Welcome back! Grab a cup of coffee, relax, and away we go! This post covers my family trip into Canada, as well as our journey to Flathead, Montana.
JUNE
June 27th – 29th
On June 27th, Dad and I left for Flathead, Montana. (Abbie is spending the summer there as a camp counselor at the Lutheran Bible camp.) We spent the next two days by ourselves. I read, listened to music, and had a fun time bonding with my dad. We ate at Pinky’s, a local color restaurant, saw Sacajawea on a horse, and went to a candy shop. All in all, it was a fantastic two days by ourselves.
We arrived at Flathead on the 28th, and met up with the family friends who would also be coming with us on our trip to Canada. This was my first time out of the United States, so I was pretty excited!
June – July
June 30th – July 3rd
On June 30th, Abbie, Dad, Sophie and I went on a hike in Banff National Park. We saw a beautiful waterfall, and were able to stand in a little alcove and get hit by the spray.
Once we reached our destination, the Paint Pots, we ate lunch near the river. Overall, it was a wonderful hike, although the inclines really kicked my butt!
After our hike, we drove back. On our way back, where we were going to pick up some friends, we say several wildlife: several big horned sheep and a grizzly bear!
July 1st was spent mostly in the car, because we were headed to Vancouver. We ended up taking a ferry there on July 2nd. One thing I think is really neat about Canada is how they preserve their national lands, like we do in the States. Right away, once you enter Canada, you’re surrounded by trees. It fills you with a taste of the wildness of the provinces.
Because it was Canada Day, we got a special little treat at a Dairy Queen.
On July 2nd, we took the ferry to Vancouver. It was a smooth ride. To pass the time, Abbie and I checked out the gift shop. I found a cool shirt, and a book that looked really good, called Trickster Drift. It was the sequel to Son of a Trickster. A few days later, while in Victoria, I ended up buying two books at Munro’s Bookstore. (It’s a wonderful shop, very inviting. They even had Winnie the Pooh books in there, so I knew I was entering a good place.)
In Vancouver, we split up with the other family that was with us and visited places of our own interest. My family and I went to the museum and Butchart Gardens, which is a marvelous place. I was amazed regardless of the hard work that was taken in creating such a magnificent place. We went during an overcast day, which helped keep us cool as we wandered through each section of flowers and trees. Butchart Gardens was originally a quarry, and with a lot of hard work, it’s now home to thousands of beautiful flowers.
On July 3rd, we went to a museum in Vancouver. I loved the exhibits that talked about the First Nations peoples, the natives of Canada. I wrote a message to the people of the First Nations, cheering them on as they regain their native languages: “Your languages are beautiful and important. The revitalization you’re doing is wonderful. As an American, it heartens me that you’re working to regain your native languages. Keep doing what you’re doing! Keep returning to your roots. Sincerely, Meghan B.” We also visited other parts of the museum, where they had an exhibit on the Aztecs. That was pretty cool. Mom, Abbie, and I went to High Tea, and had a lovely time. We ate delicious finger sandwiches, and tasted yummy tea. It was simply lovely.
Before we went to High Tea or perused through the exhibits, we saw a great film featuring dogs with jobs. Superhero Dogs in 3-D was a fun documentary about dogs that work to save humans like you and me every day. They sniff out people after disasters, like avalanches, to find us buried under the snow. We all got a little misty-eyed, because we thought of Bentley, our golden retriever, who was with some family friends back home in the States. My family and I love our dog, and we’re dog people in general. The documentary featured other jobs that dogs do, which was really cool. I was very glad we saw the film, because it wasn’t cheesy at all, but heartfelt and important to learn about.
We also went whale watching, which was amazing. We got to see a pod of orca whales surface for air, with two or three babies in their pod. We also saw a humpback whale surface waaaay off in the distance, which was so cool. Normally, you don’t see humpbacks where we were whale watching. It was a very cool experience! Sadly, my Google Photos won’t let me post pics that I didn’t take, which is really silly.
Tune in for Part 2 of my family vacation! I’ll write the second part soon.
The Nerdy Nook 