Missoula was only a couple of hours away and we arrived in time to spend a little time walking around the downtown and then enjoyed a picnic lunch next to a river and the Holiday Inn. The weather was perfect and we lay on the grass for awhile since we were in no hurry to go. We had reservations at a Bed and Breakfast in Polson, Montana that night and were not able to check in until after 4 pm. Since it was only a couple of hours further, we were leisurely taking our time. Neither Chris nor I had been in this part of Montana and it proved to be a rather beautiful trip through the mountains.
A slight rain was coming down when we arrived in Polson around 3:00. We stopped first at Wal-Mart to find some sweat pants for Chris, but believe it or not, they didn’t have any. In an attempt to pass the time before our 4 pm check-in, we decided to check out Polson. It is a rather small community on the Southern end of Flat Head Lake with very little to see. We decided to try and check-in early at the Swan Hill Bed and Breakfast. No problem. The homeowners, Larry and Sharon, were very hospitable. We found their site on the internet and loved it because of its beauty, but mostly for the indoor swimming pool and sauna. We checked in to the Mackinac room, wandered around the house a bit and then headed off for dinner—Pizza Hut. Not my favorite, but the selections were few and it is something I know Chris really likes. We thought we would look at a few of the shops around town but everything was closed by 5:30 or 6 pm. The swimming pool back at Swan Hill was our most intriguing option at that point so we headed back. The water was kind of chilly even at 80 degrees, but after Chris pulled me in and I began to move around, I warmed up. Chris also turned on the sauna and soon headed toward it to steam himself for awhile. I stepped in for a bit after spending about 45 minutes in the pool, but it was way too hot for you and me.
We took advantage of the opportunity of sleeping in, since breakfast wasn’t served until 8:30 am. Everybody else staying at the B&B was already up, showered and dressed. Chris and I just climbed out of bed, threw on some clothes and went for breakfast. One of the other couples staying at Swan Hill, Jack and Mary Atkinson, knew Chris’ dad. In fact, Jack is a Southwest pilot and was hired at the same time as Grandpa Kline. Mary is a flight attendant. Small world huh? We talked with them for most of the breakfast and truly wished that we could have stayed longer.
We broke the cardinal swimming rule of waiting for one hour before swimming after a meal and jumped in the pool again. We had to check out by 11:00 am so we wanted to take advantage of the pool as much as possible. We had just enough time to shower and get dressed and were on our way again by 11:00. Our road on this day, Saturday, August 14, would take us through Kalispell, where we stopped for lunch at Wendy’s, and then into Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park. I hadn’t been to the park since I was really little, but I did remember the narrow road of Logan’s Pass. It is a skinny two-lane road on the side of the mountain with a sheer drop off on one side. Kind of unnerving. We stopped at the visitor’s center at the top of the pass and hiked up a trail toward the glacier, but I am afraid it was almost too much for my pregnant body and I was soon out of breath. I knew that Chris wanted to hike as far as possible so I went as far as I could. It was less than 50 degrees at the glacier—much colder than the hot weather we have been used to.
On our way out of the park, which was downhill all the way, we spotted a black bear. Chris was hoping to see a grizzly, but no such luck. We were almost into Alberta and my excitement at being home was beginning to build. We went through the border at Peigen/Carway without any difficulty at all, (Yeah!) and pulled into my parent’s circular driveway in Stirling around 6:30 pm. Mom and Dad rushed out to hug us. Chris and I were stiff and sore from sitting for so long and it felt good to finally reach our destination, though we truly enjoyed the leisurely amount of time we were able to spend traveling. I hugged Mom and Dad and immediately went for the bathroom—I do that a lot. Mitch was in the kitchen making a taco dinner for us. What a sweetie.
Our week at home was filled with shopping, excursions, and lazy time. Sunday was truly a day of rest. We went to church from 1 to 4 pm and then relaxed for the rest of the day. Mid-morning Monday Mom, Dad, Chris and I headed off in the direction of Lethbridge with a picnic lunch. We stopped again at Wal-Mart to find some sweat pants for Chris, and lo and behold, this store had some. We stopped at a few more stores but Dad was anxious to do some sightseeing. We knew that we would be back for shopping later in the week so off we drove toward Fort McLeod. They have a fort/museum there as well as the musical Royal Canadian Mounted Police horse ride. The ride was at three so we headed off to have lunch in a picnic area. As usual for Southern Alberta, the wind blew and blew but we enjoyed ourselves regardless. We arrived back at the fort in time for the presentation and were even able to stay in our car and watch. It was mostly choreographed movements of seven horses and riders. The riders wore the uniforms of the RCMP but were actually young kids. I have driven past the fort many times with my family on the way to Grandma Great’s house but we had never stopped to watch the horses before.
