Day 11

I can't believe our stay in Canada is coming to a close tomorrow...but not after some more fun today.

We started our day at a Hutterite Colony. Our hostess, Lydia, taught us what life was like living in a Hutterite Colony. The children aged 6 through 15 eat in their own dining room while the adults ate in their own dining, women on one side oldest to youngest and men on the other, also oldest to youngest. She explained that the women started cooking and in the bakery at 16, while the men did the farm work. They sell some of their baking goods in a local tourist town to make some extra money, but most of the colonies money is pooled together to pay bills, etc. The furniture is all hand made - and exquisite. It is amazing the craftsmenship (or crafts-womanship) that goes into it. The students had a chance to purchase some craft and household items from on of the young girls in the colony. As we left the colony behind, we had a good talk with the students about different stereotypes and what they thought about the Hutterites way of life. The conclusion was that they wouldn't want to live that, but that the people there seemed happy and that was what mattered.

From there we made our way to Drumheller (spelling might be wrong - all my notes are packed and ready for the trip home) where we had a scavenger hunt at the Royal Tyrrell Museum after having lunch in a park with the biggest T-Rex (even bigger than a real-life T-Rex. The students formed teams of 4 to complete the scavenger hunt and Team Awesome People answered the most questions correctly.

After an awesome experience at the museum we were off to East Coulee and the East Coulee School Museum where the students were able to experience a lesson with Mrs. Morrison, the world's strictest teacher, who is an expert on what teaching was like in the 1930's. I don't think the students will complain about their teachers next year.

Then we made our way back to Calgary and the Cascade Residence, stopping to check out the HooDoos and Horseshoe Canyon. Then it was a brief meeting and then on to packing showering and packing and getting ready for our 3 a.m. wake up call to be at the airport by 4 a.m. Our flight home is AA 1166, so keep checking the AA website in case there are any delays. It should take us a while to pass through customs once we arrive back home, but not too long.

Some fun things that you might want to ask your students about are:

1. "Sorry, Toaster broken"

2. Chuck offsets.

3. The Chuck of the Day.

4. Foofies.

5. How 7 layer bean dip compares to sedimentary rock.

It has been a joy traveling with each your students and we, the leaders, are glad you entrusted them in our care for the past 12 days. Speaking for myself, they all have a place in my heart and my door/phone/email/facebook is always open to them with their questions/need of recommendations/etc. any time!

See you all tomorrow!

Day 10

Kiitsiksiksimaatstsimohpinaan (Welcome to those non-Blackfoot speakers)

Another busy day here in Canada. We had an early start this morning...one which the boys didn't like too well as all the girls had their belongings packed, sleeping bags rolled up and ready to be sent for cleaning, and at breakfast before the majority of the boys woke up!

As we said goodbye to our Tipi homes for the last two we were on the way to Calgary and Olympic Park. On the way, we stopped by Big Rock - The Okotoks Erratic, which is a HUGE rock that traveled with the glaciers a great distance to where it now is. Again, the Blackfoot have a story about the rock and Napi. From a distance you can't comprehend our big this rock is.

It was then off to Calgary Olympic Park where the students were able to recreate (sort of) an episode of the Amazing Race where they had a scavenger hunt around the park. The winners of our mini Amazing Race was Team Flyers! They were all presented medals and stood on the podium.

From Olympic Park we headed into Downtown Calgary and Lunch at Pete's, a local hamburger Drive In, which we ate in a nearby park. Then into downtown for a little shopping before going up the Calgary Tower and dinner in China Town.

As you can see, we were all bushed from the long day and Chuck had to take a little nap while unloading the bus!

We have finally made it to our destination for the evening, the University of Calgary. The students are all showered and tucked in their beds for the night dreaming about Dinosaurs and the cool day we have in store for our last day in Canada!

Days 8 and 9

Oki (Hello in the Blackfoot language)

The next 2 days started like an episode of Survivor - the bus drove us down some gravel roads, unloaded the fearless leaders, guides and students with their belongings for the next 2 days and drove off...We met our host Rael and started the trek into our tipi camp, Painted Reflections. The trek was not too bad, only about 1/4 mile, but it was drizzling out and a storm was coming. We all quickly got our stuff into our tipis and made our way to the fire and the lunch tent as we waited for the rain to pass.

After lunch, we participated in a service project. The students were able to spend about an hour clearing a trail. They seemed to enjoy it, although it was hard work and the mosquitoes were out in force, but like the little troopers they are, they went about their work without complaints.

