Wednesday, 18 July 2012
Radium Hot Springs
Greg had said a tearful farewell to his mum and dad and then drove on to Calgary to return the van and pick up our little Mazda. The boys and Dad enjoyed some time by the pool while I got organised fro the next leg of our trip. Once back in Canmore Greg picked us up and with much reluctance we piled into the little car, so uncomfortable after having so much space in the van. Tonights destination was to Radium Hot Spings. On the way there we spotted a moose on the side of the road. The kids were very excited that this was Grandpa's very first Canadian Moose. We arrived after lunch, checked in to our accomodation and then took the kids for a swim to the lake in Invermere. That evening we went for a relax in the Hot Springs. They had 3 there. One that was a warm heated pool, one freezing and one extra hot. The idea was to go from the hot to the freezing and back to the hot to aid circulation and promote wellness. I found it worked wonders for my shoulder which had been fairly stiff after immobilised for so long and I was able to do a few laps of the warm heated pool. The boys didn't like the hot thermal pool so much because it was too hot and you couldn't really stay in there too long but they did enjoy the warm heated pool that had a slide and a diving board where they perfected their summies. We told Greg that he had to get in the freezing pool first and then enter the hot one. Hilarious!! The freezing pool was excatly that and then as you entered the hot pool it was like having millions of ants bite you where your body had been 'frozen'. I think Dad really enjoyed his time here as it was so relaxing and we left feeling rejuvenated.
Monday, 16 July 2012
Banff National Park with the Parents
The plan for the next few days was to take it easy and try to relax a little before we put Frank and Helen on the Rocky Mountaineer to finish their Canadian adventure and then on to Europe. We were all tired but powered on and enjoyed our time together.
A vist to Banff for the day and we showed the family around spots we had been. The Hot Springs, The gondola, "Hogwarts" and the main street. One of our favourite places was the look out near Nordegg ski hill where Paddy's gopher friends lived. We took a few beers and watched the world go by - very relaxing!
The next morning we wandered the streets of Canmore and sent home a parcel of fabric from the Quilt store there before Greg and Frank even knew we had brought it. We hadn't visited Morraine Lake yet so today was the day. Armed with plenty of repellant and our walking shoes we hiked around the edge of one of the most gorgeous lakes in the world. You could see the glaciers from certain vantage points around the walking track and imagine them melting and producing the most stunning blue of the lake below. Again lots of pictures taken and still amazed at be on the look out for bears signs. A quick snack shared with a friendly squirrel and we were on our way gain - this time to Lake Louise.
Greg and the boys were desperate to hire a canoe and paddle on the lake. Frank and Helen joined them and it was cute to see them trying to race each other across the lake. My broken arm which was still mending was not up to the paddling so Dad and I decided we would hike to the Lake Agnes Teahouse. It said 3.2km which we thought was a reasonable distance. Holy cow the climb was hard. The incline was steep and I forgot how old Dad was - or perhaps I aged him 20 years taking him on that hike. It took us nearly 2 hours to get to the teahouse and there were parts where I thought I'm going to have to carry my Dad back down if he slips into a diabetic coma. Well we made it and it was definately worth the sore muscles we were bound to have in the morning. The views were stunning and we were in awe of the world. The Fairmont Lake Louise which stands so majestically at the edge of the Lake looked like a little speck from the steep mountain we were looking from. A 30 minute downhill trek and back to the van.
At this stage we thought we'd be late for a show that we had booked in Canmore so we were in a bit of a hurry to get out of the car park. Gereg let a big truck pull its trailer up to the car park when all of a sudden the big truck and its massive trailer stopped - and so did everyone else. The truck has blown its transmission and was blocking all of the traffic. You can imagine how furious Greg was. Ha ha funny now but finally someone with a vehicle able to tow that truck and trailer up the hill came along and moved it. Also funny was how all the tourists to Lake Louise that day cheered when it was moved.
Back in Canmore we enjoyed the stage show "Oh Canada, Eh!" a dinner and show which was awesome. Everyone enjoyed this one which had something for all age groups. Our final night with Frank and Helen was a special one.
Tears the next morning when they had to leave early to board the train but what a wonderful experience our kids were able to share with their grandparents. Memories I am sure they will remember for a lifetime.
