Lessons learned

Yesterday was our first long driving day.  All in all, I think it was nearly 8 hours from when we left Blackfalds to when we were finally unhitched at Whistlers Campground, just outside of Jasper, AB.  We headed west out of Red Deer and joined up to the Icefields Parkway, turning north towards Jasper.  The Icefields Parkway is an absolutely breathtaking stretch of scenery, with towering mountain walls on one side and a rushing river on the other.  As the name implies, there are also glimpses of the Columbia Icefields, and the famous Columbia Glacier is near the highway about 100 km south of Jasper.  When I was a kid, the glacier was nearly to the highway, but has been continually receding and the tongue is now several kilometers up the mountain.  I would have like to stop, but it was already after 6 when we reached this point, and so we drove on, making sure the kids took a good look out the window.

The Icefields Parkway may be beautiful scenery, but the road itself is a bit rough, and things got jostled a fair bit in the trailer.  I had tried to secure items, and stow things on the floor, but I obviously didn’t do a good enough job.  Everything in the cupboard had shifted – look out when opening!  The cupboards in our bedroom had opened, and thankfully only books had come out.  The one that really got me – the printer on my bedside table (because it won’t fit anywhere else!) had shifted forward, and I didn’t notice until CRACK!  as I put the wardrobe slide out.  The pressure cracked part of the board on the side of the wardrobe.  Luckily this board is only for prettiness and the veneer prevents the crack from showing.  But I know it’s there.  Grr.  I’m more annoyed at myself for not thinking to check.  Hopefully a bit of wood glue will strengthen the cracked area. 

Lesson 1:  Secure Everything way more than you think needs to be done.  The floor is good!

Lesson 2: Double check everything before putting out slides.

Oh, and the next, very important lesson… When backing up the trailer, check for trees!  Bob and I were so busy watching the back of the trailer to make sure it didn’t hit anything that we failed to pay attention to the proximity of the trees to the truck.  I came within inches (yep, probably 2 at the most) of doing some serious damage to the truck.  Pretty sure the tree would have been fine.   I’m really not sure how we failed to note the big tree, but it all turned out okay.  The tree was untouched and I learned that we need to pay attention everywhere!

Now for a good lesson.  Our truck can handle the trailer very well, even on steep grades up and down.  Whew!  I wanted more truck than was necessary for the trailer we chose, and I am very glad we did.  There was one small stretch of construction on the Parkway, and it was down to one lane in one spot.  There was a stoplight at this spot, and we, of course, hit red.  This spot happens to be just before the crest of a steep hill (not sure of the grade, but think mountain!), and we were at a standstill.  It was a bit unnerving to think “I really hope we can get started again.”  No need to worry.  The truck was able to hold the trailer and get up to speed again without a problem.  It’s very reassuring to know. 

Pyramid Mountain in the background

Today we went to Pyramid Lake, just outside of town and rented a 4-person paddle boat to take the family out on the lake.  Next time I’ll take a rowboat, or canoe.  I've never been a fan of paddle boats (sorry mom, but those boats drove me crazy!) and with the kids being the wild monkeys they are, I’m amazed one or both of them didn't end up overboard.  Their inability to really help with paddling also meant that mine and Bob’s legs are tired tonight.  So, for the moment, no more paddle boats!

After our boating we went for a quick walk to Pyramid Island and then to the doctor for Morgan.  He is constantly irritating the skin above his lip by licking and we’re constantly battling the irritation with various creams and such.  This time he’s ended up with an infection. He’s now on antibiotics, and I am definitely glad we have a good fridge to store them in. That all took longer to deal with than anticipated, and we were back for supper late. Thank goodness supper was planned and a group effort. Bob’s family came to our site and we all had our meal together. A bit of visiting, a quiet evening and then off to bed.  Somehow, even on a quieter evening, I still go to bed late! Tomorrow we’re heading to Maligne Lake, the deepest lake in the area. 

I can already tell we're going to run out of time to see everything we'd like to. I broke one of my travel lessons I learned last year when making this reservation, and am already regretting that. To see an area and not feel rushed, we need to stay places for at least 4 full days (longer preferably). There's nothing really stopping us from staying in the area longer if we decide to, but will have to move the trailer on Thursday.