Friday, September 24, 2010

The final stretch...






After the leaving the hot springs, we wound our way down to Missoula where I scored a steal of a few new clothes at JC Penny's. I can't believe how cheap things are in the States right now compared to Canada. I cringe to think of how these clothes got made and how they could possibly be making a profit... but it certainly didn't stop me from buying them.
We found our way up along a beautiful lake and kept thinking we would stop, but the boys weren't complaining -- they were sleeping! So I chatted with Dave to keep him awake and we discussed every endeavour we were about to embark on with teaching at Rosebud School of the Arts when we returned. We did finally stop and eat lunch at a nice park with a playground and then piled back in the now full van (we bought some great organic groceries to take home as well) to Glacier National Park.
It was expensive to drive in, and therefore tempted us to stay the night and make the most of it, but there was an urge within to get home as well to sleep in our own bed and not have to break out the luggage. So we drove on. Well, I did.
We only stopped once along a great green river, but there was beauty everywhere. I felt like Frederick the little mouse who stores up impressions and memories during harvest for the cold winter months so he can wax poetic about all of life's beauty inside the cold wall when they've run out of stores. I have had such huge doses of beauty and nature this past summer, that I have enough impressions collected for a year of winter.
The Highway to the Sun is the most amazing road I've ever driven. A narrow road cleft from the face of the mountain on one side and a low stone wall on the other as the cliff falls off into a steep valley. I have never climbed a mountain so ON THE EDGE like that. It was long and slow (twice we stopped for construction) but it was breathtaking -- both in the good and "eek this is scary" kind of ways. Dave and I kept commenting to the point where I'm sure the boys were tired of my constant exclamations of beauty. Some day they'll understand. Cool sites can be as great as Legos.
After we were down from the mountain, I lead-footed it to the border. For me, it was a race against the setting sun, and NO TRAFFIC in sight. I must admit, that's when I love to drive, and I do speed -- if no one's around. You can cover so much ground and the highway is all yours. After the no-lineup at the tiny crossing, I launched into Canadian farmlands with the setting sun glowing my left side. I saw maybe 4 cars in 40 minutes. Suffice it to say, I made good time.
When became too dark, we stopped at Clareshome for a gas and pee for poor Donovan who didn't think he could possibly make it, and Dave drove the rest of the long way home. Yes home. Through traffic and headlights and tiny aphids hitting the windshield. We finally reached our humble abode around 11:40 pm.
Thankfully our house was in good order as our neighbors had stayed there some while we were gone because of floor work being done in their house. So I fell into a bed with clean sheets. That's when I knew we had travelled far and long. Because I don't remember anything else until the next morning.

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