The morning of our penultimate day of our adventure we spent sipping coffee, and playing games with the Shutts. It is always such a pleasure to spend time with old friends as if no time had passed. Even better when the kids also get along. My very strong regret was that we did not take any pictures of our reunion! I think I may have exhausted my picture taking capacity after our Lake Louise/Lake Moraine outing. We thanked the Shutt's for their hospitality by leaving behind all our excess belongings. Who doesn't want 1/3 of a Costco jar of peanut butter or 3/4 of a box of fruit bars???
We planned a side detour on our way back to Edmonton to visit my Aunt Trudy and Uncle Bob. They live in the delightful town of Big Valley. We got to see the tourism train arrive and the community members who dress in garb from the 1800s to greet them. There are a couple of very impressive historical collections in town from thousands of different tools to historical population data and artifacts. I was privileged to see my Uncle's room of collectibles, particularly items related to Wyatt Earp and Roy Rogers. Again I failed to take photos of the reunion, but I treasure every moment spent with my Western family.
As we continued on to Edmonton, our final reunions fell through. It was just not possible to meet up with everyone on our list. This means we have more people to see the next time we come out west! Our airport motel was quite the sight. We had 2 rooms, but not adjoining. The kids were upstairs while Chris and I had a deluxe jacuzzi room. David was the first to try it out, getting his swim suit on and filling it up while Chris ordered pizza. I drove over to the airport to return our trusty steed as our flight was an 8am departure the next morning.
