Our Typical Day

Fillmore, UT to Page, AZ

This is a picture of the bee hives that Remy spoke of on the blog yesterday. The first car we tried to pose in front of had a very angry canine inside!

I have realized how quickly we have developed routines on our travels,  different from the ones at home but still routines all the same.. It's human nature I suppose but interesting that we need them and create them.

Here is what a typical day this week has looked like:

Bowen calls the front desk the night before  to arrange for a 6:30 am wake up. It takes us till about 8:15 to finish the free continental breakfast then we are on our way. Of course we force the boys to grab a piece of fruit to take with us as it may be the only fiber they get all day!

The boys usually catch up on their beauty sleep in the van for an hour or two while Remy and I enjoy the quiet and the gradual decrease in visible snow on the roads.

Campervan school usually begins around 11:30. Remy positions himself between the boys and is constantly cranking his head from side to side answering questions for "Mr Tompkins".

After about an hour or so we stop for a pee, some gas and call it a day for the schoolwork.

It amazes me that Remy seems to have such good recall when it comes to grade 7 math. I think I get more frustrated than Hollis when I try to help him with his work so I happily plug in some of my fav tunes while the boys get educated. Someone has to drive!

We have finally reached the warmer climate of Arizona and feel like we want to linger and see what's what wherever we stop. Today was Kanab, Utah. Famous for the many films that get shot there including Planet of the Apes (1 and 2). Bowen takes charge and will easily go into the tourist info for directions or information. He discovered that Kanab had a dilapidated skate park so we HAD to go there. Tons of video footage was shot there just in case Element is looking for someone to sponsor.

We had the most amazing drive from Kanab to Page, Arizona. The topography is very much like the badlands in Alberta but a thousand times more impressive, it goes for hundreds, maybe thousands of miles and the rock is very red! It was an awesome sight.

Around 5pm we start thinking about finding a place to stay. A hotel with a pool, hot breakfast and wifi are our top priorities. Best Western usually gets our business. It's hard to believe but for average $60 bucks a night ( American!) we get a room, a swim,hot shower, wifi and breakfast for 4! Why camp?

Tonight we visited the highly recommended Ken's Bar and Grill for dinner.  We usually feel like we have to venture further than across the parking lot to get good food but there was something very authentic about this honky tonk place that we just had to see. Sure enough the place oozed country/ western. They even had ranch dressing at the salad bar! The live music was great and it seems our wholesome Canadian good looks made us stick out in the crowd (I'm sure it had nothing to do with the Lululemon jacket and pants I had on while my jeans were being washed) Before we knew it the lead singer was chatting us up then invited Remy and Bowen up onto the stage to sing an Elvis tune.- See attached picture-. I haven't laughed so hard since I took Bowen to a "salon" for a haircut.

Tomorrow we have decided to stick around here a little longer and take a 4x4 tour of Antelope Canyon. Every postcard and travel guide in this town boast the most beautiful pictures taken there so we figure it is worth the extra time. Then we're off to spend a day and night at the Grand Canyon!

I think today is the first day that I have really felt the excitement of this trip. The first few days were a slog just to get to warmer weather but now that we are here and our van is running smoothly we can relax and enjoy the fact that we don't have to be anywhere soon. We are constantly reminding each other "can you believe we have 6 months of this!?"

The Mexican border beckons us but the lure of this land needs to be explored just a bit longer. I realize though with all there is to see that 6 months may not be long enough.

It thrills us to see how many of our friends have become "followers" on our blog. We share all the comments we receive with each other  as it makes us feel so connected even though we are so far away.

-Liz