O'er the Hills We Go...Laughing All the Way

July 21, 2016

Today began with a morning visit to the Idaho Falls for some pictures.

After the falls, we began the long drive up I-15 toward Canada. Montana started out pretty enough with the mountains and trees. We loved driving through the canyon next to the river. BUT...then the mountains gave way to the rolling prairies. And they went on and on...

The End




Just kidding. We had a great lunch in Helena at the Staggering Ox. The sandwiches there are truly one-of-a-kind. The bread is rolled up like a spongy tin can, then filled with all of the meats, cheeses, and lettuce, etc. The manager saw us taking pictures of the food, so he went and got us a bumper sticker advertising the restaurant.

Then we were on the road again. I think Sherry Ann even started singing the song...but I digress.

The rolling prairies started again and we had to find ways to keep entertained. I began talking about how interesting the mountains are. They are formed in linear ridges when looking at them on Google Earth. I tried to explain them to the others, but did a pretty poor job. Then Sherry Ann just started laughing uncontrollably. We asked what she found to be so funny, and all I could get from her was "Rocky Mountains...mountains of rock!" She even needed a tissue because her eyes began "leaking."

At last, we pulled up to the boarder crossing to enter Canada. Mattina Ann went camera happy again. She even took a picture of Canadian soil on the side of the road. When it was our turn at the inspection station, we handed the agent our passports and he began asking us all sorts of questions about our intentions and activities in Canada. He even asked whether we had in our possession any amount of cash exceeding $10,000. Sherry Ann told him that we did not, and I said (under my breath) , "I wish." We thought we saw the serious border agent crack a hint of a smile. Then he handed us our documents and we were admitted into the country.

We arrived at our host's home in Cardston shortly. Her car was in the drive way, so we knew she was home. We knocked on the door and waited. Sherry Ann knocked again. And we waited...again. Then I rang the doorbell. The waiting continued. Not sure what to do next, we just stood there. Then the door suddenly opened and our hostess jumped in surprise. She did not expect to see us standing there. She was just going to move the water on the front lawn. Apparently, she had been in the garage putting some things away and did not hear the knocking or the doorbell.

Before going to dinner, we decided to play a little game. We went in search of our first international Geocaches. We were able to find 3 of them near our hostess's home!

We went to a local pizza place for dinner. We begin talking about the highlights of the day, and I mentioned that the laughing fit through the rolling prairies was pretty fun. So Mattina Ann and I decided to ask Sherry Ann what she found to be so funny. She tried to explain again and all we really got was..."The Rocky Mountains...mountains of rock..." And she began laughing hysterically again, I was afraid she'd choke on her pizza.

After dinner we drove past the Cardston, Alberta temple. You know, it's not as gigantic as I thought it would be from looking at the pictures. But it still is a beautiful sight to see.

Now we are winding down and enjoying the cool Canadian air. I can't wait to see what adventures await us tomorrow, eh!