2010 Chevrolet Equinox, A Review

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Deb’s Introduction

We weren’t asked by General Motors to write a review about the new 2010 Chevrolet Equinox. We weren’t even asked by them to blog about our time on the Chevy Equinox Rocky Mountain Adventure.  I am sure that they wanted us to and were happy that we did, but they never asked us for anything in return when we were invited out to take part in adventures in the incredibly beautiful province of Alberta.

Like everything that we put on this site, we only write about what excites and inspires us.  If we didn’t love our experience and find it worth sharing with you, we wouldn’t post it.  As you may already know, we have posted several articles about our adventure drive already and you guessed it, we had a fantastic time going on amazing adventures.

2010 Chevy Equinox

And just like those adventures that we enjoyed sharing with you, we thought that we would share our thoughts on the New 2010 Chevrolet Equinox.

We like General Motors products. Really.  I don’t understand why everyone puts them down all of the time. We have been driving the same 2000 Chevrolet Cavalier for almost 7 years and we have never had a problem.  You see, we are travelers and we don’t like to put a lot of money into our vehicles.  I often joke to my brother who owns a car dealership that I am going to keep driving this car right to it’s last legs.  And he always replies that the problem with our car is that it will never quit.  Great! I say, that way I won’t have to buy a new one!

Growing up I drove a Pontiac Firebird  and loved it.  I hadn’t really thought about it before, but I guess I am a GM person through and through.

Unfortunately, our Cavalier doesn’t really fit our lifestyle while we are at home.  We cram tents into the trunk and coolers into the back seat, while we mount our bikes and snowboards on our roof rack when we take off for the weekend. It has worked surprisingly well, but over the past couple of years we have talked about how we really need to invest in a car that is more suited to our lifestyle.

Dave’s Review

This Chevy Equinox really does suit our lifestyle.  It is a small SUV that is a pleasure to drive both on the highway and in the city.

The first thing we noticed when we approached the car was the sleek styling. With the multi-dimentional hood and wraparound headlamps it really catches your eye. Now looks are not everything (although they tend to help) and I was anxious to get inside and see what else this crossover had to offer. Most important to us , because we do a lot of outdoor activities, was Cargo Space. When we opened up the back we were blown away with the room. After putting down the 60/40 split seat there is more than enough room to stuff all of our winter sports gear including the snowboards and still have room left for non essentials. Also all of the compartments in the cockpit would make it easy and convenient to store all of your readily accessible items. ( there is even enough room to store your laptop under the armrest. Cool!!)

After taking a quick tour through the interior it was time to get on the road. We hopped in and adjusted our power leather seats and tilting and telescoping steering wheel, threw it in drive and we were on our way.  We immediately noticed was how quiet it is. Compared to our Cavalier it seemed like we were in a soundproof room. So we turned on the XM satellite radio. Now, we have never had this so it took a little getting used to not knowing where the channels were. But soon we had it figured out and we were cruising on the highway with Hair Nation cranked.

The Chevy Equinox is smooth on the highway. Easy to handle and had guts in the mountains.

This is great but at what cost? We have always tried to avoid driving those gas guzzlers so when we calculated our fuel economy we were pleasantly surprised to see that we got 10 Liters to 100km. How do we know this? Because it tells you on the dashboard menu screen!  Also, we had driven it 0ver 1000 km. We topped it up in Lake Louise for $29 and still had almost a half a tank left in it after driving from Calgary to Jasper and back plus  everywhere in between.

The good thing is that it does not sacrifice power to achieve this. We never really got a chance to put the all wheel drive to the test but judging by the way it handles we are confident that it could handle a lot more. It gave us the sense of security without feeling that we were encased in a tank!

Other features that we liked were:

1. The back up assist camera. It takes a little getting used to but is a cool and useful feature

2. On Star System. We used it to make a few phone calls. You can also use it for directions and would be a real help if you were in the middle of nowhere, as the signal is 4 times as powerful than a cell phone.

3. Bluetooth Handsfree Connectivity- This is becoming a must in our society.

4. DVD Entertainment Center. We don’t have kids and we have heard that these are a lifesaver when you do have them, but we would just like one for ourselves!

So, after test driving the 2010 Chevy Equinox we came to the conclusion that, this vehicle could be our next purchase. It has everything that fits the adventurers needs and then some.

