Banff

We were home from our Sunriver/Portland adventure for exactly one week, before we packed up on our first family-of-four-roadtrip to Banff, Canada!

We stopped just once(!) for lunch and a soak at Fairmont Hot Springs - a family favorite.

(That's me on the high dive!  Sophia wouldn't join me.)

We actually stayed in Canmore (about 20 minutes outside of Banff), which we loved for the relaxed atmosphere and exquisite scenery.  The first evening, we enjoyed a lovely River Walk near downtown.

It certainly was the busy season there, though.  After our walk, we stopped by a brewery downtown where we a) waited 45 minutes to be seated for dessert; and b) after waiting all that time, were told that they were "out of beer".  (Has that ever happened to a brewery in history?  You're a brewery!  That's what you do!)

Thankfully we were not for want of delicious French pastries!  Sophia is particularly excited about the pastry she is about to consume here.

The backstory on the pastry is that several days before, we had watched Michael Richard on Julia Child's PBS Create program make this very same "Egg" Pastry, which really just looks like eggs.  It's really an Apricot Puff Pastry Tart with vanilla pastry cream!  It was delish!!!!

Our first official hike in Banff National Park was into Johnston Canyon.  It was actually a perfect hike for a rainy day, and at 3 miles, was just about Sophia's max distance.

The next day we hiked in all of the weather on Sunshine Mountain (including sideways hail!)!  A bumpy bus ride brought us up to the upper ski lodge, where we began a blustery ascent.  The weather thankfully cleared up as we reached the crest.

We even crossed the Continental Divide!  Behind us is Emerald Lake.

We even made it up the Banff Tram and out to Lake Louise before we had to head home.

Banff Tram:

Lake Louise:

We hiked every day, but we loved coming back to our condo in the evenings.  We enjoyed some very delicious meals there!

(Yep!  That's Papa Murphys!)

One night, Greg transformed the condo into an experience at the Grand Canmore Royal Canadian Steakhouse!  The food was exquisite, and so was the drink!

We loved it in Canmore, and we left asking ourselves why so many Calgarian Canadians drive so far to vacation in Whitefish, when such similar experiences (only on steroids!) are available so much closer!

We will definitely be back!