A vist to Banff for the day and we showed the family around spots we had been. The Hot Springs, The gondola, "Hogwarts" and the main street. One of our favourite places was the look out near Nordegg ski hill where Paddy's gopher friends lived. We took a few beers and watched the world go by - very relaxing!
The next morning we wandered the streets of Canmore and sent home a parcel of fabric from the Quilt store there before Greg and Frank even knew we had brought it. We hadn't visited Morraine Lake yet so today was the day. Armed with plenty of repellant and our walking shoes we hiked around the edge of one of the most gorgeous lakes in the world. You could see the glaciers from certain vantage points around the walking track and imagine them melting and producing the most stunning blue of the lake below. Again lots of pictures taken and still amazed at be on the look out for bears signs. A quick snack shared with a friendly squirrel and we were on our way gain - this time to Lake Louise.
Greg and the boys were desperate to hire a canoe and paddle on the lake. Frank and Helen joined them and it was cute to see them trying to race each other across the lake. My broken arm which was still mending was not up to the paddling so Dad and I decided we would hike to the Lake Agnes Teahouse. It said 3.2km which we thought was a reasonable distance. Holy cow the climb was hard. The incline was steep and I forgot how old Dad was - or perhaps I aged him 20 years taking him on that hike. It took us nearly 2 hours to get to the teahouse and there were parts where I thought I'm going to have to carry my Dad back down if he slips into a diabetic coma. Well we made it and it was definately worth the sore muscles we were bound to have in the morning. The views were stunning and we were in awe of the world. The Fairmont Lake Louise which stands so majestically at the edge of the Lake looked like a little speck from the steep mountain we were looking from. A 30 minute downhill trek and back to the van.
At this stage we thought we'd be late for a show that we had booked in Canmore so we were in a bit of a hurry to get out of the car park. Gereg let a big truck pull its trailer up to the car park when all of a sudden the big truck and its massive trailer stopped - and so did everyone else. The truck has blown its transmission and was blocking all of the traffic. You can imagine how furious Greg was. Ha ha funny now but finally someone with a vehicle able to tow that truck and trailer up the hill came along and moved it. Also funny was how all the tourists to Lake Louise that day cheered when it was moved.
Back in Canmore we enjoyed the stage show "Oh Canada, Eh!" a dinner and show which was awesome. Everyone enjoyed this one which had something for all age groups. Our final night with Frank and Helen was a special one.
Tears the next morning when they had to leave early to board the train but what a wonderful experience our kids were able to share with their grandparents. Memories I am sure they will remember for a lifetime.
Friday, 13 July 2012
Edmonton, Jasper & the Icefields Parkway.
Packed up and ready to go we hit the road in the mini-van again. We must have looked like the Griswalds on their Canadian Vacation. First stop was to West Edmonton Mall for a brief look (if it could be brief there - it's huge). We had all agreed to stick to a 2.5hour limit there and to just wander. Surprisingly enough we succeeded. Frank was again on the look out for stuff - this time Rockport shoes. Not in his size the sales assistant suggested we buy them online and ship them back to Oz. This sounded great - the story is a long one. Dad was sensible and brought his 2 pairs while we were there. A coffee to perk us up from Second Cup (one of my favorite coffee places in Canada) and back in the van for the drive to Jasper.
We arrived in Jasper quite late and found our accommodation at Tekarra Lodge. Being a popular place to visit both Summer and Winter I had booked this place in advance as we wanted to accommodate the 7 of us in the same suite. The room was hilarious. Space for all of us - just. The word was that NOBODY FART! 2 reasons for this - 1. The room was fairly small so you'd probably kill us and 2. The mosqitoes were so bad that if we opened the door for air we would all get munched.
Our day in Jasper was great. We walked the 7 bridges of Maligne Canyon - got munched by the mozzies anyway. Took a drive to Maligne Lake. Relaxed with a cocktail at the Fairmont and looked for wildlife. Finally on our drive back to Tekarra we spotted deer, cariboo and black bear. Of course Greg and Dad had to jump out of the car and be tourists to take lots of photos while I panicked about them being attacked from the safety of the car.
The next day we packed up the van again took a short walk around the grounds of the Lodge, got munched by the mozzies and headed towards Banff on the Icefileds Parkway. Frank and Helen had really wanted to do this and even though we had done it already we were amazed by the changed that Summer had brought. We revisted the Athabasca Falls which we had seen frozen in winter and were amazed at the amount of water flowing over them now. The winter must be so cold to freeze such a huge volume of water - great for the kids to see and recall to the grandparents about what we saw in a different season only 4 months prior. Lots of stops along the way for pics of glaciers, snow capped mountains, bears and amazing scenery which still takes my breath away.