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Trekking the Athabasca Glacier on our Rocky Mountain Adventure Drive

It was sad to see our Chevy Equinox Rocky Mountain Adventure end.  We really enjoyed ourselves with the gang from General Motors and the other bloggers and writers in the group.

But it was our last day driving the Chevy Equinox in Alberta and it was time to head out for our final adventure.  We were going to walk on the Athabasca Glacier at the Columbia Ice Fields.

Deb and our 2010 Chevy Equinox

The day started early at Num Ti Jah Lodge. we heard footseps from above at 4:00 am. It was abandoned in the upper levels so we joked that it was the ghost of founder Jimmy Simpson wandering the halls.  Or even worse, the ghosts of the trophy’s hanging on the walls of the dining room and lounge.

Dave was up at the crack of dawn to capture the beautiful sunrise over Bow Lake.  It was stunning and we were the only people outside walking along the path on the lake.

Sunrise at Bow Lake

If you are going to Banff or Lake Louise, I highly reccommend staying at this lodge. It is far away from the touristy town of Lake Louise and you feel like you have your own little paradise all to yourself.

It was a cold morning in Alberta. -2 Celcius according to our thermastat in the truck and it was going to get colder as we climbed into the mountains towards Jasper National Park.

About to Climb the Athatbasca Glacier

Today we were all taking part in the same adventure so we left in a convoy on yet another beautiful scenic drive.  We listened to our satelite radio and couldn’t understand why people actually pay for this. Commercial free was nice, but it is not like their play lists were perfect and some stations were just down right cheesy.

I drove this day and just had to take advantage of the camera in the rearview mirror that I used for backing up.  All of these gadgets take a little getting used to, but like everything once you let go of the past it is easy to embrace the future.

Ok, time for our glacier adventure.

Climbing to the Glacier

We met our guide Rebecca from New Zealand. Yes contrary to popular belief, New Zealand is filled with glaciers.

Rebecca our Kiwi Guide

We all got our crampons and had a quick lesson on how to put them on and then we were off.  Man, I am out of shape.  Sitting around and blogging for months on end can take its toll on the old cardiovascular system.  When I asked her what elevation we were at, she replied that it was just under 2000 meters.  Damn, not high enough to blame the altitude!

The Mighty Athabasca Glacier

But we kept an easy pace and after a few photo stops we arrived at the glacier.

Glaciers are very dangerous and not to be traveled on without a guide. One false move and you are falling into a crevass, tumbling hundreds of feet into oblivion only to land in a river and be swept under the ice.  Stupidly, many people go off of the public path each year to walk on the ice by themselves. Not a smart move.

Rebecca Checking the Ice

We were instructed to walk in single file.  Rebecca said that she wouldn’t be walking into any big hole, so just follow along and we would be safe too.

It was pretty easy walking. The Athabasca Glacier is not steep and the spikes helped grip the ice.  We even felt pretty warm as the sun was shining bright.

The highlight of the walk was being able to look into an icy blue hole. We took turns as Rebecca held our arms and coats to look over into the aquamarine spiral downwards.  It was a little scary to think that one false move and we would be swept to our death.  But Rebecca didn’t take any precautions and made sure that our foot was planted far enough back giving us just enough room to peak over the edge.

Carefully Peering into the Abyss

We took some group photos, but we could only use one camera. Leslie if you read this we are looking forward to seeing how it turned out!

One of the most fascinating things to see at the glacier is how much it has receded over the years.  Since the 1850′s it has lost half of its volume and retreated 1500 metres.  There are signs posted as you go and the most disturbing was how much it had retreated since 1992.  It looks like most of the damage has been done in the past 20 years!

Glacier Retreat since 1992

It was really an amazing thing to experience the Athabasca Glacier.  It is the most visited glacier in North America and I can see why. It is impressive.  Thanks to the Rocky Mountain Adventure, we were able to check off a very big item on the life list.

Up Close and Personal with the Glacier

We had a very rushed drive back to the airport to make our flights.  We were 4 hours away from Calgary and we flew at 4:00.  Luckily we all made it in time and our excellent Rocky Mountain Adventure had come to a quick end.  We were all in such a hurry that there was little time for good-byes. But hopefully it will only be until we meet again, because this was such an inspiring and fun group of people to travel with.

One of Many Photo Opportunities

Everyone lives such exciting adventurous lives and everyone enjoyed having a good time around the dinner table in the evening.

