August 2

Josh worked all night so we waited until about 1pm to leave for Drumheller. We visited the Royal Tyrrell Museum- Canada's Dinosaur Museum. A must see if you ever travel to Alberta. There is a huge selection of dinosaurs to see that were found in the Canadian Rockies. The 1km hike around the Badlands was very interesting. It felt like being in a desert. It was very dry and little vegetation. We did spot some cactus.
Other things we coulld have seen or done in the area but we ran out of time were:
- 90 minute guided hike to the badlands to look for fossils and learn about the landscape (through the museaum)
- Hoodoo trail- strange sandstone formations
- a historic coal mine

We arrived back in Calgary about 9pm. There was a little rain on the return which created a rainbow.

The entertainment continued moments after returning to Josh's. Marianne had an encounter with a mouse and Perry was trying to catch it. Very funny to watch!

July 30 to August 1

We headed for Medicine Hat today to spend the weekend visiting relatives of Marianne and Perry. We arrived there about 1pm and we were in need of something to eat. The first thing we came to was A DQ, bad choice- ask Marleen about her chicken burger. In the evening we headed to the Medicine Hat Stampede. It was the first time any of us saw a rodeo.

On Saturday we spent the afternoon in the mall and then back for a barbecue. The girls took the two children to the fair grounds at the Stampede to go on the rides. Marleen and Patti went on a few with MacKenzie.

We had rain overnight on Saturday and in the morning. First rain on our trip so far. We headed back to Calgary.

Drumheller tomorrow!

July 29

Another fun filled day. The four of us and Josh headed back up to Banff. The gondola ride up Sulphur Mountain was well worth the $30. We ate hot dogs and fries at one of the two restaurants at the main building on top. Very expensive fast foods! We then walked to the summit where the old weather station is. The self guided tour is very well done and the steps and board walks to get you there are very sturdy. There were several boards to explain many facts and history regarding this mountain. It was not cold at the top of the moutain as we had expected.
On the way down we spotted an elk and we were able to walk back up the mountain to take photos and videos.
Josh showed us the falls behind the Banff Springs Hotel. Very pretty.
We ate at Wild Bills- good food but the wind began to stir things up. A perfect end to the day was a dip in the hot springs pool on Sulphur Mountain. Bruce, Perry, and Josh saw mule deer but did not have a camera to take the pictures.


Views from Sulphur Mountain

Lake Minni...... near Banff. Largest lake in the Canadian Rockies?

July 28

A much easier day today!

We hung around the house until about 1pm. It seemed to be the hottest day so far and they have all been hot. We went to the Canada Olympic Park just a couple of minutes from Josh and Patti. It was amazing to see all the mountain bikers there of all ages using the trails. The ski lift was used to transport them and their bikes up the hill. This is the site that the ski jumping and luge was held. You can zip line, roll down the hill in a very large ball, go to the ski jump tower to view the city, etc. in the summer. We chose to do nothing today. The hill is not as tall as Martock which surprised us. It may be about 1/2 as tall.
We then went to the Tower downtown to take in the view of the city. Stevens Street is a pretty street and is blocked off to cars. We did not explore this street beyond a block but it is something I would take time to do another day. The Bellinis were also very pretty and delicious at a patio bar on this street.
We headed back to Josh and Patti's and had a barbecue. We were all very tired today.

July 27

Not much in Jasper. A great place perhaps for those that want to do white water rafting or fishing.J asper has essentially 2 two streets and not much to see in the town.
We got up this morning to eat and go to the hot springs but found out the hot springs were another hour away. That would put us 7 hours away from Calgary. Too far for our plans so we decide to cancel that idea. We can try out the hot springs in Banff at another time!
We ate breakfast and picked up a few things for the road at the Bear Paw Bakery (awesome muffins, etc.), looked around the shops and headed back toward Banff.
The colors of the water and views of the mountains were more spectacular than the evening before. We stopped for a picnic lunch along a river. We went to Johnston`s Canyon as Josh had recommended and we were happy he did. There were 2 falls, the Lower Falls and the Upper Falls. Both were impressive and worth the hike but my favorite was the Lower Falls because of the cave that you could go through to get a closer feel of the falls.
We ate in Banff at Tommy`s and headed back to Calgary.
We plan to visit Banff again before we leave so that we can go on the gondola and swim in the hot springs.

Perry was well behaved today but his heels are a "pain".

July 26

We left Calgary this morning to head toward the Rockies.
Banff was very nice and we spent a great deal of time here touring around. The RCMP Musical Ride paraded through town so that was very nice to see. We then proceeded to Lake Louise, very impressive! In the same area is Lake Moraine, the water the most pretty tourquoise. I'd recommend it to anyone visiting the area. A group decision was made to continue on to Jasper tonight so that we would have the day tomorrow to dip in the Miette hot springs and see what else Jasper has. We saw a totol of 4 black bears and 2 young elk on the way. The moutains, lakes and streams were beatiful along the way. If one has the time there are many places to turn off have a closer look. We arrived in Jasper about 10:30pm and found a place to stay, the Amethest. Lucky to have a spot that late at night but places alon the water would be more scenic. I bet Beckers Chalets would be nice to stay.

I'll upload pictures at a later date.
Best story of the day: yes it involves Perry! "A bear! Quick, take a picture Marianne!". While taking the picture the bear barked. We will fill you in later on the details of this story.
What would we do for laughs if Perry wasn't with us?
Love you all.

The "Barking Bear"

July 25

A day at the Calgary Zoo. Marianne, Perry, Patti, Bruce, and myself.
I'll let the pictures do the talking.

Ask Perry about his credit card.

July 24

...................................................5:30am departure from home.............................................


What a travel day!Arrived safe and sound. All went well for our travel to Calgary but the day began a little stressful. Thanks to Perry, of course.At least we will have something to talk and laugh about for the remainder of time.
Let's just say it has to do with being at the airport ready to check in and one of the bags (Perry's) is back at Bruce's and Marleen's house. The schedule become very tight!

Other hi lites:
-Of course,batteries died in my camera upon my first attempt at a picture at the Halifax airport
-Free car upgrade to a Mitsubitishi Outlander(they took one look at the amount of luggage and decided we needed a bigger car)

-Arrived at Josh and Patti's by 1pm
-Temperature 27'
-Drove by the Canadian Olympic Park, saw the ski jump. It's walking distance from Josh's so we hope to check it out soon.
- Ate at Fergus and Bix in Calgary. Finally we got something to eat about 2pm Calgary time (5pm N.S. time).No breakfast, no lunch. Thanks Perry!
-It's still light here at 10:30 pm!

- Oh yes, green men

July 22

One day to go and we are off to Calgary!
Marianne, Perry, Bruce and myself are going for two weeks, leaving Saturday morning at 7:15. We plan to visit Josh and Patti as well as seeing all that Calgary and surrounding area has to offer.
Tomorrow, I'll have to pack and ready to go.

Wish list:
Banff
Lake Louise
Banff gondola
Hiking
Columbia Icefield between Banff and Jasper
Montana, Glacier National Park
Zip lining
Calgary Zoo
West Edmonton Mall
Drumheller, Dinosaur Provincal Park
Saddledome
Olympic Park