En Route to Canada

 We reserved two condominiums in Golden, British Columbia, an hour's drive from Banff, for our 2019 Spendlove family reunion.  The fun began as soon as we left SLC on Friday, June 28, 2019.  Spencer had been interning this summer for the Houston office of McKinsey, an international consulting firm.  Naomi stayed behind in Provo to work in her chemistry lab, although she visited Spencer every other weekend.  Spencer flew back to SLC for the reunion, and he and Naomi rode with us to Canada.  They were thrilled to have a week together.  Dave and I are very fond of Spencer and Naomi, and the four of us talked on and on as we drove.

We stopped for Friday night in Butte, Montana.  Jonny and Jenny left SLC on Thursday morning for Fossil National Monument, Teton National Park, and Yellowstone.  Jonny is enjoying filling up Sam’s Junior Ranger book with badges.  Jonny and Jenny met us in Butte for dinner, before driving three hours further to Kalispell to spend the night.  As Dave waited for Jonny and Jenny at the Pita Pit restaurant in downtown Butte, Spencer, Naomi, and I wandered down the street to listen to a country singer giving a free open air concert to a group of jean-clad Butte citizens.  We admired the location of Butte, high on a mountainside, with the remains of mines all around.  It felt as western as the sagebrush prairies of Wyoming.

The best fast casual food in Butte, according to Trip Advisor, was the Pita Pit.  We ate Greek salads and pita sandwiches with Jonny and Jenny, listened to their tales of visiting the national parks, and then sent them on their way to Kalispell.

We caught up with Jonny and Jenny at Kalispell, early on Saturday morning, and drove next them all the way to Golden.  Poutine is the national dish of Canada.  When David and I visited Nova Scotia and Newfoundland last year, it was sold everywhere, but we couldn't bear to try it.  It looked just too horrible--gravy and cheese ladled over French fries.  Both Spendlove cars stopped for lunch at a fast food restaurant a couple of hours into Canada, and we decided to be brave and try poutine.

 Sam enjoyed a less controversial treat--ice cream in a waffle cone.

 Jonny was dubious, but he took a chance.  Jenny stayed in the car with Henry, who was napping.

"Hmmm.  Better than I thought."  Jonny took seconds.