Two By Bike: Return to the Tundra!

We had been checking the Edmonton temperatures the last few weeks before we left California. It was warm (by Alberta standards for this time of year) with the mercury in the low to mid teens Celsius most days. Sandy checked the traffic cams to discover all the snow had melted. As the temperatures were getting a little too toasty in La Quinta, in the mid 30sC, she was whining about the heat and looking forward to getting to Edmonton.

Last weekend we spent most of our time, when not on our bikes, getting things packed up ready to make the trip home, and getting the La Quinta house ready to shut down. Monday morning we went on our regular ride with our ladies group, making it special by riding to Shields Date Garden for breakfast and a nice long visit. When we got home, the bikes went directly into the van and the loading started. That was completed uneventfully (except I found later that I had left my cycling road shoes in CA). Next up was time to clean the house and complete the shut down sequence.

This year, since Sandy decided we would have a more leisurely drive home, she said we would not be leaving at 06:00 as we did last year. I was still up at 6, though, to get the dogs walked and fed. We had a quick breakfast and off we went. Sandy was keen to go a little different route and do some exploring along the way. We headed east to make our way to Lake Havasu, on the border between California and Arizona. In no time, it was 28C and Ben was asking for a drink, which I provided. Then the road became a long session of small rolling hills. Hmmm, that nice big drink of water on Ben's breakfast crumbles, combined with the up and down, up and down of the hills soon made for a car sick dog. Yuck. Guess who was assigned cleanup duty? This is when Sandy would say, "You're the one who wanted the dogs!" We pulled into a Walmart parking lot in Parker, AZ, and I got Ben's crate pad cleaned up and set out in the sun to dry while we took the dogs for a short walk and Sandy nipped into get us each a pop. By then, we decided we deserved a little treat! Fortunately, Ben settled down to an uneventful journey the rest of the way.

You may recall that I went to London and Dublin for work each fall. That did not happen last fall, so I have missed my annual London fix. Not to worry, Sandy to the rescue! Into Lake Havasu we went ... the town, not the body of water ... and what did we find? Nothing but the London Bridge! In the 70s, the original London Bridge was dismantled and moved across the pond to be reassembled in Lake Havasu. We had a nice little walk around with the dogs to take in this displaced icon.

Back on the road, and what was my next excitement? None other than Needles, AZ. I am a die hard Peanuts fan (I think I use to own almost every Peanuts comic strip compilation book Charles Schulz ever published). Just in case you don't know, Snoopy had a brother, Spike, from whom he was separated when they were puppies (and they say it's a dog's life!). They reunited as adults. Spike was a bit rough around the edges, a country dog who lived in Needles. I made Sandy pull over so I could take a photo of the billboard you will see, below.

Our first overnight stop was in Cedar City, Utah. Already, it was getting chilly when I walked the dogs in the evening. And that night, I was so chilly in bed, that I moved over to the second bed and stuffed Rocky under the covers to keep me warm! She thought that was a great idea and Sandy said she had quite a good sleep on her own without my squirming about. The next morning, we bade so long to our shorts and hello to our long pants. Arrrgghh! It was very chilly when I took the dogs out for their morning walk. Some Mormon communities have higher incidences of deafness (the Osmonds have 2 deaf brothers), and while on our walk, I saw a sign that reminded me of that. Also, I found a fire hydrant that had Benny a little confused. You will see what I mean in the photos.

Day two saw us drive through Salt Lake City where there was more snow in the surrounding mountains than we usually see on our way home. That night we stayed in Great Falls, Montana, where it was even chillier. In the morning, Sandy was dismayed when she looked out and saw frost on the windshields of the vehicles, but when she looked closer, she was relieved that it was only a heavy dew. That, however, came hand in hand with fog of varying densities that we had to deal with during the first 30 minutes or so of the day three's drive.

At the border, we breezed through customs with only one other vehicle in front of us. Ahh, home again. All day, we had overcast skies and patchy rain. Regardless of the weather, though, it is always great to be back home and we both commented how our bodies just seemed to relax when we crossed the border into Canuckland. We stopped at Nanton, Alberta to get gas and some good old Canadian junk food. For the last few weeks, Sandy had been having a craving for Hickory Sticks (for our non-Canadian readers, think of a potato chip, but it is a little stick rather than a chip). That was the first thing she got, and my trusty Glossette Raisins were my first purchase. Next up, my sister joined us of a quick visit and lunch just south of Calgary. Snow was in the forecast, so we needed to get back on the road.

We pulled onto our driveway at about 4 PM Thursday afternoon, just as snow flakes began to fall. It snowed continuously for the next two days. Needless to say, we have not been out on our bikes, and Sandy is not exactly thrilled! Rockie is loving being back in her regular yard. Both dogs seem to be enjoying getting reacquainted with their old neighborhood and getting caught up on their pee-mail.

Hope you had a good Easter!! Here are the photos.