Guest Blog By The Boy....

Distance traveled today: Big fat 0 km.

We started in Banff and ended in Banff, but it was an adventurous day. We started the day with the usual process of breakfast followed by the daily rearranging the bus. It goes like this:

1. Fold up the lower bed

2. Nate and Sara’s suitcases off the front seat and floor and into the back

3. Jer and M’s suitcases off the stove and into the back on top of ours

4. Cooler off the front seat and into the back

5. Lawn chairs between cooler and suitcases

6. Fold up the boys sleeping bags and stuff them on top of the cooler

7. Boys seats off the floor in the front

8. Pull the seat belts up through the bench

9. Fold the outdoor rug in half

10. Replace all the miscellaneous articles in cubbies and closet

11. Open and tie back all the curtains

12. Place our blankets, pillows and the boys pillows in the luggage bag for the roof

13. Add coats, towels etc to the luggage bag. Load and strap the luggage bag to the roof

14. Unplug the bus and store the cord under the front seat.

15. Start the bus and let her warm up

16. Check the oil and the brake fluid

17. Strap in the kids and start the day

The evening is the reverse process without having to warm the bus of course.

We had to plan the day around laundry.

Irony defined:

· Sara: Ever notice how the boys have to go to the bathroom at the same time

· Me: not really as I enjoy a roasted marshmallow

· Not 15 seconds later….

· J cries: Daddy I just pooped my pants

· M with a devious smile: me too!

Needless to say we ended the day with showers and started the next with laundry.

With a set of dirty shorts and the boys’ sleeping bags in desperate need of detox, laundry became a must. We hit the town for our inaugural walk about and enjoyed the shops. Sara = nice hat and boys new sunglasses. Me = starbucks J An hour later we decided to catch a tour, but needed to schedule it, find the right one and get the laundry done. Amidst the stress of circles in Banff and a ridiculous number of loading zones I managed to back into “Ye Ole Irish Pub.” Pub =1 Clementine =0. Teenagers laughed as nausea set in my stomach and I drove up the street to check the damage: slight injury to the rear bumper and major injury to my pride. Note to self: Open all curtains before departing readjust mirrors religiously. Boo.

Met Sara by the coin laundry where the kind little Asian lady told me she would charge me $50 to wash the sleeping bags, I laughed and asked for change. She laughed and gave me 20$ worth of Quarters and 8 dollars worth of loonies. Boo.

After lunch we headed up the Gondola to enjoy the view of the 6 major ranges of mountains. Breathtaking view, and fun ride, and 2 km hike across the top of the mountains. While waiting for the line to head down, the boys and I dared to climb down the slope to get a closer shot of the lonely mountain sheep that was defined by the sign as a herd. We made some pretty good progress till a grandma on the balcony above cussed us out. Stopping sent a slide of rocks down the hill, which sent the sheep far out of photo range. Grandma = 1. Me = 0. Teenagers laughed as we scurried back up the side.

By the time we arrived at the bottom we had been on the mountain for hours and needed to do a quick turn around to the evening safari. No guarantees of any animals, but we spent a fun filled three hours on a bus full of people 20X Jericho’s age. Needless to day we were the entertainment. No teenagers to laugh; a few dentured grins. We got some up close shots of a bear, some spectacular views and a herd of elk. Jer and M agreed the bear was the best.

Full day and boys are zonked. Tomorrow we head east just a bit.