The Epic Road Trip - August 2013 Edition - Day 1 AND 2

Day 1

Admittedly, this was not really a road trip day.

Mr T and I went to work. Mr P went to day care. But when we got home, the Swamp Monster (our new road trip vehicle - 2014 Subaru Forester), was packed in quick order, and we were heading for Edmonton to spend the night.

Mr P knew something exciting was happening when he got to have his blankie, Scout AND his little SLS Mercedes Matchbox in the back seat with him. When he saw the hiking backpack we carry him in for long walks, he knew what was up. "Go, go, go!!!" he chanted with toddler glee.

That is the deep sleep of a happy toddler in a hotel.

Day 2

Our day started with a trip to Subaru City to get the Swamp Monster (so named because of it's green/grey colouring) its first oil change (fortuitous timing if I do say so myself). After less than an hour and a quick trip to Costco to pick up a flat of water and some road snacks, we were heading west, toward Jasper.

Taking into account the rules (see the backstory below), we decided we'd stop in a few places - Edson and Hinton. It's only three hours to Jasper from Edmonton, but we thought we'd be generous with the stops at the beginning of the trip.

Heading into Jasper, Mr P was sleeping, so we thought we'd bang on and forego our usual stop for a sandwich at our favourite joint. It was only a few hours to where we thought we'd be staying for the night - the KOA in Clearwater, BC.

However, as we drove on, we drove deeper into a storm. While we had made our reservation hours before (again, see The Rules), we quickly decided we'd much rather hit up a hotel than stake up a tent in the pouring rain. So, keeping in mind the fact Mr P needed to eat, we stopped at a restaurant in Valemont, BC to load him up. He wasn't up for playing nice, so it was an eat quick and get the toddler who throws cutlery out of the restaurant kind of stop.

Then it was onto Kamloops for a hotel. This was against our rules for two reasons: 1 - it was last minute lodging and 2 - we had agreed to stay in hotels only every two days to do laundry and to get Mr P a bath. However, it was in everyone's best interest. Due to his long nap in the car, it was a few hours past bed time when he finally decided to sleep. 

All it took was a little Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives to get him down.