D-U-M-B-A-S-S

above: Sometimes, we all feel like “one”.

This is a family blog. I don’t like to make off color remarks or use fowl language but, when we got to the Canadian border and discovered that we did not have our passports there was only one word that came to mind – DUMBASS! (excuse me).

Now, the Hippygeek and I have traveled all over the world and not once have either one of us lost or even temporarily misplaced our passports. And here we were ready to cross into Canada on our way to Alaska and…. no passports!

The Officer at the border was friendly and kind. He gave us a chance to pull over and subsequently ransack the place trying to find them. We tore the place apart; every cabinet, every drawer, every coat pocket, even the toy bin. No luck. The passports were no where to be found. The officer then smiled at us and politely told us to turn around and head back to where we came from.

Still in shock, we turned around and headed back to lovely Glacier to try to figure out what happened.

left: Welcome back to Glacier!

It had taken months to get passports for the Dudes in preparation for the trip. Between getting the correct documentation, to arranging our schedules so that we could all go to the passport office together(a requirement) then waiting six weeks to receive them. When that ordeal was over, I was relieved to finally have that puzzle piece in place.

The last week of packing, I had put all of the passports on the dining room table to be sure that they were not forgotten or put in the wrong place. I even have a vague memory of handing them to the Hippygeek to “put in the safe”. He has no recollection of that conversation. And I am beginning to question whether the conversation ever took place too. Maybe senility is setting in. The Lil’ Dude asked me last week “Mommy, were you alive when Columbus first saw America?” He may be on to something. The bottom line is, during the packing frenzy, we evidently put them in such a safe place that even we can’t find them.

Now, Glacier is not a bad place to be “stuck” if you have to be stuck somewhere. We did several more hikes and made many phone calls. Still no passports. The good news is, passports CAN be replaced in a timely manner. The bad news is, they can be replaced in a timely manner for a hefty sum which is not in our budget. The other bad news is we wanted to spend time in Alaska before the first snowfall. By the time we get our replacements, we may miss that window of time.

So, here we go with another “plan B”. We will be heading to Seattle to see about replacing our passports. Meanwhile, Seattle should provide us with plenty of interesting things to do while we get it all sorted out. Wish us luck!

“Be thou the rainbow in the storms of life. The evening beam that smiles the clouds away, and tints tomorrow with prophetic ray.” Lord Byron