Part of my stint out west involved a road trip with my mom, sister and 2 nephews (aged 6 and 10 months).  My dad wanted my mom to have an escape with her daughters so he arranged for us to spend a week at a chalet in Banff. 

Traveling with young ones stressful??? Not!

Driving with the two young ones was less stressful than I had thought it would be and posed many silly moments.  Harry (aged 6) had this habit of saying, "Auntie, I need to go to the bathroom."  To which I'd reply that I'd stop at the next road-side stop we came upon.  Seconds later he'd always counter with, "... but it's an emergency."  This led me to become quite adept at swerving onto the shoulder and throwing on the hazards so he could go about his business.

I also learned that while fruit (for example, blueberries) may be a healthy snack, it is perhaps not the snack you want to be feeding your 10 month old while on a 9 hour car ride.  I now know how blueberries interact with a baby's digestive system - info that I could have lived without knowing.

When we were little, my family would always travel to Banff at least once a year.  Often, we'd do nothing other than stare at Bow Falls and shop Banff Ave.  This time, I wanted to show my mom that there was more to see and do than those two things.  Lots more.  So true to form, I crammed a lot in and probably overwhelmed/nearly killed my mom in the process.

On day one, we went to Johnson Lake and drove the Minnewanka loop.  Harry loved this because he got to swim in the lake and play in the sand.  I also learned that he is a very social creature.  He walked up to everyone he found interesting and talked to them like they were best friends.

The whole lot of us at Johnson Lake.

One of my favourite moments at Johnson Lake was when Harry needed to use the facilities which were of the outhouse variety.  He looked down in the hole and proclaimed, "Gawd, that is SO wrong!"  I laughed and laughed.

We saw so much wildlife this first day it was amazing - goats, goats and a huge elk that emerged from some trees onto the side of the road just as we were passing (which startled me quite badly).

Baby Goat!

Also on the agenda was Johnston's Canyon.  My mom really wanted to go here, so off we went. 

Digging for gold @ Johnston Canyon

Harry and I hiked up ahead of everyone.  He was taking pictures like a tourist with his DSi.  It got a little sketchy in places: long dropoffs and inadequate fencing - well, these were my thoughts -- perhaps I was being a wee bit paranoid.

Not another picture Auntie, jeez louise!

By the time we got to the first set of falls, Harry was super annoyed with over-protective Auntie K - so we hiked in silence... until naturally, he had to get to the bathroom and we had to high tail it back to a washroom.

Moraine Lake

We also ventured to Moraine Lake.  I really wanted to take my mom here as I had stopped here a few years ago with my brothers and had thought it was mind-blowingly beautiful.  It is still a very nice spot but I was so annoyed with the many, many tourists that did not respect my personal space (apparently, I have a bubble and it was violated!)  While I can appreciate that I don't own a public bench, I'd still like to be able to sit for 10 minutes without having people stand in front of us and balance themselves on rocks using my 10 month old nephews stroller (that he was sitting in) as their f%$#ing balancing bar -- all in an attempt to get a photo that was easily shot from many other nearby locations.  Seriously rude.  While my sister thought this the most lovely spot on our trip, I'll admit to being so annoyed by the onslaught of inconsiderate people that it was my least favourite stop (by far). 

Oliver: Ladies, can we leave now please.  There are WAY too may tourists here.

Next stop was Lake Louise.  We didn't stay long.  Just got out to quickly look around and take in the views.  

My mom and I at Lake Louise.

It was great to hang out with my mom, sister and nephews.  Each night we'd hang out at the chalet or hit the swimming pool.  We dined on frozen pizza, orange jello and popsicles!  Good times!! Good times!!

 
Back from the pool!

On our last day, we took my mom shopping on Banff Ave. and to Bow Falls.  Overall, we had a great trip!!

To see the entire set of pictures from this trip, click here.