I knew I would be going to some teeny tiny towns up in outer Siberia (Canada) but my dad actually went and looked up all of the places I'm going to see just how big/small they are. We have a pretty wide range, so this is gunna be a time and a half!
I've bolded the biggest and smallest to highlight just how different these places are
US Locations
Malta, MT -- 1,997
Chinook, MT -- 1,203
Whitefish, MT -- 6,357
Ekalaka, MT -- 332
Lambert, MT -- 616 (although there is some debate about whether this is one is correct)
Belt, MT -- 597
Canadian Locations
Cayley, AB -- 265
Rockyford, AB -- 325
Morinville, AB -- 8,569
Kyle, SK -- 423
Cessford, AB -- 33
Elmworth, AB -- 628
Milk River, AB -- 811
Grande Cache, AB -- 4,319
Fort St. John, BC -- 18, 609
Thirty-three. That isn't how many kids we'll have for the show, that is the entire population of Cessford, Alberta, Canada. The last show I worked on had a cast twice the size of this town! Thirty-three... Ok then.
Sunday, November 30, 2014
Monday, November 24, 2014
AT&T Rage
I did not plan on my MCT Inc. tour taking me to Canada but even if I had, I don't have a Canadian cell phone plan so today, my dad and I went into the AT&T store to investigate what it was going to cost to get some type of international calling plan and you know what? It's going to cost quite a lot to get very little!
I am not particularly pleased about this. Not at all.
I am not particularly pleased about this. Not at all.
Monday, November 17, 2014
MCT Inc.
Up until now, I have refrained from blogging about my new job as a touring actor/director with Missoula Children's Theatre, which is pretty strange considering that the word "touring" is in my job title and this is a travel blog.
But, now I've got a show and some tentative tour dates and it's time to blog! First of all, I'm going out to Montana obviously, because that is where Missoula is, but Montana is basically where I'm staying! Montana and North Montana (known as Canada to regular people who aren't in love with Disney's Meet the Robinsons like I am). I will be doing The Little Mermaid and I will be cold -- because Canada. In the winter. I might never be warm again!
I'm not sure how much I'll be blogging during the tour, but I am going to post my tentative tour dates for you all! I've also made this handy dandy, zig-zaggy map for you!!!
TOUR DATES AND LOCATIONS
1/12-1/17 -- Malta, MT
1/19-1/24 -- Chinook, MT
1/26-1/31 -- Cayley, AB
2/2-2/7 -- Whitefish, MT
2/9-2/14 -- Rockyford, AB
2/23-2/28 -- Morinville, AB
3/2-3/7 -- Kyle, SK
3/9-3/14 -- Cessford, AB
3/23-3/28 -- Elmworth, AB
4/6-4/11 -- Ekalaka, MT
4/13-4/18 -- Lambert, MT
4/20-4/25 -- Milk River, AB
4/27-5/2 -- Belt, MT
5/4-5/9 -- Grande Cache, AB
5/11-5/16 -- Fort St. John, BC
That's it for now. I leave for Missoula in 39 days -- just bought my plane ticket yesterday -- and I'm sure my next post will be something about how impossible it is to fit five months worth of anything into a suitcase, much less five months worth of heavy sweaters and long johns.
But, now I've got a show and some tentative tour dates and it's time to blog! First of all, I'm going out to Montana obviously, because that is where Missoula is, but Montana is basically where I'm staying! Montana and North Montana (known as Canada to regular people who aren't in love with Disney's Meet the Robinsons like I am). I will be doing The Little Mermaid and I will be cold -- because Canada. In the winter. I might never be warm again!
I'm not sure how much I'll be blogging during the tour, but I am going to post my tentative tour dates for you all! I've also made this handy dandy, zig-zaggy map for you!!!
 |
| MAP |
1/12-1/17 -- Malta, MT
1/19-1/24 -- Chinook, MT
1/26-1/31 -- Cayley, AB
2/2-2/7 -- Whitefish, MT
2/9-2/14 -- Rockyford, AB
2/23-2/28 -- Morinville, AB
3/2-3/7 -- Kyle, SK
3/9-3/14 -- Cessford, AB
3/23-3/28 -- Elmworth, AB
4/6-4/11 -- Ekalaka, MT
4/13-4/18 -- Lambert, MT
4/20-4/25 -- Milk River, AB
4/27-5/2 -- Belt, MT
5/4-5/9 -- Grande Cache, AB
5/11-5/16 -- Fort St. John, BC
That's it for now. I leave for Missoula in 39 days -- just bought my plane ticket yesterday -- and I'm sure my next post will be something about how impossible it is to fit five months worth of anything into a suitcase, much less five months worth of heavy sweaters and long johns.
