Calgary

 Chapter 1 - The Drive There

Calgary's skyline

 Twelve hours stuck in your car with a dog might seem awful, but in fact, it was great until the way back.
We drove through Hope, stopped in Kamloops, Golden, and then finally, a much needed walk within the city limits. Besides a close 'out of gas' call, we had a very smooth, sunny ride all the way through the Rocky Mountains.
No construction, not too much traffic, and a mostly 4 lane highway... yay!

 The first day was quite nice. We got in at around 7pm, which gave us plenty of time to get changed, stretch our legs, and enjoy some river water. We spent the night at my sister's place. Bikini was a little uneasy due to the two spying cats, but we both got some much needed rest.

 

Chapter 2 - The Stay

Grandma, and Auntie Linda 

I took a day to go Stampeding, but Bikini stayed at home.
It's quite a spectacle; between the drunken tourists with bent cowboy hats and flip flops, and the annual Stampeders slip sliding around in their barely-worn-in cowboy boots. But, the real cowboys, with their nice jeans, and cute smiles - that I can appreciate.
The next morning, we moved to my dad's apartment.
We traveled out to where I remember used to be the country to Grandma's place, but suburbia had taken over. There was little to no prairie left where there once was even five years ago. Instead, horribly designed suburban communities sprawl outwards from the city center in all directions. We had lunch and talked over tea... We managed to see sun only after a thunderstorm had passed.

Chapter 3 - The Ride Back

Windows down. Fully cloaked back seat. Brand new air fresheners. Nothing could stop the stench of a freshly skunked dog. Luckily, just passed Revelstoke, I managed to get a nose bleed. The paper towel stuck up my nose, did manage to curb the stench, slightly.

Traffic

Our travel to Calgary had been an amazingly enjoyable one. Tunes bumping, cherries to eat, and clear roads. The way back? Hot. Stinky. Slow... and dark.


We managed to come to a complete stop on the highway at least twice, for half an hour each. At this point, it was a good time to attempt to air out the car, and the dog... although, I really would have rather kept driving. We had the intention of camping somewhere along the way, but decided to just drive the whole way. The drive at dusk through Kamloops really was spectacular, but the dark, lonely highway through to Hope was stressful.
The conclusion: We made it home safe, and more road trips are in our future. :).

A Stop in Revelstoke