2018 Calgary Road Trip Day Three

Calgary Road Trip Day 3

Actual Miles: 321

Felt like: 1,000

High Temperature: 101

Felt like: 101 (low humidity is a life saver!)

Not much to report today. Day three of driving the flat lands of the Canadian plains was beginning to wear us down.

We had a great breakfast at our Hotel. As we were leaving we spotted some cute stuffed beavers in the lobby. They were available for $10 Canadian dollars. That’s practically free! To add to the excitement, half of the purchase price was donated to local kids who were sick and in the hospital and whose families needed help. It was such a good cause, and the beavers were so cute. So I purchased one for each kid in Josh’s honor.

Upon leaving, we received a coupon for $10 off our next stay. It also dawned on me that we had reserved the hotel using US dollars and perhaps a stay with Canadian money would be cheaper. After a long time on hold with the reservations people for the Best Western we were staying at on our return through Swift Current, we were able to cancel and book at the Home Inn which we really like and which supports such a worthy cause.

It was pretty much down hill from there. Or rather, I should say - totally flat. The haze from the California wild fires minimizes visibility so driving is like being in a vacuum with just a glimpse of the flat land, road, sky ahead.

We stopped once we crossed into Alberta to get some tourist information and got some great tips at the visitor’s center along with two little (free) Canadian flags. We’ll hang onto them in case we need to make a run for the border later this year.

One more stop in the town of Brooks which seems to be the only town near the highway. Maybe the only town. We had a picnic lunch in the 100 degree shade and then made a quick stop in the “Everything’s a dollar +” store. It lived up to its name. But we cooled off and bought some stuff for more than a dollar. I got to snap a picture of a magpie up close - there are everywhere here, but I've never been able to get close enough to admire them.

Then we were off to Calgary. Our B&B is in Calgary but in a very suburban part of town. The couple who owns the house are both gone with other commitments so we have the place to ourselves.

A shopping center is only about 10 minutes away and it had our required daily Ice-cream. The kids were delighted to discover that the additional toppings were free, as many kinds as you want. Grace even knew the terminology: "unlimited mix-ins". 

We made a quick trip to the grocery store for dinner and supplies for the next few days. We hung out in the lower level which was stocked with billions of movies, legos and action figures. A kid’s paradise and not bad for the parents either. 

Now we are lying here willing the temperature to drop and plotting our adventures for tomorrow when the weather will be much nicer.