After our trail clearing was completed, the students were able to enjoy some much needed "free time" sitting in their tipis, enjoying the campfire, or playing football or soccer in the clear area.

Not before too long, it was dinner time. We feasted on Spaghetti that Rael's wife, Jillie, had made and then gathered around the campfire to listen to stories about the Blackfoot from Kirby. He told the students the story about Napi and about all the different Blackfoot in the region. We were staying with Blackfoot from the Piikani Nation.

Bedtime came too quickly for the students, but they were excited about the next day and going to Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump.

We were all able to sleep in until 8 before we had to get moving to make it to the Interpretation Center at the "Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump. Our guide taught the students about how the Blackfoot feel they are taking care of this land - they do not own it - they are simply caretakers. He pointed out the different regions and the students were all surprised that they could see Montana in the far off distance.

We were able to experience a Pow-Wow and saw some beautiful dancing and drumming. We were all in awe of the spectacular regalia (costumes) that the performers wore and the dances as well. Most of the students also got to get up and perform the "Friendship Dance" with the performers. We toured the Interpretive Center and learned about the Buffalo Jump and how it sustained the Blackfoot and how no piece of the Buffalo was wasted and how quickly they had to process the meat and hides. It was all very fascinating.

After we arrived back at camp, most of the students enjoyed participating in a "sweat" which is a privilege to be invited to. They were told that this was not a religious ceremony, but merely a time to pray for your loved ones, both living and those who have passed on. After the sweat, some students chose to swim in the glacier-fed river. Jillie told them how the mud would help keep the mosquitoes away and they all enjoyed slathering it on themselves and others. As for me, I waded in the water a bit, but decided I could keep an eye on the students better from shore (that's my story and I'm sticking to it).

That night, we had a buffalo stew feast with fry bread and salad. The students really enjoyed the buffalo meat. Once around the campfire for the evening, more dancers came to our camp for a private demonstration. They were able to see the Grass Dance, Traditional Womens, Jingle Dance, Chicken Dance and Prairie Chicken Dance, plus a few more. The students heard stories about the dances and even learned the Couples Dance (video to follow upon our return) and the Chicken Dance. The professional/award winning dancers judged a Chicken Dance contest and Ben is the Chicken Dance King!

After taking some pictures and thanking the dancers for coming and sharing with us, the students spent some more time at the campfire roasting marshmallows and making smores before bedtime. While we hated to leave the next morning, we were all looking forward to showers! Onto Calgary tomorrow....

Day 7

To sum up today in one word....BRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!

What an exciting day of lakes and glaciers! We started our journey fairly early to get to the Columbia Icefield. This glacier is about 1000 feet thick. The upper part of the glacier could fit 45 Central Parks or two Vancouvers. Talk about massive. Once we exited our Ice Mobile it was a balmy 2 Celsius or 36 F - and snowing...in JULY!!!! We all got a chance to fill our water bottles with glacier water and have a snowball fight with millions of years old ice. With temperatures that low, we could only stay up there for about 30 minutes, which was long enough as we became Ambassador Popsicles.

We also stopped by 3 Lakes, Bow Lake, Peyto Lake and Lake Louise. The students were amazed at how beautiful the water was. We learned that the water gets its bluish-green, torquoisey color for the limestone that is in the water and that this water is not good for drinking or bathing as it leaves a silt residue.

After taking in all the natural sites, we came back to our lodge we had a chance for about 30 minutes of shopping and then dinner at Bruno's.

After dinner, the students enjoyed a Q and A session with a retired Royal Canadian Mounted Policeman. He showed up in the official dress uniform that they rarely wear anymore. He answered questions about the RCMP and the qualifications and job requirements, such having to transfer wherever they send them or they are forced to retired or quit. He took pictures with all the students and we have our fingers crossed that they came out as the sun was not being cooperative with the natural lighting in the building.

We are looking forward to our next 2 days at the Teepee Camp. Unfortunately this will be our last contact, blog, cell phone or otherwise, until we reach Calgary on Thursday.

A few more pictures from day 6

These didn't seem to want to upload...so here they are!

Day 6

It was another early start for us in Canada today. We were up bright and early this morning for our drive through the Canadian Rockies.

Our day started with a pancake breakfast at a local farm. The students enjoyed pancakes, bacon and fruit salad with fresh apple juice.

From there, we started our journey to Banff. Along the way we stopped at Craigellachie which was where the Last Spike was placed for the Trans-Canadian Railroad. The students learned that one of the conditions of British Columbia joining Canada was that a railroad would be put in place to connect them to the rest of Canada.

