Calgary, Dog Sledding in Canmore and Lake Louise

Off on our next adventure we headed to our friends Gav and Julie in Calgary to spend the night beofre heading to the Rocky Mountains for the weekend. The boys took in a game of backyard hockey with Julie and Ian while we waited for Christine to arrive on the bus from Edmonton.

Joey, Paddy, Julie and Ian in a hockey match.

After a hearty breakfast we left Calgary and headed towards Canmore in the Rocky Mountains where we had booked a dog sledding adventure on Spray Lakes. It took a bit of finding but the drive was well worth it. The scenery was absolutely amazing and every view was a photo opportunity.

Our arrival in Canmore was so picturesque we wished we could have just sat down with a glass of wine and enjoyed it for longer. The view from our bedroom window was amazing.

View from our Canmore hotel.

View from the Master bedroom.

So we quickly took it all in and headed for our dog sled. All rugged up we and he dogs were ready to go.

Christine and Paddy ready to roll.

And off we all go....

It was awesome. Those little dogs sure know how to run! The wind started to whip across the lake and boy it was cold. Real snot freezing weather. Even though we were all rugged up it was freezing.

Back to our chalet and warmed up with a hot chocolate and a soak in the outdoor hot tub.

Next morning our plan was to head to Banff and Lake Louise. We decided to go to Lake Louise first, stop and have some lunch and then on to Banff. At Lake Louise we got to see the International Ice Carving Festival - amazing pieces of work!

What a gorgeous place. We could not believe the sheer size of the mountains.HUGE is an understatement. We just sat in the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise and admired the view. It was so relaxing. It also made us all miss home alot wishing our family and friends were here to enjoy the atmosphere with us. We spent so long relaxing that the only time we got to spend in Banff was a quick drive through the main drag and a bathroom stop so we could get back to Calgary to put Christine on the bus.

Funny story there too - Greg drove downtown Calgary on the wrong side of the road. Thinking we need to decorate the car with an Aussie flag and L plates to warn other drivers that we drive on the other side of the road normally and that our brains don't function quite yet to get used to driving on the opposite side.