My journey began with a gorgeous ride into Banff from the Calgary airport, where I got a little taste of the mountain views and the beautiful scenery that Alberta has to offer. I was surprised to find that when I arrived at the campsite it was the same one that we had stayed at 13 years ago when I took my last trip to the west coast. 
We spent the first evening at the Banff hot springs and had the most relaxing massage and soak. What a way to start the trip! On the way back to the campsite, we decided to stop for ice cream and I was faced with by far the toughest decision of the trip. Do I get Wowie Cowie or Gooey Mooey ice cream? My solution….get them both! It was well worth it! 
We spent the next day on a great hike through Johnston Canyon. We hiked to the upper and lower falls and were able to go off the trail to explore some of the hidden treasures, drink the cool water of the river and watch my uncle fall into the water. Priceless! The natural stone carvings 
and downriver views were beautiful and lots of pictures were taken to remember them. We capped off the Banff trip with a beer and some wings on the patio of the Banff Springs hotel, where we enjoyed the beautiful view and the tasty beverages. We couldn’t ask for more!
We left Banff on Monday morning to head toward Calgary for a visit with Lisa and Grant, who are Dillon cousins. On our way to Calgary we took a very scenic route through the mountains to Kananaskis village. We stopped in for lunch (best prime rib sandwich ever!) and took some time to absorb some more great mountain views. We arrived in Calgary at Lisa and Grants and got to meet Kipper, their vicious attack dog that tried to lick us all to death. We spent the night having some beers and sampling Grant’s famous chicken wings. On Tuesday, we had a boys day and went to an indoor water park which was awesome. They had a wave pool, some water slides and Tarzan ropes that we all made great use of!
Wednesday was the start of Stampeding, definitely the highlight of my trip! The grounds are massive and there was so much to do that we definitely needed the full 2 days to cover it all. We started the day with some midway rides (thank God for unlimited passes), watched some real cowboys ride the bulls and horses at the rodeo, and got some great pictures of cowboys being tossed to the ground, looked like a lot of fun, maybe a new career for me? Thursday was spent watching all the shows, doing some souvenir shopping and watching the 
Chuckwagon races and grandstand show. My favourite show (besides the grandstand show) was the rock and roll ice dancing show. The music was awesome and the performances were amazing! It took me a little while to understand what was happening in the Chuckwagon races but once we got it all figured they were very entertaining to watch. I can understand how people would make some pretty serious bets on them! The grandstand show followed the races and all I could say was “WOW, what a show!” From motocross jumping to crazy acrobatics to some great singers and even a tribute to Michael Jackson, it was all very well done! It was capped off with a spectacular fireworks show that left us all in awe. Now, the time has come to return to reality and head back home. I miss everyone and can’t wait to see them. Happy trails Uncle Shawn, Aunt Tammy Braedon and Riley and thanks for having me!
Jeff
that was a cool guest blog I hope that there more of them!
ReplyDeleteHi all;
ReplyDeleteNice blog, Jeff and why should you be any different than the rest of the guests. We all had to do it if you hadn't noticed. Have not heard from you guys in so long. Was tempted to call the cell the other day as you were in Canada, but looked at the clock and it was not an appropriate time for you, then forgot. Currently at the farm and both Grandma's doing fine. Grandma Dillon has slipped some more and is sleeping alot and not getting too much exercise. She had a TIA (mini-stroke) last week some time but got through it, but left her weaker.
Better get back to check on her. Enjoy your last weeks.
Love Mom, Dad and Grandmas