But I can't keep calm!!! I was so excited to embark on our summer road trip! We had such a fantastic time last year, that we decided to do a similar trip this year!
Blake had a 3on3 hockey game on Sunday, August 9th and we had originally planned to get the trailer packed on Sunday and leave Monday morning. But we were ready to go and decided instead to leave after 3on3 on Sunday evening! We didn't really have a plan ... we thought we'd parking lot boondock in either Red Deer or Calgary. We had a lot of construction hold ups on the Henday and it took fooorrrever (or so it felt!) to get out of the city. So when we reached Red Deer, we were all starving and ready to stop for the night! We found a gorgeous spot in the Costco parking lot to stop for the night ;) We leveled the trailer out and walked to Peter's Drive In for dinner and THE BEST milkshakes! After dinner we walked back to the trailer and played board games for the night! It was fun and I'm really glad Cal and the kids bought some new games for our trip - Clue, Monopoly and Racko!
Monday morning we woke up and headed for Calaway Park in Calgary. We had fun at Calaway Park but I think after visting the park for the 2nd time in 2 years, we are okay to wait a few years before going back! We scared the girls by taking them on the log ride, as soon as we got into the park. That probably wasn't the best decision ... neither enjoyed the ride but they really were troopers and got over it quickly!! Blake thought it was awesome, so that was good! We rode the tamer rides for the remainder of the day, ate lunch and played a few carnival games! Around 4 pm we left Calaway Park and drove to Mt Kidd RV Resort, to spend the next four nights. We pulled into our site, set up and took a deep, deep breath of mountain fresh air. I absolutely love being in the mountains and love Mt Kidd RV park! After a quick dinner, Cal, Blake and Em went for a bike ride and met Reese and I at the Mt Kidd Interpretive program. The programs at Mt Kidd are great. They pack so much fun and entertainment into a 1 hr show! They are in the form of a play but the kids always come away with so much knowledge!! These plays often have quite a few innuendos that only the older crowd catch, which makes it hilarious and entertaining for the adults as well!
Day 3 we spent the day around Mt Kidd - Blake and Em went on a 5 km bike ride with Cal to Wedge Pond. They loved it and Cal said there were some challenging hills but they rocked it! We also hit up the pool at the campground and enjoyed the warm, roomy showers (oh, and cheap - 10 min for $2!!). Of course, the evening program was also a must ;)
On Day 4 we packed up a lunch and prepared for a hike! After reading a few trail guides, we chose Grotto Canyon. It promised a waterfall at the end of the trail, which we thought would be great motivation :) We've done a few short hikes in the past few years, Mt. Edith Cavel to name one. This hike was longer and the climb steeper, but we hoped the kids, most especially 4 yo Reese, would be up for it! We heard very few complaints and were really impressed with how well they did!!
The waterfall wasn't really what we were expecting - it was small but pretty, none the less! We stooped on the edge of the mountain to eat our lunch and then headed back! Later that day I spoke to a lady at our campground who remembers hiking this same trail and at one point, walking in water up to her knees!! There are some parts where you walk through a dried up creek bed and I guess at certain times during the
year, the creek fills up. How exciting would that be to turn around and realize the creek was filling up!! The scenery on our hike was beautiful and the kids were quite amazed at the rock climbers, during one portion of the hike! After our hike, we drove to Canmore for a few groceries and to cool off in the a/c ;) We got back to Mt Kidd in time for an afternoon bird watching session. Everyone really enjoyed learning about the various birds who inhabit Kananaskis Country and the kids enjoyed sporting their own pair of binoculars during the guided bird watching hike. Blake also had fun finding the various names and characteristic of the birds we spotted, in his bird watchers field guide :) A quick supper and off to another evening program!!
Day 5 was again spent at the campground! Cooling off in the pool, visting the park, ice cream treats, swinging in the hammock, board games, bike riding, walking the gorgeous trails and taking in the evening programming.
~ stay tuned for days 6 & 7 ~
