Canada!

 I knew that after I finished the 50 states and tried a cruise, next on the list would be Canada. I won't give you the background here but know that the planning was begun many months ago and there are reasons for certain parts, mostly the train at the end. 

I left home way too early and drove to Van Nuys where I left my truck and took a shuttle bus to LAX. This saved a lot of money but wasn't necessarily quick. But it was relatively stress free - especially since the bus had to deal with LA traffic and I didn't! We'll see how it goes at the end, but for now I'd say I'd do it again. 

Anyway....

I had plans to stay with my friend Sheena who I had gone to church camps with in High School. Her family has been in Calgary for about 15 years. She even offered to come get me at the airport which was so much better than Uber! Sheena and her husband Pete were waiting when I got done with customs. Customs was uneventful thank goodness. They had lots of kiosks set up where I scanned my passport and answered questions about why I was there and such. Easy peasy.

Sheena and Pete and I drove into downtown and had a nice dinner at a local restaurant. The whole area was very busy with all sorts of people walking around, all the restaurants were packed. Yes, Friday night, but also world cup soccer. There was a large contingent rooting for Brazil at the patio restaurant next to ours - they cheered a lot :)

I tried my first poutine!! It was fries with chicken gravy and cheese curds. I found it quite yummy. Apparently there are many varieties with different "sauces" and types of cheese and such.

After dinner, Pete played tour guide and drove all over downtown showing me various sights. Stampede grounds, Saddledome (where the Flames play hockey), the new arena they're building for the Flames, the Bow River, and so much more! 

We then went back to the house and I just about collapsed into bed.