Thursday, October 23, 2014
What NOT to do in Mexico
Well, it's taken a few days, but here is my final post from Rosarito -- just a few tips on what I would wouldn't do if I were to go back to that area!
1. Don't worry about changing your money Everyone accepts US dollars -- they seemed to prefer them in many places -- so it wasn't worth the hassle of going to the bank and getting all of that done.
2. Don't hire a mariachi band to play for you at dinner A lot of restaurants have this and it just isn't worth it. We didn't do it, but we did have to sit through a few loud dinners where the people next to us had...
3. Don't sit next to anyone who looks like they would hire a mariachi band to play for them at dinner I know that this is hard to actually follow through on, but still.
4. Know how to properly cross the border US Customs appreciates it and you won't risk missing your flight. I read a lot of books but none of them mentioned which lane to use or any of that, so just make sure you ask someone before you go through the wrong lane.
And that's it, I guess. Pretty simple stuff!! Go to Mexico and go wild, everybody!
1. Don't worry about changing your money Everyone accepts US dollars -- they seemed to prefer them in many places -- so it wasn't worth the hassle of going to the bank and getting all of that done.
2. Don't hire a mariachi band to play for you at dinner A lot of restaurants have this and it just isn't worth it. We didn't do it, but we did have to sit through a few loud dinners where the people next to us had...
3. Don't sit next to anyone who looks like they would hire a mariachi band to play for them at dinner I know that this is hard to actually follow through on, but still.
4. Know how to properly cross the border US Customs appreciates it and you won't risk missing your flight. I read a lot of books but none of them mentioned which lane to use or any of that, so just make sure you ask someone before you go through the wrong lane.
And that's it, I guess. Pretty simple stuff!! Go to Mexico and go wild, everybody!
Saturday, October 18, 2014
Home Again
In Mexico, my dad brought up the fact that I've never done any conclusion posts after any of my trips, so this is it (ok, there is going to be one more on my tips for traveling in Mexico but this post will sum up my last day in California and flight home).
I last wrote about our misadventure in crossing the border and seeing our dad off to the airport, after that, we took a shuttle to our hotel, The Declan Suites. Our room was on the 20th floor, which I think is pretty shnazzy. Whitney utilized Siri to find us a place for lunch and we ended up at Hodady's, scarfing down monster burgers and burning hot onion rings.
I wish I could say that we did something super awesome during our afternoon in San Diego, but we really just watched TV in our room -- which was still pretty awesome. It was a nice lazy day, that ended with a walk to the Ghiradelli chocolate store and a Bride Day marathon.
My direct flight home left hours before Whitney's, so I was off before the sun was up. I got to the airport far too early for my liking and was forced to listen to a middle-aged couples loud and bigoted ranting. Nothing compacts a fear of flying and a fear of ebola quite like sitting in an airport listening to people talk about various related conspiracy theories.
Things did get better though -- I was seated next to that couple on the plane! They weren't as bad on the plane, the husband spent most of the five hour flight -- I kid you not -- reading the Bible.
I was flying Alaskan Airlines and instead of having legitimate movie screens, they allow you to rent what are essentially tablets. I went ahead and got one of these and ended up sleeping through most of X-Men Days of Future Past.
After sleeping through most of Epic as well, it was time for us to land and me to go home, which is where I am now!!
Whitney is having another difficult travel day apparently and might have started another Twitter war with United... We shall see!
I last wrote about our misadventure in crossing the border and seeing our dad off to the airport, after that, we took a shuttle to our hotel, The Declan Suites. Our room was on the 20th floor, which I think is pretty shnazzy. Whitney utilized Siri to find us a place for lunch and we ended up at Hodady's, scarfing down monster burgers and burning hot onion rings.
