Onwards To Calgary

Thursday, February 11th, 2010.

The drive from Winnipeg to Calgary was surprisingly beautiful. Saskatchewan offered a magnificent sunset that made the blowing snow look like silk as it flowed over the asphalt. The white fields appeared cloudlike and omitted a heavenly aura on our late evening travels.

After the sun went down Taylor and I watched a movie that our new friend Liz purchased for us while we were in Winnipeg. The movie, titled ‘One Week,’ told the story of a man’s journey from Toronto to Vancouver after being diagnosed with cancer. We were able to relate to much of the story as at points we were able to look out the window and see the exact spots shown on the screen. We agreed that ‘One Week’ was arguably the most inspiring movie we have ever seen and would definitely recommend it!

We arrived in Bragg Creek (just outside of Calgary) late Monday night and were extremely excited to be greeted by our friends Anna and Cam. After telling stories for a few hours Cam headed home and Anna went to bed, as she had to be at work very early in the morning.

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The next day I awoke much before the sun and very parched. I walked upstairs to get a drink and that’s when I met Anna’s dad- a very enthusiastic and jolly Dutchman who immediately made me feel at home with his gigantic smile.  We talked for a few minutes before I headed back downstairs to wake Taylor to get an early start on the day.

Dennis and Leanne soon joined us as we sat around the kitchen table drinking coffee. Before Anna left for work she gave us a bag of homemade cookies (that were amazingly tasty) and, on top of that, her dad gave us money to fill the tank.

We left Anna’s with a childlike enthusiasm towards the day. The sun was rising in front of us, and behind, the snow-capped mountaintops could be seen in the distance.  The anticipation to begin our journey through the massive Rocky Mountains seemed unbearable, but first we had to fill our bellies.

We drove into Calgary and picked up our friend Rachelle before heading to a place called Nellie’s, where we also met our friends Kevin, Graham, and Brendan (FOWLERRRR!!!, inside joke…), whom are all paddlers at the Calgary Canoe Club. We sat and enjoyed a delicious and hearty meal while discussing the trip in its entirety.

After breakfast we dropped Rachelle off and headed to Crossrion Mills Mall where the Quiksilver Calgary Factory Store is located.

We arrived 45 minutes later at one of the biggest malls I’ve ever seen. Not knowing where exactly to find the Quiksilver store, we parked at the nearest entrance and began our search inside. While walking through the food court we over heard some girls talking. ‘Hey aren’t those the guys from MuchMusic!?’ It felt pretty awesome to be recognized, but more importantly it was gratifying to know that more and more people were learning of our support for Canadian Olympic athletes!

After a few minutes of walking we found the store where we met two great guys; Adrian and Ahmed! Once again, thanks to Karen, they knew we were coming. We showed them our blog and our car and took lots of pictures! They hooked us up with some more gear and let us write our blog address on the huge chalkboard behind the sales desk. While outside in the parking lot we met a girl named Blair Marie, you can find out all about our encounter with her on her super cool blog, found here- http://blairmariephotography.blogspot.com/

Check out her February 9^thpost!

We departed Crossiron Mills mall and began our journey towards the mountains. For Taylor and I it was a chance to revisit one of the most spectacular sights the world has come to know. For Dennis and Leanne, the experience was a new one, and it was exciting and wonderful to see the amazement spread across their faces as the giant mountains came into full view. Although Taylor and I had been there before, we could not for one second take for granted what we were witnessing. You might even say one could live in the mountains their entire lifetime and not lose appreciation for the sheer beauty they are so privileged to see every single day.  This was our drive through the Rockies as we passed through Banff and headed to Vancouver, this was our western Canada experience on our cross country adventure!

**More to come on Banff, Big White, and our arrival here in Mission after today’s adventures!!!