Thanks again to Jennifer Wright for getting in touch with us to come out and join The Chevy Equinox Rocky Mountain Adventure. General Motors is definitely on the cutting edge embracing new markets and harnessing the power of social media and internet marketing.  We loved seeing a young face at GM that knows what the next generation is looking for in a company.

The Chevy Equinox in Action

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Canoe Lake Louise in Banff National Park, Alberta

Call me crazy, but I never knew that Lake Louise was in Banff National Park.  Hey, Canada is a big country.  Anyway, After our rock climbing adventure, we were off to canoe on the emerald waters of Lake Louise.

Chateau Lake Louise

It is a beautiful setting surrounded by the Rocky Mountains and we were glad to be able to fit our second item on the itinerary into our Chevy Equinox Rocky Mountain Adventure Drive.

Our Ride

We were running short on time so we had to make our canoe ride quick, but I am glad that we managed to get out on the water. Now if we were paying for it, that would be another story.

The price to canoe on Lake Louise in front of the Chateau Lake Louise is outrageous. $50 for 1 hour, or $40 for a half an hour. We only had a half an hour until we had to leave for our interview with TheRealBanff, so we paid our two twenty’s and paddled our hearts out.

Deb Paddling Her Heart Out

They make a killing on overcharging tourists. People lined up continuously to give away their $50 to hop into a canoe.  It was non-stop and the boardwalk was cluttered with people even at this late hour in the day. Luckily the lake is pretty large so you didn’t feel like you were taking part in a bumper boat ride on the duck pond at an amusement park.

Unfortunately, evening is not the best time to visit Lake Louise.  The glacier is completely back lit making photo’s almost impossible. So I suggest going early in the day for optimal picture taking opportunities.

Once we were out on the water we really wished that we had more time.  We paddled like mad to make it to the other side and situate ourselves under the shade of a mountain. Dave managed to take some great shots of the Glacier from a different angle. People stuck on the boardwalk could not have gotten this view.  Also, looking back towards the hotel was quite beautiful, and having the structure in front of the hills and forests gave a great perspective of just how large the land is.

Lake Louise and Columbia Glacier

While paddling Dave commented on what an “Authentic Canadian Moment” we were having – Canoeing in the Rocky’s on the majestic Lake Louise. It was nice. We also could not get over how cold the water was. It is a glacier fed lake after all and once we dipped our hands into the water we realized why they were so strict with their rules before we started paddling. If anyone fell in the water in the middle of the lake, they would be in serious trouble.

A True Canadian Moment

So we managed to cover quite a lot of ground and we only came back to the dock a little over 10 minutes late. The boys were very sweet and didn’t charge us any more money for the extra time. In peak season however, I don’t think that we would get away with it.

We hightailed it in our Lovely Chevy Equinox and tried to make it to our lodge Num Ti Jah at Bow Lake where Reality was patiently waiting to interview us for Banff/Lake Louise Tourism. The temperature dropped quickly and we were shivering a bit during the interview, but I am very glad that we did it outside because the views were stunning.

Driving into Bow Lake

We laughed when the interview was over because a squirrel ran by. It was the BanffSquirrel after all that runs the Banff Tourism Website and set up our interview through twitter, so we enjoyed the little reminder that he was there with us in spirit.

Bow Lakes Gorgeous Setting

That night we settled into our rustic accommodations and met down by the fire in the dining room to talk about the days events. I got to know Leslie Crowell from the YummyMummyClub and what a fireball of a lady. We had a great time talking about her white water rafting experience with her husband Alex and we all enjoyed some pre-dinner cocktails and appetizers.

We all had a great laugh that writer and photographer Chris and Drew from Outpost Magazine decided to go golfing for their Rocky Mountain Adventure. They said that it was some of the best golfing that they had ever done with stunning views and difficult holes.

Wolverine

Our Group

More Dead Animals

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So after catching up, we were dining in the grand Elkhorn Dining Room, where we kept the adventure going…Dave and I ordered the Elk for dinner. Oh, we could feel the souls of the dozens of trophy’s from the bygone days of Jimmy Simpson staring down at us in judgement. Wolverines, Badgers, Moose, Elk and Bear hides and heads overlooked the dining room.  You couldn’t help but think about how barbaric the human race can be.  And yet, I was being a hypocrite because I ordered the elk!

The Elk for Dinner

Cozy Num Ti Ja Lodge

you really have to click on the lodge photo to see just how beautiful the room is.

