Our original plan was to spend only 1 night in Edmonton, go to West Edmonton Mall and then head on to Jasper. After assessing the water pump, we had to roll with a new plan as it was kaput. We think we broke it when we went out east by leaving it on while driving with the cap off at the beginning of June. We decided to stay for 5 nights, reschedule Jasper when we get back from Alaska and wait for our new pump.
I think you try and prepare yourself for full-time RV life but, you don’t really know what it is like until you get out on the road. Two weeks in I was wondering, everyone says we are living the dream, but I am really not feeling it. After long travel days to get to this point, RV repairs and getting used to our new life, it was taking a bit of tole on me. I think that everyone has their own adjustment period and I was going through mine. Hitting this low period brought me to remember what I was grateful for. Looking at my hubby and Annalise or simply taking Kenya for a walk brings me so much joy. It makes me pause and remember that these are just going to be new hurdles for us to overcome to spend this time together and live this new way of life. Not everyday is going to be like a vacation because this is now our everyday life. It is still full of everyday chores, getting groceries and planning where to stay and what to do. Realizing that you do not have to go out and do something everyday just because you will only be in this area once, staying at the trailer and playing a family game is just as wonderful and sometimes you really need those days too.
This was also a good week to get other work done that Jason had on his list. We bought a new bike rack for the rig. The old one was going to take the whole bumper off and as a result, we had been taking the bikes in and out of the rig for travel days. Too much work and had us wondering, why did we bring the bikes in the first place? We also bought and installed sensors made here in Edmonton by Garnett Industries for the fresh, grey and black tanks. They are fantastic! It is a different world to know what level your tanks are actually at instead of the guessing game of 1/3, 2/3 full.
Where we stayed
We stayed at Glowing Embers Campground, full hook-ups, 30 amp. The location was awesome, only 15 minute drive to West Edmonton Mall and any shopping. The Wi-Fi is very slow at your site but works well at the main office. They do not accept packages although, we had asked to be able to get our water pump shipped and they said that they would make an exception and leave a note for all staff. It seems that there were some new staff working and our packages were sent back. A bit frustrating to say the least as we only were staying for the week due to our repairs needed. We ended up going to a great RV store down the street called Trailblazers which carried the pump and had fantastic service.
What we did
We went to West Edmonton Mall and indulged in a movie and taking Annalise to the water park. Anyone who has been to the mall knows how spectacular the water park is. Enormous wave pool, water slides for any desired speed, it really is a fun time for everyone. I couldn’t wait to get on one of those fast water slides … I may have been a bit over zealous with my choice. We were going to be on the road on Annalise’s actual birthday on Monday, so this was going to be her special day to pick the movie and do whatever she wanted in the water park. I had convinced her to go on an “Extreme” slide and WOW was it ever fast! I think it was a little too fast for me actually making you airborne going down but, Annalise did it! It was a well needed family fun day full of lots of the kind of laughs and fun that makes your face hurt. Reminding us of these awesome moments that we have together and forget our RV woes.
The rest of the week was working to get the projects done, some baking (yeah!) and taking advantage of the amenities of Edmonton before heading further north to more remote areas.
It was also a great time for us to go to Starbucks to get some downloads as our AT&T lines were getting throttled. Think Annalise watched a little too much YouTube and we may all be suffering now lol. We took advantage of being within driving distance of one and went there twice. Annalise stocked up on her YouTube and Netflix before hitting all of the no service areas along the long drive to the Yukon. It certainly is an adjustment when you are used to high speed internet in your home to tracking down WiFi wherever you go. I felt like our kids when they were teenagers, trying to hook-up to the WiFi as soon as I stepped foot into a place lol. Thank you Starbucks for great coffee and WiFi!!
You must log in to post a comment.