greenroads: Cow Town (Calgary)

We had a wonderful visit with Kim, Mike and their daughter Claren in Calgary. From Colorado we drove through Wyoming and then spent one night in Billings Montana. There was fog in Wyoming but after 1/2 hour it cleared up and when we left Billings the next morning snowy roads slowed us down for quite a few miles; three and a half hours worth. But we arrived in Calgary in time for supper.

Kim (a long time friend) and Mike have a beautiful home with a stunning view of down town. Their home is designed with the living area at the top of 3 levels to give an unimpeded view through a wall of windows. The modern design has different lines than I am used to but it is so comfortable and warm with colourful art and sitting and living areas inside and out. I am so glad to finally get there to enjoy this amazing home. (Oh and the company wasn't bad either!) We normally see Kim and Mike when they come to Kincardine so it was wonderful to visit in their stomping grounds.

They did a great job of showing us the city too. We started out with lunch in the revolving restaurant of the Husky Tower which is no longer the tallest building of the city but still provides an excellent panorama and perspective of this boom town. You could walk downtown from their house in about 45 minutes but we drove and then walked around downtown and a couple of parks. Mike and John went to a Flames Game and Kim and I took in a movie. Kim, Claren and I went to a huge scrapbooking store and made a beautiful card. This was inspiring since I have not scrapbooked for a year. Time to get back at it. We also decided to spend a day at the Calgary Zoo. It was a great day for a walk and not too far to drive, which John and I really appreciated. Now I really feel like a kid again going to two Zoos within a month having not been to one for many years. Thank you so much for the hospitality Kim, Mike and Claren!

The time to leave came too soon, especially since the forecast was saying snow was expected after a tease of spring. We left a day early and thank goodness we did since the snow came with a vengeance. As it turned out we drove across Saskatchewan, Manitoba and into northern Ontario a day ahead of bad weather. It was clear sailing until Barrie when we had to give up and stay one more night in a motel. The last section of this huge road trip was interesting but we did not stop to smell the roses. We did enjoy the lay of the land as we drove for longer than normal in an attempt to get home and avoid bad weather.