It was during that meal that I seriously considered going back to my vegetarian days and talked about how my dad is completely vegan, healthy and running everyday! We should all follow his lead.

So we collapsed in our giant king size bed with a thick and cozy duvet where we slept like babies after our jam packed day on the Chevy Equinox Rocky Mountain Adventure Drive. Whew!

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Climbing In Canmore, Alberta With the Chevy Equinox Adventure Drive

A couple of years ago, Dave and I were very much into rock climbing. We had memberships at Joe Rockheads Climbing Gym in Toronto, we learned how to lead climb and we spent weekends out at the Niagara Escarpment rock climbing with friends.  We loved climbing and even spent time in Thailand climbing in beautiful Ralaigh.

When we started training for the Tour d’Afrique, we gave up climbing. It is hard to focus on too many hobbies and climbing is one of those things that if you don’t go regularly, you really see your skills slide.  No problem, we love trying new things.

The Approach

However we have always wanted to climb in the Rocky Mountains.  Finally, the day had come on the Chevy Equinox Adventure Drive.

On Day one, Dave and I drove ourselves in our spiffy 2010 Equinox to Canmore where we met James; our guide from Yamnuska Mountain Adventures.  It is the premier climbing school in the Rocky’s so we were in very good hands.

We were a bit early, but James was ready to go, so after signing our waivers, we were off.  Since we had some experience in the past, he decided to take us to a different Crag with some fun climbs. We drove back towards Calgary to Wasootch and started our day.

Our Crag!!

What an awesome start to the day. As we were walking into the crag, we saw a man riding his horse along the river. What a moment!

Deb and James at Wasootch

James is an amazing climber who spends his summer guiding up in the mountains and winters as a ski guide.  He was telling us stories of climbing the Rockies high peaks camping overnight in a bivy sac on the side of high cliffs and surviving snowstorms and high winds.  He even camped on the top of the highest peak in the range. This guy is the real deal.

He free climbed up our first route to set up our top rope. No leading for these two rusty weekend warriors.  It was a great fun climb to warm up on.  The cliff had a slight incline so it was a route that was all about using our feet as we smeared our hands along the rock.  Not a lot to hang onto, we just had to trust that our feet would stay connected and after a little guidance from James telling us body positioning, we got it.

Dave climbed the first route with ease and made it look like he hadn’t had a day off. I on the other hand was pretty nervous. It is strange how the fear of heights comes back even when I completely trust the rope and know that if I fall I am not going anywhere.

Deb crushing the 2nd climb

After making it to the top of the first route however, I felt confident the rest of the day and had a blast.

We did 6 routes in all and Dave belayed James as he took the lead setting our routes.  He did a mix of trad and sport climbs and made everything look so easy.

I was lazy, I admit it, and didn’t belay once. I was too busy taking pictures and video.  Besides Dave was doing such a great job using the belay device. No Gri Gri here. The last time I used the belay device (ATC was during our multi-pitch course in Thailand and I didn’t like it. I like the security of the gri gri)

Dave Belay's James

The climbs became more fun with each route and we were starting to feel really comfortable on the rock.  It was then that we asked ourselves why we never went back to climbing. It is such a blast!  To climb to the top, look around at the stunning views is like nothing else.

We were having such a great time with James that after all of our climbs, he said “let’s have some fun and do a little multipitch. This was the most relaxing multi-pitch I have ever done. He led the whole way and then belayed Dave and I from above.  He made us safe as he re-arranged the ropes for our next pitch as we hung off of a bolt on the cliff  30 meters in the air.

Climbing the multi-pitch

All we had to do was sit back, watch the pro at work and take some pictures.

I felt a little guilty having James do everything, Dave and I are trained in lead climbing and multipitching, but we are very rusty and out of shape.  So on the other hand, I was happy to have my life in the hands of James as opposed to ourselves.  He rocked!

Dave and James hanging out

After we got to the top of the cliff, we got to rappel down.  We had to laugh just a little when James said…”now all we have to worry about is if the rope is long enough” It was long enough we never doubted him for a second.

After our day was done, we felt a little sad that we had to move on so quickly. It was a media tour after all and we had places to be. If we were on our own schedule we would have definitely gone out for a beer or two to get to know our guide better.  We did exchange emails and we look forward to keeping in touch with him and following his climbs around the world.

Who knows, maybe we will ask him to write a guest series about climbing?!