I wish I could say that we did something super awesome during our afternoon in San Diego, but we really just watched TV in our room -- which was still pretty awesome. It was a nice lazy day, that ended with a walk to the Ghiradelli chocolate store and a Bride Day marathon.
My direct flight home left hours before Whitney's, so I was off before the sun was up. I got to the airport far too early for my liking and was forced to listen to a middle-aged couples loud and bigoted ranting. Nothing compacts a fear of flying and a fear of ebola quite like sitting in an airport listening to people talk about various related conspiracy theories.
Things did get better though -- I was seated next to that couple on the plane! They weren't as bad on the plane, the husband spent most of the five hour flight -- I kid you not -- reading the Bible.
I was flying Alaskan Airlines and instead of having legitimate movie screens, they allow you to rent what are essentially tablets. I went ahead and got one of these and ended up sleeping through most of X-Men Days of Future Past.
After sleeping through most of Epic as well, it was time for us to land and me to go home, which is where I am now!!
Whitney is having another difficult travel day apparently and might have started another Twitter war with United... We shall see!
Friday, October 17, 2014
Mexican French Toast and Border Patrol
The prime objective of today was to get back into America and we almost screwed that up... But more on that later.
The first task of the day was packing up and shipping out, plus breakfast. We returned to our hotel's restaurant for the latter and that is where I got "Mexican French Toast." Technically it was just listed as French toast on the menu, but I wanted the novelty of French toast from Mexico. It was pretty standard French toast in the end.
After that, we hit the road. At the top of the week, Chuck had had some difficulty finding his way to the border and then crossing it. He'd wound up in the ReadyLane for people with passport cards instead of passports and was told that the next time he came through, he needed to use "the other lane." Once again, he got lost, but this time he was determined to redeem himself by taking "the other lane." We got in the "Sentri/Solo" lane. Well, this was not "the other lane." This lane was designed to be thr EZPass of border crossing and there is apparantely a third lane that no one knew how to get to from where we'd come from!
They take going through the Sentri Lane a lot more seriously than they take going through the Ready Lane, so while my dad got a verbal warning on Sunday, today they put a cone on our car and made us pull aside for further inspection. We drove through an X-ray machine and then we were left to sit there. *Cue waiting impatiently montage* Eventually, someone came to our service and they were thorough -- checking every inch of the car and our bags and basically everything they could besides us. We werI may or may not be an international criminal now. What have you done today? We were given a warning and told that if this happened again, it could be a $5000 fine and with that lovely thought hanging over us, we were free to enter the country.
We returned our rental car and took the shuttle back to the airport with our dad. We helped him check into his flight and I looked like a crazy person as I carried a jug of water we'd bought in Mexico but hadn't finished around the San Diego airport. Now Whit and I are off to figure out what to do with the last night of our vacation.
The first task of the day was packing up and shipping out, plus breakfast. We returned to our hotel's restaurant for the latter and that is where I got "Mexican French Toast." Technically it was just listed as French toast on the menu, but I wanted the novelty of French toast from Mexico. It was pretty standard French toast in the end.
After that, we hit the road. At the top of the week, Chuck had had some difficulty finding his way to the border and then crossing it. He'd wound up in the ReadyLane for people with passport cards instead of passports and was told that the next time he came through, he needed to use "the other lane." Once again, he got lost, but this time he was determined to redeem himself by taking "the other lane." We got in the "Sentri/Solo" lane. Well, this was not "the other lane." This lane was designed to be thr EZPass of border crossing and there is apparantely a third lane that no one knew how to get to from where we'd come from!
They take going through the Sentri Lane a lot more seriously than they take going through the Ready Lane, so while my dad got a verbal warning on Sunday, today they put a cone on our car and made us pull aside for further inspection. We drove through an X-ray machine and then we were left to sit there. *Cue waiting impatiently montage* Eventually, someone came to our service and they were thorough -- checking every inch of the car and our bags and basically everything they could besides us. We werI may or may not be an international criminal now. What have you done today? We were given a warning and told that if this happened again, it could be a $5000 fine and with that lovely thought hanging over us, we were free to enter the country.
We returned our rental car and took the shuttle back to the airport with our dad. We helped him check into his flight and I looked like a crazy person as I carried a jug of water we'd bought in Mexico but hadn't finished around the San Diego airport. Now Whit and I are off to figure out what to do with the last night of our vacation.
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