Our next stop on our way was the Northern Lights Wolf Center. Here the students learned about Karelian Bear dogs and how they keep the villages or towns safe from the bears and how this is a more humanitarian way of protecting people. They also learned about Grey Wolves and the balance these wolves bring to the region. We learned how these animals are really more scared of humans than what is depicted in the movies (imagine that!!) We all got to howl with the wolves...or actually we howled and then the wolves joined in. They were probably embarrassed at our attempts to be a wolf. The learned about the hierarchy of the wolf pack and got to see first hand what happens when two wolves both want to be alpha, when two of the females started growling and barking at each other through the fencing of their respective enclosures. The caretakers explained that that is why these two females were never let in the same enclosure as each other.

We were back on the road again....to joyous music in the bus as all, at least it seemed like it, the students sang along to Justin Bieber, Kei$ha, Lady Gaga, Train, B.o.B and other of "their" selections...only to be drowned out by the dismay when we traded out every so often for an "Oldie but Goodie" We were also lucky enough to spot a BlackBbear grazing on the side of the road and also a pair of Big Horn Sheep. From what our field instructors tell us, this is not a common siting. The Big Horn Sheep even caused a traffic jam as drivers slowed to get a glimpse of them and take pictures.

Our final destination this evening was Banff National Park. We feasted on Lasagna, Cesear salad and garlic bread at the Top of the Summit, a beautiful restaurant on one of the mountain tops that we had to get to via gondolas! The food was very good, but the view was spectacular! We were going to take a small hike to another peak, but the temperatures were extremely cold and we all opted to forgo that.

We finished the evening off by taking a relaxing dip in the Hot Springs. Then it was to our accommodations for the evening. Everyone is tucked into bed and soundly asleep dreaming of our adventure tomorrow on the glaciers and Lake Louise.

Day 5

Hello again Fearless Parents!!! SURPRISE!!!

I figured out the directions to get the internet to work. So here we are at the end of day 5. It has been a long day getting from Victoria back to Vancouver on the ferry and then made our way to Kelowna where we have stopped for the night.

The day started at 4:30 a.m. to be able to catch the ferry back to Vancouver. The students really enjoy the ferry rides and the view is spectacular! Once arriving back on solid ground, we started our trek to Kelowna - nearly an 8 hour drive. This was a good chance for the students to catch up on their sleep.

We stopped for lunch at Bridal Falls and took a short hike up to see it. The falls were AMAZING! Not to mention all the moss covered trees and the creek that came down from the falls. We had a picnic lunch there of Pita sandwiches, fruit, muffins, chips, etc...Then it was back on the bus again to continue our journey.

Once we arrived in Kelowna, we checked into our rooms and then learned about how to Aboriginal people made their tools and then got to try our hands at making our own stone tool. It certainly was not as easy as it looked. We were using obsidian to make our tools. They learned about the different types of tools they used, scrappers, and the different varieties of weapons for leaf-shaped arrowheads for long spears, and slightly smaller but sharper pointed arrowhead for "darts" which were shorter and then finally the arrowhead we think of.

To end the day, we let the students burn off their energy playing football or soccer in the green area by our rooms or just walk around and talk.

As you can imagine, night times can be rough on the students, but I want to assure everyone that each night is getting better and they all are still looking forward to the next days activities. So all is good! '

Tomorrow we are on to Banff and another fun-filled, exciting day in Western Canada!

Day 4

Day 4 began very early with a hearty breakfast and a quick hour and a half trip north to Nanaimo to our zip line activity called Wild Play. The delegates enjoyed over two hours of zipping from tree to tree via swings, ropes, and ladders. After the delegates had their fill of zip lining, they had a nice lunch and then we headed off to the country side for some beautiful scenery and fun laughs. The students were able to see loads of snow-capped mountains, beautiful lakes, and endless mountain ranges. After a quick stop at an information booth, the delegates headed back to Nanaimo, to the Petroglyph park. Here the delegates had the chance view several stone engravings made hundreds of years ago. After the hike back down the hillside, we boarded the bus and headed to dinner, where the students enjoyed hamburgers, veggie burgers, chicken burgers or fish and chips. A quick drive across town and the delegates arrived at the Painted Turtle Lodge to rest and prepare for another fun, adventurous day on Saturday. Tomorrow the students will be traveling by boat and ferry to travel into the Rocky Mountains into Kelowna, British Columbia.