So we said good-bye after driving back to the shop and were back on the highway cruising to our next adventure.

Deb on the Multi-Pitch

Dave just Hangin Out

If you ever find yourself in Canmore Alberta, make sure to stop into Yamnuska and take a day to climb these awesome routes.  Your guide will be of the highest quality and you will feel safe and comfortable as you climb the beautiful Rocky Mountains.

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Chevy Equinox Rocky Mountain Adventure – Part 1; An Overview

Wow!  We have always wanted to Visit the Rocky Mountains.  It has been at the top of our list for years but things never seemed to work out.  As Canada’s Adventure Couple, we find that we spend more time traveling the world representing Canada rather than spending time exploring our own country.

2010 Chevy Equinox

That is why when Jeniffer Wright from General Motors offered us the chance to go out west to drive the new 2010 Chevy Equinox for the Rocky Mountain Adventure Drive, we didn’t hesitate for a second to say yes!

What an amazing experience.  Alberta is home to simply the most beautiful mountain range we have ever seen on the planet.  Driving north from Calgary towards the Rocky Mountain range was breathtaking.  We could only come up with one word over and over.  Another writer on the drive Chris, used the word Dramatic to describe the drive while we were eating dinner the first night and he was right.  Once those rocky mountains appeared we just couldn’t get the word “dramatic” out of our heads.

The Rocky Mountains Dramatically Appear

Calgary is surprisingly flat, but as you drive out of the city it isn’t long until the Rocky Mountains appear.  There aren’t any small rolling hills leading up to the mountains, you are instantly introduced to giant jagged rocky peaks.

En Route was saw the 3 Sisters, Castle Mountain and  Chinaman’s Peak  a.k.a Ha Ling Peak among others. These peaks are all so dramatic that they need names and the legends of each one dates back centuries.

Castle Mountain

We have to say, we aren’t used to traveling in such style, but we absolutely loved being behind the wheel of our Red 2010 Equinox.  The leather interior, Satellite Radio and OnStar Hands free calling made everything so easy.  It was too cool when we both phoned our parents to say hello from the TransCanada Highway.

I think that the best way to see Canada is on a road trip.  Things are pretty spread out and our highways offer many lookout points and rest stops.  It was difficult driving from destination to destination because we just kept having to stop every few kilometers to take yet another breathtaking photograph.

We started our adventure in Calgary.  After a great evening out the night before, we were introduced to our trucks the next morning.  Garry showed us the features and gave us our itinerary and we were sent off to explore Alberta!

Dave and I chose 3 adventures during our stay. Rock Climbing in Canmore, Canoeing Lake Louise and Walking with a guide on the Columbia Ice Fields in Jasper National Park.  I will go into detail in the next few posts, but today I just want to talk to you all about Alberta. What a province.

Welcome to Canmore, Alberta

Our first stop was Canmore. I have heard a lot about Canmore, but didn’t know what to expect.  We didn’t realize that Canmore was so close to Calgary. It is only a little over a 100km drive in the middle of Kananaskis Country. Kananaskis has over 4000 sq. km of foothills and mountains to explore and 50% of it is designated as national parks and protected areas.

It is a picturesque town filled with chalet style architecture. There is a lot of construction going on as this place has grown considerably since it hosted the nordic skiing events in the 1988 Winter Olympics.  Surrounded by mountains, its relativity to Calgary and being only 10 minutes from Banff National Park make it an ideal place for nature lover’s to settle down and enjoy everything that the great outdoors has to offer.

We picked up our awesome guide James Madden (whose life deserves an entire post of its own) of Yamnuska Mountain Adventures and we were off to Wasootch to do some climbing. It was beautiful and the one thing that really struck us was the silence. There just isn’t any noise pollution. I don’t remember the last time I was in such a quiet place.  The weather was perfect for climbing and taking photographs of our gorgeous views. As James said to us “how do you like the view from my office?”

Climbing at Wasootch

After an incredible day at the Crag, we were back in our truck driving to Lake Louise.  We entered Banff National Park and paid our $19.60 fee for the vehicle.  GM was kind enough to pay for our expenses so we certainly didn’t mind, but I have to admit,they do need a better system to enter the park. We weren’t even there on peak season and we were in line for quite awhile waiting to approach a pay station.