We arrived in Canmore for a few nights of R & R at Mystic Springs.
We arrived in Jasper quite late and found our accommodation at Tekarra Lodge. Being a popular place to visit both Summer and Winter I had booked this place in advance as we wanted to accommodate the 7 of us in the same suite. The room was hilarious. Space for all of us - just. The word was that NOBODY FART! 2 reasons for this - 1. The room was fairly small so you'd probably kill us and 2. The mosqitoes were so bad that if we opened the door for air we would all get munched.
Our day in Jasper was great. We walked the 7 bridges of Maligne Canyon - got munched by the mozzies anyway. Took a drive to Maligne Lake. Relaxed with a cocktail at the Fairmont and looked for wildlife. Finally on our drive back to Tekarra we spotted deer, cariboo and black bear. Of course Greg and Dad had to jump out of the car and be tourists to take lots of photos while I panicked about them being attacked from the safety of the car.
The next day we packed up the van again took a short walk around the grounds of the Lodge, got munched by the mozzies and headed towards Banff on the Icefileds Parkway. Frank and Helen had really wanted to do this and even though we had done it already we were amazed by the changed that Summer had brought. We revisted the Athabasca Falls which we had seen frozen in winter and were amazed at the amount of water flowing over them now. The winter must be so cold to freeze such a huge volume of water - great for the kids to see and recall to the grandparents about what we saw in a different season only 4 months prior. Lots of stops along the way for pics of glaciers, snow capped mountains, bears and amazing scenery which still takes my breath away.
We arrived in Canmore for a few nights of R & R at Mystic Springs.
Thursday, 12 July 2012
Short time in Sylvan
Packing up the van that we had hired to get the 7 of us around proved slightly difficult. With all of us with luggage from our Alaska trip, Frank and Helen with their stuff and Dad with his we were thankful that Corrine was still with us to pile some gear in her car too. Back to Sylvan we went.
A tour of the town and the house where we are staying, loads of washing and repacking for the next leg saw us in need of a few cold beverages. We headed out that evening to Gull Lake (about 20 minutes from Sylvan) to enjoy a BBQ and drinks with our friends Mel and Tim Harris. The kids had a ball climbing trees, running through forests and splashing in the lake. Mel's parenst Judy and Darryl were also camping in their trailer there and we all enjoyed each others company - particularly Judy and Helen who seemed to have known each other for a lifetime.
We would have liked to have had Frank and Helen spend more time in Sylvan but given their limited time holidaying with us it was a quick pack up and head to Edmonton the next day.
A tour of the town and the house where we are staying, loads of washing and repacking for the next leg saw us in need of a few cold beverages. We headed out that evening to Gull Lake (about 20 minutes from Sylvan) to enjoy a BBQ and drinks with our friends Mel and Tim Harris. The kids had a ball climbing trees, running through forests and splashing in the lake. Mel's parenst Judy and Darryl were also camping in their trailer there and we all enjoyed each others company - particularly Judy and Helen who seemed to have known each other for a lifetime.
We would have liked to have had Frank and Helen spend more time in Sylvan but given their limited time holidaying with us it was a quick pack up and head to Edmonton the next day.
Wednesday, 11 July 2012
Calgary & The Calgary Stampede
Our plan was to take our parents to Drumheller today so on the way there we thought we'd stop at CrossIron Mills (a retail and factory outlet shopping complex) for a coffee and a bite to eat. I could have told Greg a zillion times that this was not the right thing to do with his mum in tow and yet again I was right. But we did have fun. To Helen's defense it was Frank who was the most annoying shopper today as he couldn't find the perfect pair of jeans - he's even fussier than Greg, but after an eternity in Levi's we found 2 pairs that he was happy with. We missed Drumheller because by the time we looked at all the stuff in Bass Pro Shop the day was coming to an end. We needed a good nights sleep as tomorrow was Stampede Day.
