Saturday, September 19, 2015

Hello Week Four...

Hello Week Four…  

We spent 8 days in Jasper and enjoyed all it had to offer. Even in rainy and snowy weather we still found fun things to do, hiking, swimming, hot springing and lots of exploring. And some not so exciting activities as well, including grocery shopping, laundry and hunting down Internet to get some work done. Now we are in Banff and Lake Louise, we have 4 full days here and have a bigger town and more area to cover. We hiked the most popular trail in Banff, the Tunnel Mountain Trail which offers awesome views of the town, mountains and the rivers around. We are visiting Lake Louise as well and will do more hiking and learning about the Canadian Rockies.
View from the Tunnel Mountain Trail 

As we make our way into our first month of the trip I am feeling once again grateful and happy for this opportunity (I feel like I say this in every blog post, but it is the truth and I don’t want to take it for granted). I am happy to see how we are all getting used to the ins and outs of the daily routine. Although each day is different, most days there are a lot of things that remain the same. Coffee, tea and some down town time each morning, with reading, mediation and relaxation before we start the day is something we try and do each day, we had this same ritual at home and it is carrying over here in the camper as well. And now, since we are all in the same tiny space the girls are starting to get in the same groove as well. We spend many mornings reading in our beds, and it is almost 10am before we realize we need to have breakfast. Even if this means we start our day a little later, it is nice to have something that feels like home. Another ritual that some times gets shuffled around at home is family dinner. These days, lunches are either out and about either sandwiches or quesadillas at a trail head  in the camper or at a local brewery with wi-fi so we can get check our email, but dinners have regularly been in the camper or around the camp fire. Most nights it’s a simple dinner, grilled meat and veggies or a bag salad – served right out of the bag (one of our new favorites). But the one thing that is always the same is that we are all together, we are not waiting for Andrew to get home from work or not fitting it in between after-school activities, but just dinner after a long, fun day. The girls also have figured out how to make the camper feel a little more like home, they were only allowed a small box of legos and Playmobile items, but they are so great with playing pretend with these guys,  they spread them all out and its like they go into their own little imaginary world. They also enjoy roasting pinecones on the fire and making little “wedding banquets” for the squirrels, but they like to have both indoor and outdoor activities.  



After our visit here in Banff, we will head south, making one stop in Waterton, AB and then back to the USA and into Montana. One thing I have been enjoying (and kind of cursing at the same time) is the lack of internet and connection. I find it freeing that I have limited phone service and no data on my phone. I realize how connected to my device I am at home. I like the fact that we have to schedule our internet time to get our work done and then that’s it for the day. Although I do miss sending random texts to my friends and family back at home, I would love to share simple moments with them when the time comes up, I do know there will be time for that as the trip goes on and being gone for 9 months it will be nice to have more of those moments to stay connected, but for now, I really enjoy the simplicity of our life less connected (she writes as she posts this blog using the Starbucks wifi). 



2 comments:

  1. Hello Gorohoff Family! I have seen pictures of your trip on FB but I wanted the whole story so I have been reading your blog. I am all caught up now. Thanks for sharing this amazing adventure with those of us who are going to stupid school or stupid work in one stupid location....Sienna and Nadia, you are so lucky! Love, Mary LoPresti in stupid Camarillo, CA

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  2. You are so right-- we do get caught up, even addicted to devices!! So love your grateful heart and loving spirit! You are re-ignighting our love of travel
    with your prose and now we, too, want to see what you see!!! Live you all!

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