February 2, 2010

One of the best experiences of my life spanned over a few days, but there were definitely moments that stood out from the entirety.

You will never again achieve the sense of freedom that you have the first time you taste it.  Stephanie and I planned a trip, no parents, just us, all on our own.  I remember the thrill when we booked our hotel online because it meant we were really going; it would be the first big trip we had ever taken without family.

The times that stand out most are the Sunday (or was it Saturday?) market, the buffalo jump, exploring the town, and the weird interpretive centre we stopped at when we were back in Alberta.

The weekend market was great because we were so carefree.  I don’t know if I have achieved such a sense of mindless enjoyment since that.  It didn’t matter what anybody thought; it didn’t matter who was around me.  I was with my best friend and our only goal was the have the best time possible, and through confusing Americans by asking about fry bread and feeding each other outside candy shops and spending far too much shopping, we really did have the best time imaginable.  And I was introduced to kettle corn.

The buffalo jump carried with it a sense of wonder, panic, and freedom.  I think that it really helped to impact upon us that this was a real vacation; we had gone to a landmark and Stephanie had flashed the entire countryside.  We had done something we would never forget and tell friends and family about for years and years to come.  The panic set in when we realized we were completely alone up on that buffalo jump.  There wasn’t a soul for miles, and the only sound was the wind and the distant boom of jets taking off from the military base.  Stephanie referenced The Hills have Eyes, and we took off to the car when we saw a pick up truck coming up the only road to the jump.  We were sure mutants were coming to get us.  Also, there were ground hogs EVERYWHERE, but even when I threw them kettle corn they would not come near me.

One evening we went out and explored Great Falls.  We had no real destination in mind and were only walking to explore and stretch our limbs.  I don’t think we stopped talking or laughing at any point along the way; there was no end to the things we could talk about.  We found a fantastic art gallery on one such walk and met the very eccentric owner.  On another one, we were sure a stray Pomeranian was going to bite our ankles, and a man biking past led to a conversation about t-shirts that would say on them “I got raped in Montana.”  We found a weird church kind of building, the kind with the G and the math instruments on the logo.  It’s not really a church.  What are those guys called?  In retrospect it all felt very natural to do while visiting this random town we picked just because it was the closest big US city to us.

On our way home, we were so tired.  I remember switching back and forth for driving, but we were both completely fatigued.  We waited forever at the border crossing, but made light of the A/Cless situation by dancing and generally causing a ruckus.  I’m not sure how they figured we were safe to let back into Canada with that sort of awesome behaviour.  Somewhere back over the Canadian border, we came across a weird little interpretive centre about how great Alberta is.  It had a big dinosaur outside, which meant Steph had to go in.  There was a free museum with antique cars and a stuffed beaver that attacked me.  I just remember how fun it all was and how happy I was to be so free and independent.

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