Kicking it in Calgary, marching band style; Lancers are up north, eh!

“Haven't you ever sprinkled Ivory Flakes on the living room floor because you wanted to make it snow in July?”

I was reminded of this great movie line Wednesday night as I sat on Bus 2 of the two-bus Lancer convoy, which took off Wednesday morning bound for Calgary.

The line comes from the great John Cusack film “The Sure Thing.” The plot is irrelevant. The point of that line, though, is that sometimes it's fun to do things just because they're fun.

And that's how I felt Wednesday night when, somewhere between Fargo and the Canadian border, when the rest of the country is baking in 100-degree heat and celebrating Independence Day, the kids on Bus 2 started decorating the interior of the bus like it was Christmas.

Christmas lights, silver garland, pine garland, paper-cut snowflakes, mistletoe, even Santa Claus.

Decorating the bus is a Lancer tour tradition. Every year the group takes a trip somewhere. This year it's the great Calgary Stampede. Last year they went to Bristol, Rhode Island. Other years it's been Florida, Colorado or Edmonton. Each year during Lancers there are little traditions that the kids look forward to. Decorating the bus is one of those traditions.

While the kids on Bus 2 were busy turning a Lake Crystal Coach into a winter wonderland, the kids on Bus 1 were decorating their bus with a fiesta theme. Streamers, balloons, pinata.

The decorating is a competition for them. Later, they'll learn who won. But for now I'm just really enjoying the idea of a group of kids working together to create such an incongruous sight as a bus rumbling down an American highway on the Fourth of July with aisles festooned with Christmas lights and a Santa on board.

***

It's 7:27 and I've given up: getting any more sleep seems futile. No matter how many ways I contort my body, no matter how many places or directions I stuff my pillow, no amount of effort changes the fact that I'm sleeping on a pair of bus seats that in no way were ever meant to be truly slept on. Doze off for a while? Sure. Get a good night's sleep? No way. At least not me.

So I'm up. And from what I can tell, it's just me. I look out the window to see mist lifting off the lakes and waterfowl flying over. The sun is coming up, its rays jabbing their way through the tiny spaces between the drawn shades on the bus.

Soon, all the Lancers on Bus 2 will be up. They'll be chatty, they'll get excited, they'll get loud. But for now, as I look down the aisle at the sets of two seats, the sight is a gentle one. Across from me is Tiffany, legs stretched across the seat, head resting against the chair back, arms clutched around the stuffed animal she bought at the mall in Fargo. Below her on the floor is Kristy, lying on the floor between pairs of seats covered in a purple blanket. Two rows back, sitting side by side, are Jeremy and and Anthony. Their heads are tipped back, jaws are dropped, arms crossed. My daughter, Emma, is behind me. She's trying to sleep the same way I am, although it looks like her body, which is much, much smaller than mine, fits a lot better into a sleeping position on these bus seats than mine does. Her friend Elizabeth is across the aisle, a mirror image of Emma. My daughter looks peaceful with her head resting on her pillow -- the one with the music  note pillow case -- and a tie blanket tucked up to her chin.

All the Lancers look peaceful. Which is good. Because they've got a big week of fun ahead of them.

***

Friday morning, parade day. There are literally hundreds of thousands of people watching this parade. And it's being televised. The competitive season for Lancers is over, but I'm betting they're pumped up for this.

As we pass, the multitudes shower praise on them. And the kids perform well. But it's a long parade. Luckily, the weather is on our side. It's in the 70s today, which isn't bad. Last year in Rhode Island, the kids marched 4 miles in 100 degree heat. A few passed out. Today, though, they march like teenage soldiers through the streets of downtown Calgary, right behind a band of horses, which made for some tricky marching, if you know what I mean, and not all of it was successful.

After the parade, we grabbed a bite to eat and headed over to Olympic Village, site of the ski jump, bobsled and other winter events during the 1988 winter Olympics. That was pretty cool. I mean, how many times do you get a chance to get up close and personal with a real bobsled run?

But the real highlight of the day was the talent show, an annual Lancer tradition that didn't disappoint.

More on that tomorrow.