Our family has stayed close to home the past few summers, but this year I really wanted to get away! With two adult children, two girls who don't like long drives or camping, a mom who wants to "go somewhere we haven't been before," and a pretty tight budget, this wasn't easy to plan or coordinate, but somehow we made it happen--and everyone had a wonderful time :)
Last Thursday morning, Jason, Ben, Eric, and I headed out to Calgary, Alberta, in Jason's truck, with Janae and Alaina to be picked up later in the day to fly out of our local airport. Our plan was to visit our niece/cousin Becca and her husband, Brody, then proceed to Drumheller and finally the West Edmonton Mall.
The Smoky Drive
With BC wildfires burning out of control, we drove through some pretty smoky areas, with air quality warnings at an 8 or higher in some places. But we still got to see some beautiful mountain scenery in Glacier National Park and other areas along the way.
Lake Louise
Just before we reached Banff and then Calgary, I really wanted to stop at Lake Louise, which we had visited on a camping trip in 2017. Eric and I were even able to recreate a picture we took there almost 10 years ago--well, not exactly :)
With the smoky air, we couldn't see all the mountains, but the blue-green water was still pretty spectacular. We had a nice walk and then kept driving (about 9 hours in total).
Picked Up by Becca
After a one-hour flight, Janae and Alaina got picked up by Becca from the Calgary airport, and we met them at Becca and Brody's house. We were so happy to see Becca and Brody, as well as their big, fluffy kitty.
Plan B: The Music Museum
Our plan for Friday was to visit Calgary's Heritage Park while Becca and Brody were at work, but the park was closed because of the bad air quality. This also eliminated the zoo and any other outdoor attraction, so we ended up going to the national music museum, Studio Bell, which Alaina, Eric, and I had visited a few years ago when we were in Calgary for a snowy spring break.
Janae really loved playing the big red piano there, and the family had fun on various keyboards, drums, guitars, etc. We also learned more about music and Canada's music history--and we saw lots of costumes worn in performances by famous musicians.
Heritage Park: Gasoline Alley
Later in the day, the air seemed a bit better, so we called Heritage Park to see if it had opened. It hadn't, but an indoor portion of it was open, so we went and explored Gasoline Alley and some shops in the plaza.
There were so many old cars, gas pumps, and other artifacts that were fun to see.
Ben, Janae, and Eric also had their pictures taken at an old-fashioned studio. Unfortunately, Alaina was not feeling well, whether from the smoky air, the plane ride, or something else--we weren't sure. Luckily she was better by the evening.
Peter's and Kittens with Becca and Brody
Friday evening we met Becca and Brody at a burger/milkshake drive-in called Peter's, where we'd gone on our last trip to Calgary when it was -12 degrees outside. Milkshakes are great any time of year, but they are especially nice in the summer :). It was so fun just to sit and talk with Becca and Brody as well.
After dinner, we got to go see some kittens Becca and Brody were looking after. They were beautiful Bengals, and they were happy to be fed and have some attention.
Banff with Becca and Brody
Our plan for Saturday was to go to Lake Minnewanka and Banff, so luckily the smoke had cleared a bit. The girls all drove with Becca and the boys with Brody, and we got lots of time to talk on the almost 2-hour drive. This was definitely a highlight of our trip!
We had originally planned to canoe at this lake but ended up going for a walk/hike instead. Some hikers ahead of us saw a bear on the trail, though, so our walk was cut short--which was maybe a good thing, because some of us had felt "tricked" into the hike :).
Such a beautiful place--we took lots of pictures!
After Lake Minnewanka, we drove to Banff, where we had plans to get a Beaver Tail and ice cream at COWS, visit the famous Banff Springs Hotel and gardens, and explore the shops. When we got there, however, everyone was hungry for lunch, so we bypassed all of these destinations and found a restaurant.
Unfortunately, Janae got really sick shortly afterwards, and she and I spent the rest of the afternoon sitting on a bench or rock, and visiting all of Banff's restrooms.
Jason got to visit some of the shops with Becca, Brody, and the rest of our kids--and I did get into a sweet shop to buy some saltwater taffy--but we missed all the big things we'd wanted to do. It was a beautiful setting, but we were so sad that Janae was sick.
Sunday with Becca and Brody
On Sunday, we went to church with Becca and Brody, then we went to their house one last time before heading out for Drumheller. We missed them as soon as we left! It's rare to get them all to ourselves, and we loved spending this time with them so much.
Drumheller, Alberta
Drumheller, widely recognized as the dinosaur capital of the world, is a place I've wanted to visit since I read about it in Ben's dinosaur books when he was a toddler. When we got there, we saw dinosaur statues everywhere around town, and we loved the badlands landscape with cacti, interesting rock formations, and an overall desert feeling.
We spent the afternoon at the Royal Tyrrell Museum, seeing fossils from 450 million years ago! This was incredible. The museum is organized by time period, and we learned a lot along the way.
Many of these famous fossils have been found in Alberta, and by law have to stay there, so a lot of the world's dinosaur learning and research happens in this province.
It was a pretty hot day, so we didn't last very long outside, but this was a spot to explore more of the landscape and see the layers of rock.
Driving to Edmonton
The drive from Drumheller to Edmonton took about three hours, the longest time we spent in the truck all together. We saw the prairie landscape with no mountains and lots of hay--so different from what we're used to in BC!
West Edmonton Mall
We spent Monday and Tuesday at West Edmonton Mall, the largest mall in North America. It has everything--a water park, carnival rides, an ice hockey rink, a bowling alley, go carts, an IMAX movie theater, hotels, restaurants of all types, a pirate ship, and an aquarium--as well as high-end stores like Gucci and Versace and regular stores like Shopper's Drug Mart and Old Navy, as well as everything in between.
Janae and Eric tried the waterslides and wave pool first thing Monday morning and thought it was really fun. (I love waterslides too but had seriously injured my toe before the trip and wasn't sure how I'd do.)
The boys found a Warhammer store, the kids all loved the giant Lego Store and Indigo shop, and Alaina even tried on a prom dress!
The Lindt store was one of my favorites, with so many unique flavors of Lindor that we don't normally see.
I walked almost 25000 steps our first day here and around 15000 the second day!
University of Alberta
Monday night, Alaina, Jason and I went to see the University of Alberta campus in Edmonton (everyone else was too tired from the mall!). This campus has a large hospital and medical school, so I thought maybe Janae or Alaina might end up there one day.
Alberta Legislature
Before taking Janae and Alaina to the Edmonton airport on Tuesday evening, we stopped by the Alberta Legislature (with Edmonton being the province's capital). The grounds were beautiful and relaxing after spending so much time at the busy mall.
Long Drive Home
Then Wednesday morning, Jason, Ben, Eric and I woke up early and started on the long drive home, over 11 hours! We saw some beautiful scenery and wildlife in Jasper and Mount Robson, where we had camped a few years ago--but I was starting to think Janae and Alaina had had the right idea :). I definitely missed the girls on these long drives too.
In the end, everyone had enjoyed the trip. We'd spent a week together seeing new places, learning new things, enjoying time with Becca and Brody, and finding some nice souvenirs.
Overall, a great way to spend our summer vacation!
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