Cookies and Crayons

One of the best things about living in Calgary is how close we are to the mountains. So, when we’re trying to find a hike for the weekend – there are lots of beautiful places to go. Wilcox Pass has to be one of the most picturesque though. We had read about this hike for a while and had wanted to try it. So, after a busy August, we packed up our crew and headed up there.

We took the Bow Valley Parkway again because it increases our chance of seeing some wildlife on the way. We weren’t on the road 5 minutes before we saw several elk.

This guy was right beside the road (no idea what is on his head)

We were glad to see that there weren’t too many cars in the parking lot when we got to the trail. One of the main complaints we had heard about this trail was that it can be very crowded. We got the gang out of the car and started up. The first part of the walk was nondescript just going through the woods but after about 30 minutes, we could start to see the glacier.

Unfortunately, one of the downsides of hiking near a glacier is that it is COLD. We didn’t expect it to be as cold as it was because it was pretty warm in Calgary but the wind coming off the icefield and glacier. We had dressed as warmly as we thought was necessary but we could have done better. Dougie decided he wanted to go in the backpack for a lot of the walk which meant he wasn’t as active as we had planned and so he was a lot colder than any of us wanted.

Regardless, we did make it to the pass. It was a fantastic hike and we will definitely try it again in the middle of the summer when it’s more likely to be a bit warmer.

Auntie Suz had a bit of vacation time before starting a new job, and decided to see Calgary in a non-frozen month.  She flew to Vancouver, picked up Grandma and Grandpa, and went on a great drive through the Rockies.   After a long drive, the three of them finally rolled into Calgary.  Who knew, it was actually warm and nice for their stay!

Grandpa and the kiddies, surfing the Web

Dougie and Auntie Suz hangin’ out

Grandma demonstrating the wonders of digital cameras (both Dougie and Auntie Suz look enthralled!)

Sharabura girls rock!

Higher, Grandpa, higher!

Future winners of the Daddy Daughter Dance competition

“This is how you do it, Auntie Suz!”

One of the main reasons my parents came to visit when they did was to celebrate my sister’s Laurie’s birthday. So, after a while with us, we all headed to Laurie and Glen’s cottage to spend the weekend and hand over my parents.

This was our first time up at the cottage and after seeing it, it was clear why they love it there! The location was just beautiful located on a lake in the middle of the mountains. Unfortunately, the weather wasn’t perfect for most of our visit but that didn’t dampen our fun. Fortunately, the day we left the weather improved and we were able to go out on the boat for a while.

So off we went down to the water

First up was some water skiing. You can see some of the views as well.

Can you believe that’s little Daley?

After water skiing, we came back in to switch things up some we could do some tubing. While the rest of the folks did work, we snapped a few pictures.

Scott, getting ready to go tubing

Molly was in charge of making sure Dougie didn’t go for a swim.

Not too hard considering he didn’t want to be more than a foot away from her at any given time. She helped Connie get a bit more comfortable with this boat thing too.

Connie hanging out on the bow

Almost all of the girls hanging out in the boat

On our second round out, my mother took care of Connie.

Scott and Molly went tubing

And Dougie hung out with Auntie Lou

As you can see, the dark clouds started to roll in again and we got in just as it was starting to rain. What a fantastic fun trip though!

And we’re off to the mountains again. Mom and Dad have never been to Lake Louise and that seemed like a shame. So, we took a day trip out there so they could see how spectacular it was in person. We started with a stop at Lake Louise.

It was a beautiful day and a great day to visit.

From Lake Louise, we headed over to Moraine Lake. I’ve learned that is the correct order to see these two areas. Mom and Dad agreed.

We didn’t have a lot of time at Moraine Lake but Mom got a few good pictures while Dad wandered around checking the prices of renting a canoe. The kids and I waited.

We were back in the car and headed back in time for the kids to catch a little nap. It was a long trip but we were all glad that we took a bit of time to go out there for the day.

We continue to tour Grandma and Grandpa around Alberta. Today, we took them to see the hoodoos.

Connie was a lot more into the experience this time.

My parents really enjoyed the experience. It is definitely different than anything in Mississauga!

From the hoodoos, we went into Drumheller. The last time we came out as a family, we wanted to go to the museum there but we ran out of time. Fortunately, this time, we made the time. We expected that Dougie would love it. They have lots of dinosaurs and we thought he would be thrilled. We were wrong. Very very wrong.

You can see the fear. This trip started the mantra of “but it’s not going to eat Dougie.”

Overall, it was a fun day trip but it will be a while before we go back to the museum.