Report from the Road:

Orchestra Crosses Border and Returns to Canada Without Incident

The President's Page Blog is pleased Kendra Hill, a 3rd-year Biology major from Lacombe, has agreed to submit regular updates as CUC's orchestra tours and performs through BC, Washington, Oregon and California.  

(Monday, April 30)

Tonight is our final night of tour, sadly enough. The last couple of days have been spent on the road. On Sunday we drove through three states, all the way from Sacramento to Twin Falls, Idaho.  At least ten hours were spent on the bus that day, and we entertained ourselves with everything from sleeping to bracelet braiding. We stayed in Twin Falls that night, and refreshed ourselves for more driving the next day. It's amazing how tiring sitting all day can be. 

This morning, we had a fairly early start, but stopped to admire the magnificent canyon of Twin Falls. There were even some parachuters getting their adrenaline rush by jumping from the bridge. 

Today’s drive was not quite as long as Sunday’s, but we still covered a lot of ground. The scenery through Montana was beautiful. We have witnessed so many distinct ecosystems during this trip; it’s really quite remarkable.  

We ended our days drive in Great Falls, Montana, and booked into our hotel for the night. Tomorrow brings the border crossing, and we anticipate some difficulties due to the numerous missing ID’s. If all goes according to plan, we are set to arrive on campus in the late afternoon.

(Tuesday, May 1) 

All’s well that ends well. The orchestra has made it safely back to CUC! None of our fears for the border were realized, and everything went as smoothly as it possibly could. As we crossed into Canada, the entire bus broke into the national anthem. After a stop in Calgary for food, we pulled onto campus at 6:00

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Everyone is quite tired from the last two weeks of being on the road. But, it was a worthwhile two weeks, and the group has bonded through it. Now life begins again, and it’s back to work, summer school, or whatever else the summer has in store. I would like to thank everyone who was on tour or who supported us along the way. It takes everyone to make a tour successful, and despite the theft, it was successful. A special thanks goes to our conductor, Jennifer Penner, for a great year. She will be sorely missed.