Oh man, so so so many great things were experienced this week as we enjoyed one.final.summer adventure!
During a previous Banff excursion (last May) John purchased a fishing license that would allow him to fish in Banff for the entire fishing season. That pretty much sealed our fate right then and there guarantying a second trip would just have to be had. (Can't let a fishing permit go to waste, right?)
Actually, we left Banff last May feeling as though we still had a whole list of things we wanted to experience, one of those things being ... a camping trip!
John and I booked and payed for this camping trip weeks ago, well before a forecast of the weekend could ever be predicted. As the chosen week drew near, I grew increasingly nervous about the prospect of rain, yet not worried enough to pack my family for anything colder than a ideal/balmy August camp. Sure enough, as we reached the Tunnel Mountain Campground last Monday evening, it was literally 1 degree out and tiny flakes of snow were falling amidst the very cold rain. I wondered for a moment what we were thinking, camping in such cold conditions when we'd only packed for hot summer days, but my kids reminded me that we were Canadians darnit!
Camping in the cold is part of the fun.
And boy was it ever fun!
Some of the highlights for us were:
1. Stopping at the Mall in Calgary on the way to Banff.
Our plan was to simply stop for lunch. We managed to get distracted however by the coolest Lego Store Nate has ever seen, the escalators (Sam practically skipped lunch just so he could right up and down them. He should not be allowed in public) and the TESLA STORE! (John's dream store;) These three highlights alone made the trip a success - and it had barely even begun!
2. Arriving at our home away from Home
After prying my young, small town children away from all the temptations the city mall offered, we continued on our way to campground D41 at Tunnel Mountain Village. What a great campground!
Jessica and Sam are great little campers. Jess was a little worried about Bears and Wolves (a warden had warned us that they were experiencing some problems in the campground with both) but Jess smiled through her fears and always managed to enjoy camping just as much as the others, if not more even;)
After setting up our camp that first night, we hopped in the van and went for a drive. The van was warmer than the campsite which made it the logical place to be. At one point we drove past the Banff public library and saw a sign that said "Free Movie Night." Sweeet! Somewhere warm to sit for a couple of hours before bed!!! We walked in and were greeted by some very kind locals and a man belting out ballads while simultaneously playing his guitar and harmonica. He sang every song in French and we seemed to be the only ones in the room who didn't understand what he was saying. Still though, we hung on, anticipating that promised warm movie soon. After about 50 minutes, guitar man announced that he was playing his final song and then the movie turned on. But guess what. They showed it in French! This was the final straw for my four sleepy kids and no matter how much I didn't want to face that cold night in a tent, we just couldn't pretend to understand what was going on for one second longer. It seemed like a rocky start to our summer camp.
3. Being Together
Um...perhaps Lego Stores and French concerts shouldn't have trumped the most enjoyable part of the week (this highlight list is clearly not in order of importance;) which was the chance for all of us to be together. Together - and alone, might I add;)
No phone calls, limited access to electronics/Internet and loads of TIME!
That there is the recipe for a fun family experience.
Nate (okay and many of us;) literally wore the same outfit for all four days.
Kinda gross, sure, but we had nobody to try and impress so why be anything but totally comfy, no?
(Just thought an explanation may be needed as every picture of Nate looks like it was taken on the same day. haha)
4. Touring the town site
The town of Banff has so SO much to do! Because our first day there was a rainy one, we sought out every opportunity to enjoy some of the towns "indoor features." We took the kids swimming at the Sally Borden Pool, explored the Museum of the Rockies, visited the Library, fished when the weather permitted and toured some of the downtown shops. The kids (and I;) got a kick out of the crosswalks there, which are designed to allow pedestrians to cross the street in any direction they want, a system my kids often took advantage of just for kicks;)
Jessica, Abby and I fell upon a cool store called EVOOlution.
One wall consisted of assorted infused olive oils which could be matched and paired with deliciously flavored vinaigrettes located elsewhere in the store. There were cubes of soft fresh bread for dipping and sampling. I'm sure the goal is to help patrons decide which oils and vinegars they'd like to buy.
We bought nothing - but the sampling was divine!
Speaking of divine - these caramel apples from the Fudgery have become a treat as connected to Banff for my kids as Big Scoop is to Waterton. You just can not go to Banff without picking up some of these. Delish!!
5. Beautiful Evenings
After our cold first night there, the weather improved substantially, giving us a chance to enjoy some evening fun without feeling like we'd rather be hiding away in our sleeping bags. John and Sam really liked fishing down by the river, right next to the bridge. The other kids and I LOVED that the bridge was lit up at night which meant we were happy to let them fish for as long as their hearts desired. (See, Christmas lights don't only belong in December!)
The kids always looked forward to their bedtime cup of Hot Chocolate. Each night we'd try to add an extra treat in such as cookies, fire popped popcorn or s'mores! Hmmm mmmm.
Our last evening there even consisted of a very welcomed visit from cousins!! (Jewel and Kendall's family had decided to go camping at the same location and our last night overlapped with their first night, giving us the chance to enjoy an evening visit together.)
6. Visiting Lake Louise
Perhaps the biggest highlight of our week was the day trip that we took to Lake Louise. Thanks to the advice from a kind lady we'd met the day before, we left early one morning in order to reach the village before it got too busy. When we arrived shortly after 8:00am crowds were already gathered along the shoreline and we had to wait for our chance to stand right at the waters edge. Lake Louise was definitely busy (ridiculously crowded even) - but oh it was a beautiful place!!
From the shore we could see the hike that we planned to take the kids on that day. Agnes Lake is hidden in this picture, tucked away just above the tree line and below that bump of a mountain.
That "bump of a mountain" is actually called the LITTLE BEEHIVE and after Jessica and I completed the 3.4km climb with John and the kids up to Agnes Lake- we decided to continue on from there - up to the top of the beehive. It is a hike much like Bears hump in Waterton, steep with lots of switchbacks, but once you get to the top, it offers a spectacular view!
(The view of Lake Louise from the top of Little Beehive:)
(Jessica loved how close we felt to the snow capped mountain tops)
(View from the head of Agnes Lake)
(The beautiful Lake Louise!)
7. Going no where at all
Naturally, for me, one of the biggest blessings of a getaway is always the opportunity to do nothing and go no where at all!
FYI - I could lay in a hammock all day.
FYI - I could lay in a hammock all day.
8. Fresh Trout!
This has to be mentioned, seeing as John's primary objective for the week was to catch a FISH! (Though I must admit I may have added some pressure to him to do so, seeing as "Fresh Trout" was on the menu for our last night there;) Luckily, we found a great little fishing spot where Sam and Jess both managed to catch our supper.
It was a fantastic time together, the only complaint from the kids being that we were "leaving way too soon!" (Apparently they had another week of camping left in their systems;)
We left Banff feeling happy and fulfilled, yet (with so much left to see and do) absolutely certain that we'd be back before too long.
We left Banff feeling happy and fulfilled, yet (with so much left to see and do) absolutely certain that we'd be back before too long.
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