Day 3

Today, the delegates awoke to a blistering 10 degrees Celsius (50 degrees for all you non Canadian types) for some breakfast and a short ride to Victoria harbor. The delegates then boarded a boat to go in search of orca pods. After a very chilly and wet one hour ride (at least for a select group who were brave enough to face the elements and ride in the front of the boat), the group encountered it's first sighting of orcas. The group also encountered several other species such as harbor seals and various types of plant life. The group then headed back to the harbor for lunch at the Broughton Street Deli. After a pleasant lunch, the group was on the move again, this time to the Ocean Discovery Center. Here the students were able to see several types of sea life including crabs, fish, and an octopus. After petting starfish and sampling the gift shop, the delegates boarded the bus once again to return to the highlight of the day: Craigdarroch Castle. Here the delegates searched over four stories of Victorian history. The castle had many interesting stories, including that it once served as a University, as well as a medical hospital during World War I. After the tour of the castle, the students headed for a fine Italian dinner. After dinner, the students returned to the University of Victoria for some much need rest and relaxation in preparation for tomorrow's journey, in which we head to Nainaimo and the much anticipated: Tree-Go!

Day 2

Today was another early up for us. Up at 5:30 a.m. to be able to eat breakfast and catch the ferry over to Victoria. All the students thought the ferry ride was pretty cool how we got to drive our bus onto the boat and then sail across the bay. The weather was perfect and the scenery is spectacular.

Once we docked, it was on the way over to Parliament to eat in the special legislative dining room where very few commoners are allowed to eat. We arrived a little early, so we were able to check out the Empress Hotel which is just adjacent to the Parliament Building. This is where the Queen stays when she is in town. Beautiful hotel and grounds.

Lunch was good. Our waiter in the dining room commented on how well behaved our delegation was and that he would be proud to say that he once served the future President of the United States. Let me tell you, the leaders were beaming from ear to ear!

We took a tour of parliament and learned that the Canadians like to lose things. Seems they lost a stained glass window of Queen Victoria's Platinium (I think - 60th) Jubilee in the basement of the Parliament building for 62 years!!!! They also lost a statue of Queen Elizabeth which on the grounds facing the port. Ask your children about the way Queen Elizabeth is facing!

Then it was off to Fisherman's Wharf where we were able to walk around for a little while and feed "Sammy" the seal some fish. From what I learned from some of the locals, one of the best Fish and Chips dives is right there on Fisherman's wharf.

After we checked into our rooms at the University of Victoria, it was off to Beacon Hill for Pizza int he park. The students had a chance to walk around the gardens, play some soccer and football, and just plain run around and burn off some steam!

Back at our rooms now and they are all tucked into bed so they can be up and ready for whale watching tomorrow!

We have arrived!!!

After a long and bumpy flight to Vancouver, we made it safely through customs and were off to Stanley Park to see the totem poles and the bay. The kids had the first chance to shop and relish the opportunity.

We stopped by Prospect Point and watch some very friendly raccoons who loved to pose for pictures and videos and then walked down to admire Lion's Gate Bridge which was built in the 1940s by the Guinness family of beer and book fame.

Gastown and learned about Gassy Jack - named because he either talked a lot of hot air or ate a lot of beans, or so the legend goes.

Then it was off to dinner at the Old Spaghetti factory for some pasta!

After dinner we made our way to the University of British Columbia (UBC) and now it is 10:30 p.m. Pacific time and the everyone is tucked soundly in bed and we are looking forward to an adventurous day in Victoria tomorrow.

WELCOME PARENTS, FAMILIES AND FRIENDS!

We are now about 12 hours away from our journey into the Great White North. Can you believe it is almost here.

We started this journey 9 months ago with 36 students...then 70 students...and now to our final 47! We have had many changes to our delegation, to the leadership team and to information we have been given...and you have all rolled with it.

We have learned how to be Ambassadors. We have learned about Canada. We have learned about the United States. Now it is time to put all that new found knowledge to use.

We will start our journey in Vancouver and Victoria in British Columbia where we will meet with members or Parliament - we even get to eat in their "special" eatery. We will get to go whale watching looking for orcas.

From there we will start our journey to Alberta - stopping along the way. Meeting people from the First Nation. Challenging ourselves on a ropes course in the forest. We will learn about the wildlife of Canada.

Once we make our way to Alberta, we will learn about the dinosaurs and go on a dig in the Badlands. We will meet with world-recognized paleontologists. We will play on glaciers that have been around for millions of years. We will go to Olympic stadium and try our hands at some Olympic events.

We will challenge ourselves. We will grow through broadening our horizons as we become citizens of this world we live in.

Again, thank you for entrusting us with your students. We are looking forward to the best time in Canada.