Cross Canada Trip Days 6, 7 and 8

Day 6: Calgary to Edmonton

8:46 am - So, they smoke in bars in Calgary but not on the patio & have confusing street names. What is up with that? We made our way to #### 16th Ave. SW (aka Andrew's apartment) to hang out with Sarah, Andrew and roommate Lenox & his friend Sherrie. After a disaster dinner where the drinks were oversized (& yummy), pizzas were burnt, salads were dry and Cam was left with 2 free pizzas, we headed back to the apartment for some Foosball. Luckily no one was pantsed as some things are best left under clothes. We then headed to a sketchy & smoky pub. The highlight being the car alarm set off by the car owner who was then unable to stop it. Now we are en route to Edmonton. Calgary was lots of fun & we shall return after a weekend in Edmonton. BTW: Don't visit the Timmy's in Airdrie - apparently 15-year-old boys are not the fastest at pouring coffee.

Day 7: Edmonton

7:13 pm - We have been in Edmonton for about 31 hours staying with my Uncle Bill and Marianne. They started us off with a light lunch and then walked us into the ground, leaving us to die along the banks of the North Saskatchewan River. Clearly Brenda and I need to get in better shape. We had some free range chicken and veggie burgers for dinner and then got a tour of Edmonton's trendy district and Uncle Bill's office. We got home and Brenda and I promptly passed out a little after nine. We might be on holiday, but we definitely aren't partying like rock stars and the time zone change hasn't helped.

Bill, Cam, Marianne and Brenda on the banks
of the North Saskatchewan River.

Day 8: Edmonton to Calgary via Drumheller

7:58 am - We spent most of yesterday at the gigantic West Edmonton Mall. I will never again think of the Eaton Centre as a huge mall, it is seriously lacking in the waterslide department. We spent a couple of hours in WEM's waterpark and the rest of the day just wandering the mall. They also had two sea lions and a penguin, the only thing missing was a Lick's. In the evening we lounged around and watched Sweet Home Alabama (not my choice, but it was okay, Brenda really liked it). This morning we said our goodbyes and are back on the road south to Drumheller. We hope Loon enjoyed her rest.

Yarrr, this be Cam at the WEM.

8:24 am - Some notes on our trip to Edmonton: In Edmonton the bikers don't hang out in front of bars, they hang out in a Tim horton's parking lot and drink coffee. Which is especially strange given the difficulties we encountered at Timmy's on the way. Nervous 15-year-old boys as counterstaff, broken toasters, and a serve yourself Tim Horton's at a gas station that had no bagels. We encountered a number of strange intersections including one where three lanes could turn right on red and another where the two leftmost lanes had to make u-turns.

10:17 am - After a detour in the north end of Red Deer, we found a gas station, filled up, switched drivers and are once again on our way. I have mixed reviews of this province thus far. I liked the waterpark at WEM and the walk yesterday (actually 2 days ago and I should note my shins are still recovering) but I have yet to find a satisfactory Tim Horton's. Sure I have only been to 3 but seriously. Also, after leaving one today in Leduc the road magically - with no warning & no way off - became an on-ramp for the highway in the wrong direction. Grr. But the weather has been grrreat & I am excited for dinosaurs so I won't write Alberta just yet. Ok, I won't write it off at all -- it does have mountains after all.

4:09 pm - What a spectacular day. After a morning of driving we arrived in Drumheller - a town that has fully embraced their dinosaur history as demonstrated by the museum, the World's Largest Dinosaur & many other dinosaurs around town. We also managed to fit some Hoodoo viewing into our schedule. Now we are en route for another night in Calgary.

Ahhhhhhhhhh!!!

Brenda and an Alxasaurus.

Cam mocks a Dunkleosteus.

"Your wishes kill our fishes."

How do you do Hoodoo?