Next stop. Head Smashed-In Buffalo Jump about a half an hour away. This area is now a museum built into the side of a hill where Indians used to drive buffalo over the side of the cliff—thus the name. We probably spent an hour and a half going through the museum and then headed back home.
Chris and I had originally planned to go out to dinner for our two-year anniversary today (August 16) but I was so pooped by the time we got home, we opted to stay put.
Dallin and Donna and Angela were on their way home today (Monday) as well. They had wanted to surprise Mom, but as usual, she figured out that they were coming. They planned to take the trip in two days since they were bringing two cars. Dallin was driving their old Honda, a Canadian car, home to sell it and Donna drove their newer Honda. Incidentally, we are now very much a Honda family. Mom and Dad have a white one, plus Brad’s old gray one. We brought our dark blue Accord and we have a white Prelude, and Dallin and Donna have a newer maroon-colored Accord plus the older gold one. Mom started getting nervous around 9 and 10 pm when Dallin hadn’t called. He said that they would when they stopped for the night. Dallin’s older car hasn’t been so reliable and Mom was worried about them. So much so that she fasted on Sunday that they would make it home without any problems. We all went to bed with no phone call from them and when I woke up in the morning, I heard the distinctive noises of Angela. They had arrived around 2 am and without waking anyone, they got the extra key from under the deck and let themselves in. Mom didn’t even know they were home till she checked their room in the morning. Angela took some time in warming up to everybody, but by the end of the week she wasn’t giving us too many crusty looks anymore. She will be two in December.
Mitch was working all week long, but we convinced him to take Tuesday afternoon off and come to Writing-On-Stone with us. Another picnic lunch into the cooler—hotdogs this time—and we were off. Writing-On-Stone is a Provincial Park surrounded by amazing rock formations called hoodoos. When we were kids, Mom and Dad took us for picnics to Writing-On-Stone at least once a summer and often we had ward campouts there. I remember spending hours climbing on the rocks. We were always warned about rattle snakes, but never saw one. The Milk River also winds through the park making for great swimming and sunbathing with its sandy beach.
We had lunch and then spent time at the beach watching Chris and Angela play in the water. Angela loves the water even when it is quite chilly. She played along the shore in the sand and water for hours while we sat on the beach, some of us under a large umbrella watching her and all the other kids. After awhile, Dad, Mitch and Chris went exploring in the hoodoos. We slowly dispersed back to the car, especially after Donna took Angela out of the water, and headed back home.
Wednesday was another big day for us. We went to Waterton Park, about two hours away. And yes, another picnic lunch. Waterton is a small tourist town with overnight campsites nestled within the Rocky Mountains and surrounded by Waterton Lake. It is beautiful. As we drove into the park, another black bear (not a grizzly as Chris was still hoping for) ran across the road in front of us. Lots of people must have been watching the bear’s progress for awhile because the skinny two-lane road was lined with cars and two park rangers stood at the side of the road, more to protect the bear from any intervention from tourists than anything. We planned our trips well as we again arrived in time for lunch. Our first stop, however, was at Cameron Falls to show Chris how breathtaking it was. He snapped a couple of pictures, but unfortunately there were people fishing at the bottom of the falls and they got in the way of a nice clean shot. We drove around for about five minutes looking for a lunch spot and found a camp kitchen next to the lake. The water from the lake is from a glacier, and I thought it was really cold, but that didn’t stop Chris and Angela from wading in it. We rested in the shade of a big tree, enjoying the beautiful mountain scenery surrounding us.
Angela wasn’t anxious to leave the water, but Dallin buckled her into her car seat and we headed up to Cameron Lake, approximately 15 minutes from the Waterton town site. Fortunately Angela fell asleep along the way. Mom stayed in the car to be with Angela and work on her crafts while the rest of walked along the paths surrounding the lake. We got split up from Dad and waited for him for about a half an hour, but that just gave Angela more time to sleep. When she did wake up she wasn’t all that happy so we decided to make only one more stop and then head home.
The Prince of Wales Hotel is an internationally recognized landmark in the park that I had been telling Chris about prior to our arrival. It is mega expensive to stay at but fun to tour. The views from the area are spectacular. More pictures and then we left. As we made our way out of the park, more cars were again lined up along the sides of the road. This time we see a momma bear with three cubs meandering across a hill. We may not have seen a grizzly, but how often do you go on vacation and get to see six bears?
