Calgary Stampede

We left Banff very early yesterday morning and headed to Calgary for the last day of their yearly world famous Stampede. We had to get there early enough for a free pancake breakfast, which is apparently a big part of the event. Just about every church and civic organization in the city offers a free pancake breakfast at some point during the Stampede. We warned our kids to only take a polite amount of food, which meant that we ended up taking them out for "second breakfast" afterwards. We finally made it over to the fair grounds in the middle of the morning and the fun commenced. We enjoyed the livestock barns and activities, and then made our way to the indoor arena for the light horse events, including the mini chuck wagon races, which was hilarious and adorable and easily our favorite event of the morning. The rodeo started at 1:00 and was held in the outdoor arena. We stayed for the whole thing, through rain and hail and a sharp decrease in temperature. We were never so thankful for our thrifty ways, which put us way up in the cheap seats, UNDER AN OVERHANG. We stayed dry and happy, while people who paid a premium for better views scrambled for cover. Jeff and I had taken Ruth and Weston to a small rodeo when they were very little, but none of us had ever been to a big pro rodeo, and it was lots of fun to see the best of the best compete for C$100,000 payouts. Later, we watched the heavyweight class of the heavy horse pull, which was just amazing. The winning team, which consisted of a Belgian and a Percheron and their handlers, pulled a load weighing 12,500 pounds 14 feet. Finally, we made our way back over to the outdoor arena for the full-size chuck wagon races. This was a sport we were not previously acquainted with, but it quickly became our favorite. It was rodeo meets horse racing, and it was fascinating. After consuming all manner of fair junk food and after a full 12 hours at the Stampede, we headed toward the Canadian/American border, which we crossed early this morning, after a short night's rest. We are so thankful we got to experience so much of Canada's beauty and that our time in Canada ended with something as spectacular as the Stampede.

Pancake breakfast

Miniture chuck wagon racing

Making friends in
Draft Horse Town

You know a cowboy needs a rope...

Everyone loves a mini horse

Indian Village

Calf roping

Bareback riding

Barrel racing

Saddle bronc riding

Time to bring in the bullfighters

Heavyweight heavy horse pull

Ready for the chuck wagon races

The Budweiser Clydesdales

Chuck wagon race is underway

Playing cowboy

Making my mom proud
with a bowl of chocolate
chip cookie dough!

Exploring Banff

We spent the day in and around Banff and had a wonderful time. We started with the breakfast buffet at Crave Mountain Grill and then rode the bus to Bow Falls. From there, we did a mini hike back into town, where we stopped in at Cascade Gardens. Then, we spent some time at a nearby playground before heading over to the Cave and Basin. After that, everyone claimed to be starving, so we took the bus back over to the center of town and popped into Banff Ave. Brewing Co. for a late lunch. Eventually, we moseyed over to the Banff Park Museum to have a look around. The younger boys were thrilled to get a scavenger hunt to complete while we were there. Finally, we visited another playground, with the hopes of expending the last of our energy before heading back to our campground. Banff is an absolutely gorgeous place and is essentially one big hiking trail. And, with the lovely weather at this time of year, we enjoyed exploring the area very much and wish we could stay longer.

Sasquatch

Bow Falls

Cascade Gardens

Beautiful Banff

Sweet hiking buddies

Cave and Basin

The railroad comes to Canada

Workin' on the railroad

Banff Park Museum

Fire in the sky

Jasper and Banff National Parks

Yesterday brought us to the end of the Alaska Highway and into Alberta. Today brought us into Jasper and Banff National Parks, and they are absolutely gorgeous. We saw several Dall sheep and a couple of elk in Jasper, as well an incredible waterfall and so much beautiful scenery. In Banff, we stopped at the lovely Lake Louise, before heading to our campground inside the park.

Our first Canadian elk spotting

Tangle Creek Falls

A gorgeous reflection in Jasper National Park

Is this water even real?!

Athabasca Glacier

Lake Louise

Lunch at Lake Louise on a beautiful day

Killer views in Banff National Park

Fun in Ft. St. John

We decided to take a break from the road and stay put for today in Ft. St. John, one of the largest cities we've seen along the Alaska Highway. We started with a big breakfast at Whole Wheat & Honey and then headed over to the Pomeroy Sports Centre, where we spent several hours playing basketball and ping pong and running along the indoor track. Later, we popped into the aquatic center for a little swim. Eventually, everyone was hungry again, so we walked over to Roustabout's to grab some grub. Then, we returned to the aquatic center for the rest of the evening. It was a good day of physical activity that should carry us through a few more miles in the van.

Street entertainer

Friendly game of ping pong

Playing a little b-ball

Trying out all the equipment

A big thumbs-up for this day

First time down the slide

Officially 9 1/2

I have a weakness for flowers

First time off the high dive

Ready to jump

"It was fun but also scary.
I don't want to do it again."

Relaxin'

From the Yukon to British Columbia

Yesterday morning was spent driving through the rain across many uninhabited, but beautiful, kilometers in the Yukon. We stopped for lunch in Watson Lake and also took the time to see the town's interesting and extensive Sign Post Forest. We briefly considered ending our journey for the day and staying the night in the small town, but everyone voted to just keep moving down the road, which on the Alaska Highway is a commitment. So three hours, one male moose, one fox, a herd of bison, and a couple of black bears later, we settled into an RV park outside the Liard River Hot Springs Provincial Park in British Columbia, where there is no such thing as Wi-Fi or cell phone service. This turned out to be a good thing, as we spent our evening playing games, drinking warm beverages, and thoroughly enjoying each other's company. We stayed up late and were thrilled to discover that, at some point, maybe around 11 or 11:30, it actually got dark outside. We loved the Land of the Midnight Sun but found it a little difficult to sleep at night.

Sign Post Forest

A sign that my people have
passed this way before.

Clay love the big machinery graveyard
 in the middle of the Sign Post Forest.

Our first male moose spotting

Fox

We brake for black bears!

A small portion of the herd

This morning we let everyone sleep in and then had a hearty breakfast at the little onsite cafe. Once our bellies were full, we were off to check out the hot springs. We followed a long boardwalk through a swampy forest, stopping once to photograph a moose drinking in a nearby pond. At the end of the path, we found the steamy and perfectly pristine Liard River and its natural hotsprings. The area has been built up to accommodate visitors, with decking, changing rooms, and stone benches set down inside the water. It was absolutely lovely and a wonderful way to spend a couple of hours on a cool day. After our soak, the open road beckoned, and off we went, with our newest driver behind the wheel. It was a beautiful drive through the northernmost stretch of the Rocky Mountains. Our favorite sight of the day was a mama bear and her two cubs up in a tree. We also saw several other black bears, a bison, a porcupine, and a few Dall sheep. When we set out on this journey, someone told us we would see so much wildlife that we would get tired of it, but we definitely haven't gotten to that point yet.

Warming up in the river

Liard River Hot Springs

Why did the buffalo cross the road?

Bears in a tree

Dall Sheep

Rocky Mountain High

Our hook-up hero