We heart mountains. And Nick Carter.

TWO updates in one night – don’t you feel lucky?!?! Sooo Schmingles left us in Drumheller: land of dinosaurs and hoodoos! It’s pretty amazing to watch the landscape change from prairies to rocky canyons … the experience is probably best represented photographically.

Sadly, this is the day my lingering throat infection turned into a full-on flu, so as cool as the Dinosaur Museum was (no, a cool dinosaur museum is not an oxymoron!), I stumbled through it pretty quickly, and proceeded to pass out on a bench outside while the other two fossiled it up.

We hit the road for Calgary that evening. I missed most of this as I was again passed out in the backseat, but we ran into a hailstorm - in a construction zone no less - and it was a slow slog of a drive. We've been really lucky with the weather, so I guess we were due for a test of our road tripping skillz. We arrived at HP's cousin Bill's place late that night. Schmingles graciously slept on the floor so that the sick girl could have a mattress to herself…though the next night she also ended up on the floor because apparently I also rustle around and giggle creepily in my sleep … but that’s another story.


So Calgary! Otherwise known (to me anyway) as the land of miracles. I was feeling slightly better in the morning - at least well enough to complete my Calgary goal number one: purchase a cowboy hat. Apparently Calgary's not the most hopping town on Sundays, but luckily the tourist shops along Stephen Avenue were open, and I found myself a lovely black hat emblazoned with silver horseshoes. I am in love with it, and have been wearing it in inappropriate contexts in an attempt to save it from ruin in my pack. My travel companions are pleased.

Sitting in the sun at the Olympic Park perusing some tourist guides, Schmingles noticed that the Backstreet Boys were playing in Calgary that night. Anyone who knew me circa-13 years ago knows that I was a hardcore BSB lover, so I tried to convince the girls to drop 50 bucks for the show ... this didn't go far. I then tried to sneakily have us drive up to the Saddledome so I could sneakily find us some cheap scalper tickets ... this plan also failed. So I gave up and settled for achieving my other Calgary goal: going out to a country bar. Bill suggested that Roadhouse might be a good spot, so we headed that way. As we approached the bar, a sign in the distance caused me to stop and gasp. A conversation with a bouncer confirmed that a couple members of BSB had signed a contract - they were definitely coming to the bar post-show!! A minor freakout ensued.

So, I plied my reluctant companions with alcohol, pulled a table right next to the VIP area, and waited as the bar filled up with 20-something former BSB superfans in tight leather dresses, stilettos and hair extensions ... we felt a tad out of place in our travel tshirts, but I was too excited to care. And we had our prime front-row seating! Around 11:30, multiple bodyguards arrived... followed by Nick, Howie and some other dude who I think replaced Kevin. Nick came up and touched my hand at the beginning, and then so did Howie. I was pretty content with this, but it was only the beginning: Nick came back around and HUGGED ME. I died. Sadly, this was right after they banned any more photos (presumably so the Boys could get drunk and not end up on TMZ), so I have no evidence besides my eyewitnesses ... but it happened!!!!! This is literally my 13 year-old self's dream come true. 13 years late, but whatever. It was magical.

Apparently a hug from my childhood crush and a night out drinking was all I needed to recover - I felt a million times better the next day. Bill took us out on a hike in Kananaskis - incredibly beautiful, but also a tough slog! But wow, the Rockies are more incredible than we imagined - and expectations were high. Our photos won't do it justice, but we can try....



We hit the hot springs in Banff, then went all out for a steak dinner at the Keg. More hiking in Banff today, and we have lots of pics ... but I'm losing steam here, so we'll leave it at this. Lake Louise tomorrow!