I didn’t include the picture of the bear we saw. Here it is:

Bear number one - a few miles down the road from where I was running.

 After parting ways with Seth and Kayla and Dan and Sharline, following some delicious baked goods and coffee, Leia and I headed to Maligne Lake with the kids. Maligne Lake is a special place, if for no other reason than it is home to one of the trailheads for the Skyline. The Skyline is Jasper’s highest trail, and one of the most popular and exciting. Everyone who is able should hike the Skyline. I owe Rob a trip still. I have attempted the Skyline three times, completing it only once. The first time, I attempted it in the fall of 2008. Hours before leaving for the trail, I learned by payphone from Leia that we had apparently been evicted from the University of Alberta’s residence, Newton Place, as we were expecting Jordan. Long story short, we were stayed until April, before moving into Rob’s place (different Rob). That was a fortuitous move, as it meant Rob moved in with Kim. They later got married. Yay. Everything worked out. Except for the Skyline.

Our campsite at Jasper.

Rob and I reached the Notch, an infamous part of the trail, and I bailed. I had been hiking with a sore ankle. I had twisted it in the last few kilometers of an 82 km hike at the end of July with Kevin and Dan (the Brazeau Lake – Jonas Pass Loop). That sore ankle plagued me all summer. The news, and worry, of being evicted, coupled with a lingering injury, took their toll. For me, hiking, much like running, is a mental game. I’ve improved my mental game considerably since then.

And also since attempt number two. This time with Isaac the next year (2007). We made it to Little Shovel Pass. Being out of shape, and being completely and utterly mentally spent, having dealt with far too much nonsense from Leia’s family that year, I simply did not have the resolve to move another step. I made it less far this time, and at least didn’t have to torture Isaac with a view of the Notch, as I did Rob. After we bailed, Isaac and I decided to go to Grande Prairie. Seth and Kayla were located there for the summer. We went into town and wasted about an hour trying to find out where their base camp was. Once we had an idea, we tried to find it. We got really close, but gave up, and drove back to town. With new resolve, we tried again. This time we were successful. Had we driven another few hundred meters, we would have been there. Doubt took us back to Grande Prairie. It also made us miss Seth and Kayla. They went into town that night for a Tragically Hip concert. Seth (or was it Kayla?) thought he (she) saw Isaac and I driving, but given that we weren’t supposed to be there, dismissed the thought. Isaac and I spent several hours driving back and forth looking for them only to miss them by a few minutes. We ended up sitting outside of the Hip concert, hoping to catch them leaving, but eventually bailed. Seth told us we should have called. We told him that he should have had his cell phone on. Oh well. The good news was that Isaac and I stopped to fly fish the Kakwa River on the way to Grande Prairie, and I caught a bull trout on a fly – an amazing experience.

Attempt number three I was finally successful. Dan, Isaac and I hiked to Little Shovel Pass the first day, and then hiked out the second. We had planned to stay another night, but bugs, and Dan’s fear that were his boots to come off that his feet would swell so big that they would never get back on, kept us trucking. Day one was around nine kilometers; day two was over thirty-two – carrying fully loaded packs. It was a great hike. I owe another one to Rob. Perhaps next year?

Maligne Lake

Anyhow, I love Maligne Lake because it reminds me of those trips – and many more memories about the trips that perhaps will one day make an appearance in the blog! On the way to Maligne Lake, nature put on a bit of a show. We saw black bears twice, one a cub. There was likely more than a cub, but we only saw it in passing. Stupid tourists had gotten out of their vehicles – around 15 of them – and appeared to be following the cub up the cliff. I reminded one tourist that bears can run up to 35 mph for a short distance – an admonition worth listening to if mama bear is around – to which he responded, “That’s why I got my wife here, I’ll push her in the bear’s way” – or something like that. Touché.

Bear #2.

After the bears we saw four bighorn sheep. They were just loitering in a parking lot. Punks! We saw three of them again on the way back from Maligne Lake. This time they got a bit closer, much to our delight. Marley could have grabbed one of them by the horns, had she wanted. Clearly, these ladies were used to being fed from car windows.

Big horn sheep on the way up.

On the way down, strutting towards our truck.

Finally, at the top of Maligne Lake we saw a little deer. All in all, it was great to see so much wildlife in such a short time.

 But wait, it wasn’t over! While at Maligne Lake, I was talking to a gentleman who had taken a chartered fishing trip and caught a beautiful brook trout. Even though they had had a slow day, and it was the only fish they caught, they were looking to give it away. When a family going on a canoe trip for a few days turned it down as they didn't know how to keep it cold, I quickly jumped in and requested it. Best late night snack ever? Maybe. It certainly is up there with Cheeses Murphy! All that was required was a fire, a pan of butter, and some salt. Mmmmm.

A late night treat: fresh, wild brook trout over a fire!

And there is more! We went to Whistlers, another campground, to shower. A few days of bug spray, suntan lotion, smoke, dirt, sweat, and food, meant the girls were a mess. After our showers, when we were leaving the campground, lo and behold, there they were, two elk. Again, they were close enough to our truck that Leia could have probably reached out and hit one.

Elk!

Finally, as we returned to our campsite after spending some time in town looking for souvenirs for the kids, we saw two deer. Deer are all over the place, and thus really not that special. It was still exciting for the kids to watch the deer prance about. Evelyn was very concerned that the deer didn’t look both ways when they crossed the road. We sat on the road for a few minutes just observing them. 

Remember the story I told about Jordan being a baby camping in Jasper and having a hard time adjusting to solid foods? Remember I said how I would never forget her little face as she tried to poop?

Her face wasn’t as funny as this one!

In addition to seeing animals, today we explored Maligne Canyon. One of the greatest parts of this little hike was the scramble Jordan, Marley, Evelyn and I did. While not huge, it was still challenging – especially bringing Evelyn down the steep face. I elected to take Jordan and Marley down the safer route, as I feared one of them rolling down the hill and being battered. We ate well tonight, with homemade spaghetti sauce just like we do at home. The girls also explored the river while I cleaned up.

And then I set up the hammock. I bought some new ropes for the trailer. Some cheap, for a clothesline, others better, for jobs like hanging a hammock. When I landed on my back on the ground, I knew I mistook the better rope for a clothesline.

At Maligne Canyon.

Some tired girls after hiking.

Our time in Jasper has also come to a sudden end. It was a great stop. Now we head to Squamish and the coast.

The girls are hanging in the hammock at our campsite by Buffaloberries - they are what the bears are after!