Is that your final antler?

So says the message on the T-shirt in the Banff gift shop. Here's another one: "May the forest be with you." or how about "Hairy potter" and the shirt shows a bear with a trowel and flower pot. We've been prowling around downtown Banff today, which by the way is under construction. One thing we both noticed is that there are Australians and New Zealanders working all the shops, same situation in Kelowna. No worries, just an observation.

Great drive into Banff yesterday. Spectacular scenery, even though some slopes have been entirely killed off by the pine beetles. Under the dead sticks grows up purple wildflowers and everything starts again.

Accomodations are great at the Banff Rocky Mountain Resort. The kids have moved in upstairs and the two of us are on the pull-out. Ian finally achieved his main goal of finding a new game for his DS- Pokemon diamond. We also had fun checking out the HUGE variety of gifts and crafts in the shops. It truly is amazing.

Signing off for now. Catch up tomorrow if I can.

Kelowna- Two viewpoints

We started the day off with a drive to pick up my cousin Karen. So nice to see her. The bunch of us drove up to the cemetery out by the airport where grandma and grampa Browns' ashes are buried. It is a really nice quiet spot. Then, with Marvin's expert directions we found our way around the outskirts of town to the cemetery where aunt Lorraine's ashes are. This too is a really nice place to go. Sunday July 29 would mark Lorraine and Marvin's anniversary, so it was special to be able to go up there with him and Karen and my family.
We checked out the new Starbucks in town and then returned home. Supper was delicious "healthy" pizza from Pizzaway. We all agreed that this is the best pizza we've found in the entire trip.

Kelowna- We Hit the Beach

We arrived at the beach behind the Hospital at 1pm. After a rescue of the beach ball which was blowing away, and a reminder that safety is always an issue, the kids spent the next four hours doing what kids do- basically rolling in the sand, building things, burying themselves, etc. A family of mallards was walking around looking for crumbs to add to the excitement. The power boats out on the lake sounded just like the familiar street rods at home; the only sound I miss is the Harley Davidsons.

The waterfront in Kelowna is just as I recall. The beach is nice and sandy, the water stays shallow for quite a distance, and then the DROP OFF. A perfect afternoon. Everything was right with the world- the demented music of the ice cream truck even chimed in at the right moment. Now I felt right at home.

Drive to Kelowna- A Place called Hope

After the usual continental breakfast, we set out from Vancouver-the nuclear weapons free zone- for a days’ trip into the mountains and to Kelowna. I had my ideas and my memories of what the trip would be like, but of course, for the kids it’s all new. To coax them to keep looking out the window we started a game called H2O, where you had to yell out "H20!" if you saw a river, a waterfall or a roadside stream. If you got to thirty you win a chocolate bar. That got them interested.

So, we passed through Hope, and then stopped at the landslide site outside of town. The kids were all giddy and silly, so we had to bring them down to earth before we got out of the car, but they soon tuned in to the reality of what they were looking at. Since the landslide there were also two plane crashes at the same location. We picked up a few souvenir stones.

The highway was pretty interesting for the next couple of hours all the way to Princeton, then things flattened out a bit, but there were still lots of curves as the road followed the Simiklameen River. We kept going until the little town of Keremeos, where we got some HUGE cherries. Cows, cattle grazing. Some boredom thrown in. No mountain goats yet. To Penticton was only a half hour, but from Penticton to Kelowna was another hour and half! The traffic was really heavy. This whole area is booming. WOW. We made it by 5:30. Yahoo!

"British Columbia is not like Hamilton in any way. In Hamilton you have to look south to see a mountain, but in BC you can see mountains fifty times bigger than our mountain in any direction." quoted by I.

Vancouver- Thrift Store and Aquarium

So, we stopped at a thrift store on W. 4th avenue, which is an up and coming trendy little area about 10 minutes from downtown. The lady owner said, "do you have thrift stores in Ontario?" and she also said that properties are selling for a million bucks in her neighbourhood! Now I can see why she doesn’t care if her store is a mess (and it was!) Her partner was there at the store, he was from London Ontario, so he explained to her all about Hamilton, and we set her straight as well. With a million bucks you could buy half my street in Hamilton, and that’s what I told her.

Vancouver- Mud Flats

OK, so we’re not from here. We got excited walking out on the mud during low tide. But, hey we weren’t the only ones.... some other people were skimming in the puddles with their wake boards; some others were kayaking. At 9 in the morning the breez was cool, but the sun was bright. The kids walked out at least half a mile onto the flats to the breakers. Just breathing the sea air, seeing the ships at anchor, seeing the skyline in the distance, picking up bits of driftwood.... it all added up.

Vancouver- Stanley Park

Nice place, this Stanley Park! Despite the crowds at the Aquarium, it was well worth it. The exhibits were amazing. It’s not huge so you don’t spend hours walking here and there like in Niagara’s Marineland. The kids stuck their heads into bubbles in a fish tank to look like they were inside. Mom wanted to see the sea turtles. I was fascinated by the jellyfish. Money was burning a hole in the kids’ pockets so they separated themselves from a few bucks at the gift shop.

