We arrived back late Friday night from a camping trip in Banff.
My family LOVES camping together. We.Love.it. This was a week we had been looking forward to for a long time, so much so that I think I forgot to consider the amount of work it takes to actually get there. I swear it is worth the work though;)
We left for our trip early Tuesday morning as I had an appointment to get to in Calgary first and so we decided to have our lunch in Calgary. We sort of stumbled across Bowness park and had a blast picnicking and watching the ducks. (We want to come back now in the winter time!)
We arrived in Banff Tuesday afternoon and immediately felt right at home in lot D43. John sure knows how to set up a lovely little campsite. A hammock... welcome mat in front of the tent....even a badminton net. We want for nothing when we camp!
Sam turned 14 while we were camping. We celebrated by making him stir the taco meat;)
Nate was SO excited to gift Sam with a blue Gatorade with a label that said POOP on it (simple minds. haha;) and we tried our best to help this boy know how loved and adored he is in our family.
We explored the shops in the town site, played games and dined on Caramel Apples!
On Wednesday morning we forced coaxed the kids out of bed at 6:00 in the blessed morning so that we could drive to Lake Louise and beat the crowds. I had high hopes of getting to the famous Morraine Lake this year, but knew it would require an early morning.
Apparently it required an even earlier morning as by the time we got to the turn off for the Lake, we were being directed on by Parks Canada (darn them!) as they were not allowing anymore people into the Morraine parking lot. Grrr......
So- we settled for enjoying a cold/smoky/early morning glance at Lake Louise and then hopped back in the van to head back to Banff. I'm pretty sure my kids thought this was all so very worth it.
(sarcasm intended;)
There are many forest fires burning in BC right now, and as a result, much of Alberta is blanketed in smoke right now.
We stumbled across this little gem in the Rockies - Herbert Lake and seized the impromptu opportunity to pull out our paddle boards.
By Tuesday evening, John's friend Terry (and his family) had joined us as we have grown accustomed to camping together each summer. It is always fun to get to see them and explore places as a group.
We hiked/strolled up to Johnston's Canyon. (Always a favorite, even if it is so "ridiculously, jam packed, crazy swarming with people.")
A highlight for the kids was paddle boarding at Two Jack lake. I think they all enjoyed doing this more than anything else, and I was happy to sit on the shore and watch them while visiting with Shauna.
Does this set of photos require an explanation? I have none.
We took the kids to the Hot springs for the first time ever, took pictures at Bow River falls, and explored the beautiful Banff Springs Hotel before saying goodbye to the Salmons and parting ways.
(They are such a nice family!)
Once back in Calgary we stopped at the Canada Olympic Park (COP) so the kids could look around and then drove up to the airport for a bit to watch the planes fly in and leave.
The drive home was a quiet one, all of us no doubt exhausted and cranky from sleep deprivation reflecting on the family moments that had meant the most to us this week.
We were definitely ready to be home again.
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