There was a lot of construction on the hwy and we missed our turn off for 1A.  Our big mistake since we had OnStar at our fingertips.  We really should have set up our route.  It is hard breaking the “Old School” habits.  I had my map on my lap planning our next turn, and we could have easily just pressed a button and asked for information. Oh well. Live and Learn. Maybe we will be invited to another one of these events and we will really take advantage of the Navigation system. (hint hint:-))

Lake Louise, Alberta

Lake Louise is absolutely beautiful. A turquoise Glacier fed lake framed by mountains with the giant Victoria Glacier lumbering in the backdrop. Absolutely Awe Inspiring. I did find the Chateu Lake Louise to be a bit of an eye sore.  A quaint village would suit this setting better and that is why I was grateful that Garry and Lisa our co-ordinators from Odyssey International booked us 40 km up the road at Num Ti Jah Lodge on another Glacier Lake – Bow Lake surrounded by mountains with the Crowfoot Glacier towering overhead.  This was exactly where we wanted to be.

Bow Lake, Alberta

The lodge was amazing. Founded by Jimmy Simspon in 1898, you really feel that time has stood still here.  It has evolved over the past century, but if you want to get away from it all, this is the place to be.  A cozy fireplace, simple rooms, no TV’s or Cell coverage and the Elkhorn dining room.  It is named for, you guessed it. The many elk, bears, moose, wolverine and deer trophy’s hanging on the walls.  It is a little uncomfortable having all of these hunted animals hanging around you as you eat, but to know that they were killed during the early 1900′s makes it a little easier to take.  It didn’t help that both Dave and I ordered the Elk for dinner!

This was also a perfect setting for our Interview for the Real Banff set up by The Banff Squirrel. Sitting on Muskoka Chairs with the great Rocky Mountains behind us, we were thrilled to be able to share our experiences in Alberta with the people of Banff/Lake Louise and can’t wait to see how it turns out!

It was bright and early the next morning to drive to Jasper National Park to see the glacier.  This may seem hard to believe, but the scenery became better and better with each turn. It is too bad our day was so busy because we could have taken hours just stopping at every scenic lookout to view the incredible snow capped peaks.

It was colder today starting at well below zero, but we luckily had a lot of warm weather clothes with us. Hey, we were driving in an SUV so it could handle our excess luggage. We had so much room in the truck that we didn’t even notice the bags! Something we are definitely not used to in our Cavalier.

Canada's Adventure Couple with the 2010 Chevy Equinox

We had to be warm for our stop the Columbia Ice Fields to walk on the Athabasca Glacier. A pretty cool experience and our first time actually walking on a glacier. We will tell you all about it in a few days.

So it was a whirlwind 3 days in Alberta, but it was definitely and amazing adventure.

We would recommend at least 2 weeks in Alberta, but the way that the great people of General Motors set up our trip, we got to see the best that Alberta had to offer in our short time there.

Stay tuned for more posts on our trip and a review of the Equinox. We can’t wait to talk to you about our climbing, canoeing and Glacier Walk.

All Photo’s Copyright Dave Bouskill Photography

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Chevy Equinox, Rocky Mountain Adventure; Day 1

The Chevy Equinox Adventure is underway and we are so excited to start driving today!

We were greeted at the airport by Gary Sowerby an amazing and inspiring man that holds 4 Guinness Book of World Records.  He has driven cars around the world, up Africa and South America before anyone even thought of it and when logistics were nearly impossible.  We are pumped to have spoken with him and his wife Lisa Calvi last night to hear all about their adventures and world travels.  Lisa Co-ordinates everything alongside Gary and together with Jennifer Wright (media relations from General Motors) they are co-ordinating our week here.

Our evening consisted of getting to know our fellow bloggers and writers over a scrumptious 4 course dinner at Muse Restaurant.

Wine was flowing and the conversation was in full force. Our dinners consisted of Tomato Prociutto Spice Green Salad, Ahi Tuna Ceviche, Seared Halibut for me and Beef Tenderloin with Risotto for Dave all topped off with a dessert sampler for two.  Did I mention the white truffle popcorn that we were brought as a snack appetizer. Yes, we could barely walk after dinner, but we only had to go a short way to the hotel to sleep the night away.

We are joined by a photographer and writer from Outpost and another Blogger from the YummyMummyClub.

Once I have all of their last names and blog information, I will tell you more about them.  For now, Chris, Drew, Alex and Leslie are a fabulous bunch of people that enjoy a great time and lead very interesting lives.