We drove around for a bit in the park, taking in the scenery on this spectacular sunny day. Beautiful city and a beautiful setting. O. says she wants to come back here some day, and that Vancouver is "basically like Hamilton only bigger and better." After all, Hamilton has a mountain backdrop and has a wide mix of cultures and socio-economic status.

Vancouver Chinatown- Chopsticks 101

We found our way into Chinatown sure enough. None of the brochures said to watch out for hallucinatory people stepping into traffic as a sign that you are there, but that would have worked for us. Yes, the street life in the Chinatown area is vibrant and very colourful. Visible signs of the drug and sex trade are intermingled with a hundred shops and restaurants. Our stomachs led us to an excellent, busy restaurant. They sat us at the big round table at the back and brought us all tea in tumblers. Thanks to the waitress we all ended up with exactly what we wanted. The kids were sold. I. was in heaven with his sweet and sour chicken, E. got her noodles and O. had some veggies.

The stores were pretty cool. One shop with beautiful dresses etc. had the most friendly staff. I told her that my son and I are just here because of the girls. She replied, "aah, you are smart man." The rest of her energy was spent making sure that nothing got dirty or pulled off the rack for the wrong reason.

We visited several bargain shops where all kinds of nick nacks and assorted "stuff" of an oriental origin could be had. I. picked out a 3 foot sword but had to leave it because of difficulty taking it on the plane. E. found a cool fan that makes loud frapping noises when you open it. The older ones found some nice soap.

In one place we went into the basement and there were all these huge vases like you read about that are worth billions from the Ming Dynasty and whatnot. The kids were getting ready to play hide and seek but we had to put a stop to that.

Vancouver- Search for a Slice

It was only 9:00 pm Vancouver time. But our bodies were telling us it was after midnight. I thought "let’s go find a pizza place to feed the family after a great day of sightseeing." The guy at the lobby said Sure no problem just go down to Oak and then up to W. 49th. So I drove, and drove, and drove.. 5 miles down Marine Drive, NO OAK STREET. Dang, missed it or went the wrong way. Turn around. Head back past the hotel, go the other way. Drove and drove... kept going..."there’s got to be a pizza place or a strip mall in this town somewhere!" Arghh, we’re going over a bridge. OK, now we’re in New Westminster, in a brand new shopping centre. NOT a PIZZA JOINT IN SIGHT. A & W sure. Starbucks yup. Sushi you betcha. OK, now it is 9:45. My body and brain are shutting down. We double back all the way to the hotel, pizzaless. Park the van in front of the hotel, WALK across the street to Subway and buy us all a bunch of subs. My little 7 year old trooper hung with me the whole way. "At least we’ll have something to eat, dad."
So, I took a look on the map (brilliant idea) and found that had I driven two more blocks on the first leg I would have hit Oak Street. Good grief, I thought, the guy at the desk led me to think "Oh, it’s just down the street a few blocks." But in Vancouver he means, "It’s a 5 mile jaunt and 10 major intersections down the street."
I brought the subs into the room. Brenda is getting worried. I. is practically asleep and can barely eat a bite. The rest of us inhale the food and drop our heads watching Star Trek on TV.

Here's a picture of our old house- 551 Cochrane Ave. Nice place to live, if you're a millionaire!

Vancouver and Chopstix

We were a little taken aback when we arrived in Chinatown, to find drug addicts and mental health experiments mixing with the bargain shoppers, but no one batted an eye. You just have to watch for people pointing and walking out in front of you, forgetting that they're not at a crosswalk!

What an awesome day. We got to the Aquarium and fought our way through the crowds to see some really excellent exhibits. We'll post some pictures about it. The best part of today was putting feet into the Pacific mud and running out a half a mile into the tidal flats.

During the long driving time, O. amuses herself by taking experimental pics with the camera, while the rest of us have complaining contests. Oh, and can I have some whine with that?

Till later....

Just Checkin In

This is us standing in the Toronto Airport. NICE PLACE!
It's an awesome day, we had a great flight; flew over Kelowna. So, we went up to 38 000 feet and 500 mph in a 737. Both I. and E. were sticking pretty close on the takeoff, but quickly they settled in.

OK then, plane ride over, here we are in Vancouver. Walked over to the SuperCentre and stocked up on junk food for the hotel. Tomorrow? Who knows?

Are we Hyper and Irrational?

"Are we allowed to throw bombs out the plane window?" quoted by I. Pick up time minus one hour.

Are We Excited or WHAT

To top it all off, today's dad's birthday. One way you could say it is "the 25th anniversary of the day I turned 21"

I. was surprized to find that his luggage shouldn't be locked the day before you leave; that is, until mom does the FINAL INSPECTION. She has the final say in all matters related to pakcing.

Welcome to the Browns' Trip Journal

This is the place to watch if you want a blow by blow snapshot of our trip through BC and Alberta this summer. We are sooooo pumped about this trip.... so buckle your seatbelts, add us to your favourites list, 'cause here we go!

Photo from http://www.mountainnature.com/images/
Geology/Large/UpperKanLake01.jpg