Days Twelve: Calgary, AB to Glacier NP, MT

And we're back online! Let's see what you missed in the last 3 days...

• The drive from Calgary to back into the U.S. was pretty uneventful. We did have to make at least one stop for groceries and supplies. The closer we get to camping, the more we get into the habit of "Oh, I need this...." On Saturday, it was an over mitt: we realized that we'd be cooking with a cast iron skillet over an open flame with no hand protection. I found a nice one that stands up to 93 Celsius...which, in American, is about 200 degrees.
• We drove a little out of our way to Coleman, AB. Apparently, this is where Christina's grandfather was born, so we got a quick photograph of her and Kiersten outside the Coleman post office.
• We got a little lost after that; the route to the U.S. border was not well-marked, and we had to keep asking for directions.
• We're now off the map of our Milepost! Hurray! The thing kept falling off our dashboard. We can now put it away and sell it on eBay next summer. (Word to the wise: the Milepost is FLIMSY. I recommend wrapping it in contact paper before heavily using it.)
• We drive through Canada's Waterton National Park. It's known as an "international peace park" since it borders Glacier, and they have some joint management. If we had more time, we'd have probably visited this park as well.
• We cross the border around 5. Back in the U.S.A.! (Christina is sad to leave Canada; she enjoyed seeing everything in litres and kilometers again.)
• We get to Glacier maybe an hour after that. We're pretty tired and hungry, since the drive took much longer than we expected. The tent is pretty painless to put together, however. We eat a cold dinner since we really don't have the patience to make something hot. Also, we're not allowed to chop firewood here, so we have no fire.
• By the way, the scenery is gorgeous here. Very different from Alaska. I was expecting Montana to be more flat and rugged, but we're right into the Rockies here.
  
• OK, panic: we have no firewood. I drive off-camp to check with various general stores. A lot of them are sold out, but I do manage to score two bundles for $6 each. (Ow!)
• It gets cold FAST in Glacier. It was almost 70 degrees when we arrived, but the temperature starts plummeting once the sun goes behind the mountains. According to our thermometer, it went down to the mid 30s. We rush Kiersten to bed and bundle her in some warm clothes and her sleeping blanket.
• I make my first pathetic attempt at a fire. Christina has to explain to me that, no, you don't just go and light your big log. You need to throw kindling and small branches and newspaper into the firepit to get the big log going. I've also got a magnesium flare...thing...which is supposed to get a fast spark going. That doesn't work, but I've also got some starter logs, so we cheat and get that going. We get a nice fire going after that. Christina comments that it took two of us to get a fire going, so between the two of us, we make a whole person. I comment back that that's what makes a marriage. She likes that.
• We otherwise enjoy the fire while we try to keep from freezing our toes off.
  

Results: A long but not ridiculous drive, but we do arrive too late for a warm meal. We're kind of grumpy making camp, but we have a good laugh before bed. Grade: B.

Total Miles Traveled: 2,806 miles.