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We started the trip with two long days of driving: first from Seattle to Kamloops, BC, then from there to Jasper, Alberta.

Watching a DVD

The Odyssey's DVD player was a big hit. We almost didn't have it for the trip, though. A DVD was stuck in the drive and the dealership didn't get a replacement drive until the Friday before the trip (we left on Monday). Our "service advisor" managed to squeeze us in on Saturday even though their schedule was already full, so we were good to go! We still don't know what DVD was in there...

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As we turned east onto route 16, we suddenly found ourself facing Mount Robson, the highest peak in the Canadian Rockies.

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For Charlie, the best part of our stop at Mount Robson Park was the little playground behind the Visitor Centre.

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As I tried to coax Charlie away from the playground, Kathy and Henry started the short nature trail.

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As we left Mount Robson Park and entered Jasper National Park, we also left British Columbia and entered Alberta (a new province for all of us).

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The resort has a dock on the lake and a few boats to rent.

Patricia Lake

During World War II, Patricia Lake was the home of an experimental ship made of ice. Project Habakkuk was a British plan to build enormous aircraft carriers out of ice (or Pykrete, a mix of ice and sawdust) and position them in the North Atlantic. When the project was killed, the prototype was sunk in Patricia Lake.

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Watching Finding Nemo.

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So why were the kids all ready for bed and watching a movie in the middle of the day? Well, it may be light out there, but it's after 9 pm. Jasper is quite far north and sits at the far western edge of a time zone, so it stays light very late. One night, I went out a little after midnight to see the stars, but there was still way too much light in the sky.

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Quarter after nine... barely even beginning to get dark.

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At least the kids slept late...

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I think Charlie was surprised to be having breakfast in our bungalow.

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Henry kept a travel journal on the trip. He was pretty enthusiastic at first and actually managed to write or draw something almost every day.