Yee Haw. It was time to kick up our heels. Having prepurchased tickets for the Chuckwagon races when we were in Australia we decided to get to the stampede around lunchtime and have a look at the rides and show pavillions. If we had to compare it to something similar at home it would be equivalent to the Sydney Royal Easter Show. I have never in my life seen so many pairs of cowboy boots, big buckles, hats and check shirts in my life. Joey and Paddy blended in very well. We had a friend from Sylvan join us - Corrine and we spent the day wandering in and out of the pavillions. It was so hot in Calgary that day and we really felt like we could be home in Australia but we coped.
The evening show that we had our tickets for was definately the highlight. Its funny when you do prebook things from home you don't know what to expect. To our surprise our seats were AMAZING!!! We were in an air-conditioned front row glassed in section overlooking the rodeo and chuckwagon circuit. We had table service for meals and alcohol and a TV at our table to watch the close up action of the Chucks. WOW we felt very spoilt. Frank told me I had done good in organising such an amazing trip so far for them (I had to put this in writing because being his daughter-in-law, he doesn't like to give me too many compliments ;)). After the chucks we enjoyed a stage performance from the Young Candians and local turned international star country singer Paul Brandt. Me not being an avid country fan still enjoyed it and thanks to Steph our exchange teacher leaving his CD in the car I knew all the words. What a fabulous day! Time to hang up our hats and hit the hay.
Yee Haw. It was time to kick up our heels. Having prepurchased tickets for the Chuckwagon races when we were in Australia we decided to get to the stampede around lunchtime and have a look at the rides and show pavillions. If we had to compare it to something similar at home it would be equivalent to the Sydney Royal Easter Show. I have never in my life seen so many pairs of cowboy boots, big buckles, hats and check shirts in my life. Joey and Paddy blended in very well. We had a friend from Sylvan join us - Corrine and we spent the day wandering in and out of the pavillions. It was so hot in Calgary that day and we really felt like we could be home in Australia but we coped.
The evening show that we had our tickets for was definately the highlight. Its funny when you do prebook things from home you don't know what to expect. To our surprise our seats were AMAZING!!! We were in an air-conditioned front row glassed in section overlooking the rodeo and chuckwagon circuit. We had table service for meals and alcohol and a TV at our table to watch the close up action of the Chucks. WOW we felt very spoilt. Frank told me I had done good in organising such an amazing trip so far for them (I had to put this in writing because being his daughter-in-law, he doesn't like to give me too many compliments ;)). After the chucks we enjoyed a stage performance from the Young Candians and local turned international star country singer Paul Brandt. Me not being an avid country fan still enjoyed it and thanks to Steph our exchange teacher leaving his CD in the car I knew all the words. What a fabulous day! Time to hang up our hats and hit the hay.
Monday, 9 July 2012
Summer Break Day 10: Anchorage to Calgary
I am so not a morning person and today was no exception. Being the crazy organsied freak that I am though I had the kids dressed ready to go when they went to bed so that when it came for our 5am pickup I just had myself to sort out. Going through customs was nearly a tragedy when Frank had cleverly packed the precious tubes of Vegemite in his carry on luggage. We were horrified when he was pulled aside and they searched his bag. The rest of us said in unison "Not the Vegemite" and tried to explain to customs what it was and how it was liquid gold to us Aussies.
After landing in Seattle and then on to Calgary I was finally reunited with my Dad. Lots of tears and excitement mixed with exhaustion from an early start we went and stayed at Gave and Julies for a good rest.
After landing in Seattle and then on to Calgary I was finally reunited with my Dad. Lots of tears and excitement mixed with exhaustion from an early start we went and stayed at Gave and Julies for a good rest.
Sunday, 8 July 2012
Summer Break Day 10: Anchorage to Calgary
Our last day of our tour today and we traveled back to Talkeetna for a quick rest stop. A funny little town where we wandered to have something to eat and looked at the local handicrafts. The place reminded me a bit of Nimbin - as did the townsfolk. From here we boarded a train to travel back to Anchorage. The train was amazing!! A glass dome enclosed us so we had awesome views for our travel. Heaps of leg room and champagne made the end of our trip so worthwhile. A magical dinner and the ambience of the train made me miss home and being able to share this experience with our friends and family. It was so special to be able to share the experience with Frank and Helen - definately a time that I know they will cherish with the boys and vise versa. Unfortunately our train trip had to come to an end back in Anchorage and we took the opportunity to enjoy a twilight walk around the streets. Some beautiful aspects but so small for a city. Back to Calgary tomorrow where I am excited to see Dad.
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