In the end (Over 100 Towns Later)

What started out as a cool way to stay close to home and still have a summer vacation started out as simply visiting the "Big Things" of Alberta, quickly turned into a huge list of roadside attractions to concur. With the kids back at school, summer vacation is truly over. In the end, we visited ? towns/cities, saw ? roadside attractions, went through six list updates, and at least four Alberta maps covered in various highlight routes, black lines outlining our route and approximate driving times. However, my obsession doesn't end there. With still ? small towns and ? roadside attractions left to see, I will have plenty to do in my spare time. Whether I go alone, with a friend, or with family, I hope to keep going places until a thick blanket of snow covers the ground, or too much ice covers the road.

If you're planning a trip, bring a pen and write down your memories as you go. Make sure you have a working camera. I lost a lot of great memories - photos that will never make it into my scrapbook. Set your course with no final destination in mind and have fun. Take in the scenery, meet the locals and drive around. Give yourself more time than I did to enjoy each town and what it offers Alberta.

Maybe one day I can take the boys on a tour of Alberta's festivals, rodeos, historical points or museums. Perhaps I could even take my MIL or biological mom on a tour of antique shops and old graveyards. Oh, Ghost Towns! I like that idea the best. All I know is that one day I would love to see a thumbtack on our Alberta map, showing places I've visited. So for me, the question becomes, when will this obsession end? Is it once there is a tack on every small town or more likely until the next big idea hits me?

However, before I travel again, here are some things that other drivers should know:

• There is such a thing as too slow
• Merge and yield are not the same thing
• The right lane is for slow people
• The white line should not be down the center of your car - you aren't trying to trace it
• A secondary highway doesn't mean it is paved
• Sometimes a map is still better than an electronic navigation system