It is 6:00 am here in Calgary and we are sitting in our beautiful boutique room complete with towel warmer and fresh coffee service this morning.

Towel Warmer

The room is elegant and comfortable here at the Luxurious Kesington Riverside Inn locate on the Bow River and we could stay here for days right in the heart of downtown Calgary. Beautiful!

Beautiful room at Kensington Inn

However

We start driving today and can’t wait to test one of these Chevrolet Equinox Vehicles.  We saw them in the garage and are itching to drive ourselves to Canmore where we will be having a fun filled day of rock climbing followed by Canoeing on Lake Louise.

The Banff Squirrel is coming up to our next lodge for a little video interview and we are so looking forward to seeing Banff.  So far, we are loving our time here and once we get into the Rocky Mountains…I don’t think we will ever want to go home.

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Big Week at the PlanetD

We are so excited to be going to Alberta this week for the Chevy Equinox Rocky Mountain Adventure.

GM Canada contacted us last week to be a part of test driving their new Equinox from Calgary to Banff and Lake Louise to Canmore.  It is going to be a week filled with adventures.

Our first media tour with all expenses paid!

We have been told that one night we will be staying in rustic accommodations in the mountains and I am interested to see what rugged means to the good people at GM.  After all camping your way down Africa makes everything seem like luxury.

We will be rock climbing in the Rocky Mountains, hiking on the Columbia Ice Fields and Canoeing on Beautiful Lake Louise in the shadow of the Victoria Glaciers.  I was born in High River Alberta and other than a stop on the Greyhound at Lake Louise while traveling from Saskatchewan to Vancouver, I have never been back.  Although I won’t have a chance to see the Bar U Ranch where my parents lived and worked at the time, I will be able to see the beautiful Mountains and scenery of my birthplace.

We are also going to try to squeeze in an interview with The Banff Squirrel. Looking forward to meeting the little guy!

Dave also has only traveled through Alberta during a drive in a Uhaul when he was 18.  The wandering started early for Dave as he and two friends decided to move out west after high school graduation.  He lasted a summer, but what an adventure that must have been for a bunch of 18 year olds.

Dave is excited for the amazing photo opportunities.  He has had a busy summer working on back to back movies, so to dust off the old camera again is going to be a thrill.

So for my week in review this week…

We wrote a post on Friday about our fears while traveling and keeping up with the travel blog.  So this week is going to be a trial run.  It will be our first time posting scheduled blog posts and tweeting from the road. We received some great advice from everyone and I highly recommend checking out all of the suggestions that we received from people on that post.

I am thinking that it is going to be fairly easy because Alberta will most likely have wifi in our hotels, but at least I will see how it feels to write posts at night and get them out for their scheduled times.

We lost the Vantastic Adventure again. We are now actually relieved.  We really want to do our travels on our own terms this time.  In Africa we were on a strict schedule because we were taking part in a race and had to ride 120 km daily from Camp to Camp.  We didn’t like not being able to stay in a place that we enjoyed or wanted to explore for longer and we didn’t like not being able to interact with people.  I am sure that Vantastic would have been  similar in the fact that we had to do certain adventures and do certain activities. It might not have been the greatest start to our travels.

There are still a couple of more legs to go, but we have come to the conclusion that they are looking for younger and more of a party atmosphere.  So you never know, but we are definitely not holding our breath.

Now we will be starting our travels in India. We are going to fly to Kerala in the south.  It is more laid back than flying into Delhi and we can spend a week or two relaxing on the beach, exploring the back waters and getting our bearings before we look into yoga courses.  Eventually we will make our way north to see the sites and explore the country.

We are really excited to be going to India, we have put it off for so long. We wanted to make sure that we had the time to truly explore everything that the country had to offer.  We also feel like we have traveled enough to be able to handle India. I know that sounds silly because a lot of people travel to India even as their first trip. But we have never felt mentally prepared to take on the experience.  Everything we have ever heard about the country is that it is a difficult travel.  But at the same time, everyone that has gone their would never change their experience for the world.

So, we gave our 60 day notice to our landlord, we have all of our shots and medications from our previous travels, our passports are updated and ready and we have let them know at work that we are outta here!

Other than organizing, getting our visas, packing and putting everything into storage, we don’t have a lot to do… OK, we have a lot to do, but we don’t have a lot of preparations for travel.

The next two months will mostly getting our lives in order at home so that everything runs smoothly while we are away.

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