Midsadventures near Banff, Alberta

We planned to head to a beautiful lake just outside of Banff in Alberta.  It's about an hour and a half drive from my sister's house.  She knew there were forest fires in Banff, so she asked a friend who is a nature photographer if we should head to Banff or go somewhere else.  She recommended a two mile hike (one mile each way) that would take us to an absolutely gorgeous lake...we looked at pictures of it the night before...it was stunning!

So we headed toward Banff.  After an hour of driving, my sister pulled over and explained that Hannah wasn't feeling well.  Not at all.  In addition, the wind was blowing hard and it had started to rain.  We drove a bit further, and then found a place to pull over.  Our plan was to eat a picnic lunch and then decide what to do.  But we realized we hadn't brought plates or silverware and our picnic lunch wasn't finger foods.  But we made do.  After we ate, my sister gave a couple of us ponchos and we took short walks...but it was still raining and quite wet.  It was just beautiful.  The area where we parked had a sign that said "Banff Gate Mountain Resort" and signs about Lougheed Mountain where we were.  (The mountain is named after a famous senator and his family.)

Right after Rebecca and her two girls took a short walk, the sun finally came out and we all hopped out of the car.  It had gotten late enough that there really wasn't time to finish driving the rest of the way to the hike we had planned, so we just hiked where we were.  It wasn't the plan, and we weren't officially in Banff, and we didn't see the lake, but it was still very beautiful.  The air smelled so clean and fresh, especially after the rain.  It was just beautiful!

Look at those gorgeous peaks behind my niece, Sarah!

Cousins...Ella and Sarah are only two months apart in age.  In fact, Michelle and Evan are four months apart, Sarah and Ella are two, and Gabby and Hannah are about 6 weeks apart.  If only we lived closer to our cousins!

Michelle loves to pose for pictures.  She kept saying, "Take a picture of me here.  Now take a picture of me like this."

Hannah loves her cousin Ella.  

Evan looks ready for the hike!

The kids (especially mine) were fascinated by the moss that was growing in much of the woods, especially this gold covered moss.

I know you can barely see it, but right between the trees is a buck.  The male and female deer were not far from us.  The female moved on ahead quickly, but the male waited and watched us until we moved ahead.  While I didn't get a good photograph of him,  we could see him pretty well.  They weren't far away.

Last summer, there was a lot of flooding in Calgary and the surrounding areas.  If you look up the river, you can see the upended trees and debris left by the flooding.

I found it fascinating to see the debris left by the flooding. You could clearly see the damage caused by the flooding and  how high the flooding had gone up the bank because there were piles of debris left along the trail and bank of the river.

It was fascinating, but sad.  Many people lost their homes and precious belongings due to the flooding.  I'll share a neat story that my brother in law shared with us.  Their stake president felt impressed a couple of years ago to develop a stake emergency preparedness plan. The stake members were encouraged to create 72 hour kits and so on.  But the stake also collected blankets and hygiene kits and stored them in the stake center.  When the flooding happened, blankets and  hygiene kits were collected, and those who were in need were able to immediately get what they needed due to the foresight of this stake president and the diligence of the stake members in helping to collect and assemble the items.  What a blessing it is to have the gospel!!

The girls enjoyed using this limb as a limbo stick.

It was just so beautiful!  

While we were technically not in Banff, we were certainly able to enjoy breathtaking scenery!

This picture was taken by Michelle from inside the moving car... look how blue and beautiful the water is!

We were all so grateful that the sun came out and we were able to take a hike, even if it wasn't to the location we had originally planned.  And also very grateful that Hannah felt better after we ate and got out of the car.   What a wonderful day!

Sikome Lake, Calgary

On our second day in Calgary, we headed to Sikome Lake.  When we first arrived, it was a bit cool.  But it soon warmed up.  We spent several hours at the lake.  The kids made sand castles, they swam, we played frisbee in the water, they got buried in the sand.  My sister Rebecca and I talked and talked.  We had a picnic lunch.  It was a perfect day!

Calgary...canoeing at Glenmore Reservoir

My sister Suzy, my girls and I were able to drive to Calgary, Alberta, Canada to visit our sister Rebecca and her family.   It's a long drive.  But the girls did really well.  We listened to music, listened to books on CD, they watched a movie, they looked for license plates (they found about 35 of the states during the course of our drive and colored them on a map), we played games, we ate snacks.  All in all, the drive went well and no one threw up which is a definite plus!

 On our first morning, we went to a park near my sister's house.  It is a very fun park with some equipment that is different than our local parks here.  The kids all had a great time playing.

Ella enjoyed putting rocks in her shirt, and in her shorts' pockets to make herself look bigger as she pretended.  The rocks left her quite dusty.

That afternoon we were able to go to Glenmore Reservoir and go canoeing. The wind was blowing and the water was a bit choppy, but it was fun. It ended up being one of our favorite parts of the trip. Although if I were to take up canoeing on a regular basis, it was very clear to me that my arm muscles would need a lot of strengthening first.

Michelle thought they were going to tip over...but they didn't.  It was beautiful.

While waiting for turns in the canoe, the kids played on the dock.

There is a paddle boat that you can take rides on.  We didn't do that, but it looked fun.

Although it was windy and a bit chilly, it was so beautiful and great fun!  One of the things that I love about Calgary is that the outdoors seem to be right in amid the city.  My sister lives just minutes from Nose Hill where there are trails and deer and other wildlife roam.  Squirrels were often seen on her back fence.  In fact, one morning as I washed dishes, I watched two squirrels chase each other along the fence...it really looked like they were playing tag.  One squirrel would chase the other.  Then the first would stop, turn around and begin to chase the other one.  Kept me quite entertained.  There are lakes and reservoirs within just a 15-30 minute drive...right around the city.  The mountains are close.  I know that mountains are very close here too, and that I could be/should be better about getting into the outdoors with my children.  But i really enjoyed the outdoors there.  So beautiful!