Banff

On a long weekend in the beginning of October, the stars aligned just right and--as a graduation gift for Meg from Grammy and Bpop, with us to tag along (they don't travel)--we took a trip to Banff! Just me, Meg and the kids (Mark had already used up his vacation time, and I traditionally do a mom-and-kids' trip each year since I have more time freedom.)

We found a stellar deal on Scott's Cheap Flights, Meg got an expedited passport (her first time outside the US), and I pulled the kids out of school for an extra two days after a four-day weekend.

("Never let schooling get in the way of an education." - Mark Twain)

 This boy especially wanted to go. This summer, he saw a poster of Lake Moraine (below) displayed at Costco.
"Where is that?" the boy asked, all starry-eyed. "We must go there."
He'd had his eyes on it ever since, even decorating his Minecraft mansions with photos of this very spot. Cool how the Universe works sometimes.

 O Canada!

 Be prepared to do a lot of scrolling. I'll highlight where we went, and then let the pictures tell the story. But we began with a late flight into Calgary, slept at an airport hotel, I picked up the rental car while the kids snoozed, and then we were off to our first stop--Lake Louise town center.

 From there we headed over to our dream spot mid-afternoon, as a few cars began to pull out of the cramped lot and free up space for us, which felt like incredible luck. And suddenly, there we were!
Moraine Lake

 We hiked around the base of the lake to begin, all bundled up with the most crystal clear water you could imagine, and a backdrop of snow-capped Canadian rockies. It has to be among the most breathtaking places I've ever been!

Gryffin got serious with his GoPro shots. The kids recently earned their photography merit badges, and put them to great use this trip!

 Next we climbed up the stones overlooking Lake Moraine for the most beautiful view of all: magical Moraine Lake hugged all around by mountains, cozy and majestic.

 We met back up with Lorelei who was in the car by this time (it was cold and she was tired).

And we drove past gorgeous scenery all around (including wildlife crossing tunnel-bridges)...

 ... only to arrive at our hotel room where Meg discovered a bed bug!
Eeew!
Those things are scary. Thankfully we had only just entered the room, and immediately tossed all our bags outside and called the front desk, handing them a tissue with a live bed bug!

 The kids drew pictures of the bed bug and "marijuana moose" (a nod to the legalized pot in Canada) during our free dinner on the hotel while they sorted out what to do with us. The hotel was fully booked, and so instead of staying in downtown Banff, we ended up...

 ...at this gorgeous Hidden Ridge resort in a spectacular, 4-story room!
After the bedbug incident, we were treated like royals. Bless those bedbugs.

 This was the view from our hotel.

And these were the hot tubs we soaked in for four straight days.

 The next morning we hiked Johnston Canyon to the lower and upper falls. It was a photographer's dream, and the kids further honed their skills, sharing my DSLR (which I still haven't emptied--these pics are all from my phone).

 This moss is called "old man's beard." Gryffy demonstrated for us.

Next we drove north along the stunning Icefields Parkway halfway toward Jasper, but several roads to the lakes we wanted to see were closed for the season. So we stopped at a few on the side of the road.

We dedicated the next day to seeing Banff from a whole new perspective: the Banff Gondola and Sulphur Mountain.

 There was a lookout station with a museum, gift shop and restaurants at the top, but we spent most of our time on the boardwalks hugging the cliffs, giving a spectacular birds-eye introduction to the National Park.

 See that little mountain in the middle? That's where our hotel was -- the one without bedbugs. :)

 We hiked all the way to the old weather station at top, which was precariously icy and slick.

 And did some Mary Poppins maneuvers on the way out.

 Next we stopped at the Chateau Fairmont, Banff's most famous hotel, for lunch and a tour.

Inside the museum, the kids freaked out at this picture of Marilyn Monroe golfing there...

...convinced she is really Pennywise, the clown from It. Ha!

We poked our head all around past corners where we probably didn't belong.

 And looked out over the balcony behind the outdoor pool.

 Lunch and decadent desserts.

 Back into Banff town.

 On our final day, we opted for the famously turquoise (and crowded) Lake Louise. Once again, we lucked out on parking.

The canoes were ridiculously overpriced, but this was definitely one of our top experiences. The water was just so aquamarine, it felt unreal.

 We disobeyed rules and hopped out of the boats at the other end of the lake to explore a little. :)

 Seriously, that water! No filter.

I snapped a photo of our photo in the gift shop.

And much to Lorelei's chagrin, Gryffin wanted to hike from Lake Louise to Mirror Lake and Lake Agnes. It was a long, steep hike!

 Check out the view of Lake Louise below.

 By the time we got to Mirror Lake, Meg and Lorelei were not too enthusiastic to continue. But Gryffin was doggedly determined to get to Lake Agnes, and I'm always up for an adventure.

 Gryffin's faking a frown, and Lorelei's faking a smile in this one. :)

 After what seemed like forever, as it grew more and more dark and we lost sight of any other hikers, we came to this set of stairs leading to the famous tea house and Lake Agnes.

 Lake Agnes! Ah, so worth it!

 Back at the bottom we walked past Chateau Lake Louise and on to our car.

On our last day, we shopped for souvenirs in downtown Banff, then headed up to a scenic lookout.

 Mt. Norquay was incredible! It would have made for a perfect picnic, except that the weather had suddenly dipped and the wind picked up so much that it completely toppled a massive tree that fell in precisely the spot we had just drive through, blocking the road. It could have crushed us! Scary, near miss.

 We ended with a drive to a nearby ski resort.

I kept reminding the kids that they're half Canadian, and this is THEIR other home and native land. They were swimming with pride. Meaghan had a blast on her graduation trip--and we sure had a blast getting to tag along. Thanks Grammy and Bpop.