Thursday we stayed home and rested for part of the day. Yeah! These excursions were beginning to take a toll on all of us and everyone was happier not to be cooped up in a car. Chris and I watched videos and played video games. If I remember correctly, Dallin, Donna, Mitch, Chris and I went to Lethbridge for a couple of hours in the afternoon to shop while Mom and Dad stayed home with Angela. That evening, Mitch, was being ordained as an Elder and so Mom was busy earlier in the day making desserts and tidying the house. She had invited Eldon (Mom’s brother) and Pat, Marilyn (Mom’s sister) and Calvin, and Granny (Mom’s mom) to come, plus the bishopric attended and a member of the high council. It is amazing that Mitch has grown up so fast. I remember when we brought him home from the hospital as a baby. Time flies. We picked up pizzas on the way home and hurried to eat before everyone arrived for the ordination.
Mitch had his wisdom teeth removed on Friday. Everybody went in to Lethbridge, but in three different cars. Dad took the suburban and a small trailer to pick up some sand for work. Chris and I drove in later in order to pick Mitch up from the dentists and drop him off with Dad who would then take him home. Mom went with Dallin and Donna and Angela. After dropping a very drowsy Mitch off with Dad and sending them on their way home, the rest of us went to the mall to shop and then to my favorite Chinese restaurant for lunch—Hong Kong Gardens. It was just as good as I remember. We stopped at Zellers for one more shopping stop and then Chris and I went to a matinee—Notting Hill.
That night, Chris and I were playing video games down in the basement when I suddenly saw Angela tumble down the deck stairs outside. I immediately yelled, “She just fell down the stairs!” and raced up the stairs, through the kitchen and living room, and out on to the deck to make sure she was okay. I figured by the time I got there surely someone would have found her, but she was still there hanging on to the stairs, face down, and crying for all she was worth. I ran down the stairs and reached for her, thinking that my pregnant tummy wouldn’t let me bend over far enough to reach her. I grabbed her arm and waist, hoping nothing was broken, and pulled her to me. By the time I carried her back into the living room, everybody had gathered around. I handed Angela to Dallin and tried to catch my breath and keep from crying. Angela was fine physically though scared to death. I, however, had to sit in the chair because my heart was just racing and the adrenalin running through my body was not subsiding. I should have recognized the signs of shock setting in, but didn’t. I got out of the chair to go lay downstairs on the couch. My body was shaking and still my heart was racing. As I lay down on the couch, my body went into complete shock. I was hyperventilating, crying, shaking and basically scaring everyone around me. Mom and Chris took over trying to help me calm down but I just couldn’t. I am not sure how much time had passed, but I felt Dad and Chris consecrate my head with oil and then lay their hands on my head. In the middle of Chris’ prayer my body suddenly relaxed and my breathing returned to normal. Throughout the entire ordeal, I continually thought, “Please don’t let this harm my baby,” and was relieved when you began to move around afterward.
Mom kind of took over the situation in helping me to relax, but all I cared about was having Chris by my side. I think beyond the physical and emotional shock of seeing Angela fall down the stairs and then racing to help her, it was also a shock to me to realize that bad things were going to happen to my own children and there was nothing I could do to stop them from happening. My heart aches when bad things happen to people who don’t deserve them.
Mom told me after I calmed down that Mitch stood behind us in the family room watching me go through the shock with tears running down his face. I always have known that I have thoughtful and sensitive brothers, but I guess it takes moments such as these for it to touch my heart more deeply.
I was able to relax for the rest of the evening and fell asleep as Chris and I watched a movie. I was still pretty exhausted on Saturday but mostly recovered. We didn’t go anywhere on Saturday (yeah) and I was able to get things packed and ready to go. Mom and I worked on a lot of baby things and hemmed Chris’ temple pants.
As far as baby clothes for you, you are set for at least the first couple of months of your life. Mom sent me home with so many outfits and sleepers. Lots of them are from garage sales, but they looked great. As we packed everything in the car Sunday morning, we could not have taken any more. We had a baby cradle, suitcases, food storage, some frozen vegetables and fruit, pillows and so much more. When we take our first road trip with you, I imagine that our car will be equally packed just with your things.
The drive home took us all day Sunday. We left around 9:30 am from Stirling and arrived in Provo about 10:15 pm. We stopped for lunch and dinner along the way plus the necessary bathroom stops. Both Chris and I were pooped by the time we fell into bed. We both had Monday off and just spent the day unpacking, cleaning house a bit, getting groceries and relaxing. We also looked at light fixtures at the Lighting Design store for our new house. I am so glad that I didn't go right back to work on Monday.
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