Waterton National Park

Here is installment #2 of our trip to Alberta....after spending 4 days in Banff, we headed down south to my Grandparents house in Magrath. Waterton is only about an hour away so of course we had to spend a day there! I have been to Waterton numerous times and have so many wonderful memories of this beautiful park - it was exciting to experience it all with Eric for the first time! Cameron Falls
(too bad we are blocking the view!!)

Here is the Prince of Wales Hotel. Not a great picture but I couldn't leave it out - it's one of my favorite things about Waterton. Mom worked here as a waitress for 5 years during her college years. She has told us so many great stories about her adventures in these mountains!

Red Rock Canyon... this is my favorite "hike" in Waterton. It isn't a real hike - there are certainly no trails where we go- but it is SO fun and absolutely gorgeous hiking up the canyon that has been carved from the river. The rocks are bright red, pink and yellow and the dripping cliff walls are draped in green moss with trees and shrubs growing out of every crack. It is just beautiful. There is actually a trail above with bridges that cross that canyon high above your head...but it isn't nearly as fun as trekking below! Eric loved it, just like I knew he would!

*this is a photo looking up the cliff wall at the dripping water

Matt, Amy, Mindy and Griff joined us for this adventure (we left the babies at home - thank you Mom!) and we hiked in our swimsuits and boots! We sure looked funny...but it was no laughing matter when you got to a stretch with deep water and slippery cliff walls on each side and you had to swim! Wow that water is cold!!! We had a few crazies with us, named Eric and Matt, who voluntarily chose to brave the natural rock water slides! It actually looked like a blast! Maybe next time for me...

TRIP TO CANADA!

Eric, Gabe and I just got back from a trip to Alberta to visit my Grandparents in Magrath and spend the 24th of July holiday with my Mom's side of the family. I was excited to show Eric how beautiful and fun Alberta is! I have so many great memories of time spent up there with my family - it was wonderful to introduce Eric to everyone and spend a week sharing it all with him! Every time I go up there I wish we all lived closer. I miss my grandparents and all my fun aunts, uncles and cousins! We always have a blast with everyone riding horses, fishing, going to Waterton, boating, having big family meals and game nights...the fun never ends up there and I have 251 pictures because of that! :) To split up this daunting task of blogging our trip, I have decided to do it in 2 parts...here is part #1...

BANFF NATIONAL PARK

The first 4 days of our trip we spent in Banff (about an hour out of Calgary, Alberta). What gorgeous country, oh my gosh!! Eric and I both loved it. One of the best moments happened after being in the park only about 5 minutes...we saw a mama black bear and her two cubs on a mountain side!! Eric loves bears so this was especially exciting! Unfortunately I didn't get any good pictures (only video) of the bears, however, I did take some great ones on our hike later that day.

Johnston Canyon...this hike is amazing! For the most part, you are walking along these catwalks suspended from the canyon rock wall. The view of the river below the catwalks and the waterfalls are both so beautiful...these pictures just don't do it justice!

Lake Louise and Lake Moraine...both of these lakes were breathtaking! The color of the water is unbelievable - it seemed more blue than even the Caribbean! Both lakes were nestled in such beautiful valleys...it was awe-inspiring to stand before them!

Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel... Wow, this hotel is amazing! It's styled after a Scottish baronial castle...very majestic and impressive! The Bow River Falls were near - here are some pictures of both.

Lake Minnewanka...we walked on a pretty path around one side of the lake and saw a herd of mountain sheep. There were even a few little babies too - my little guy sure liked them!
Canmore... Eric and I decided this is where we want to live...as soon as he figures out how to have a lucrative career in the middle of the wilderness! We stayed in the WorldMark resort here and loved it. We went on lots of great walks - all through the shops, along the river, through the marshes...it felt great to be in this quaint little village with huge, gorgeous mountains all around.

Calgary... we also spent 2 nights with my Aunt Cindy and Uncle Jim in Calgary. It was so fun to visit with them - they made us feel like we were at home! They even babysat Gabe while Eric took me out for dinner on my birthday. I couldn't turn 30 without doing something special! The owner of the restaurant offered to take our picture and spent quite some time arranging us and the flowers on the table to perfectly suit him - it was pretty funny! My sweet aunt and cousin Alex even made me a chocolate cake and, with Uncle Jim on the guitar, they all sang the prettiest rendition of the b-day song I've ever heard! What great family we have (I know, I'm always saying that)!

CHAMPIONS!!

Our softball team went undefeated this season! Yahooooooo! Here we are with our super-cool monster trophy! :)Eric and I play on an adult coed softball league in SLC every year...it is a blast! The team pretty much consists of both of our families which makes it extra fun! My siblings Mindy, Griff and Matt (Amy opted out this year) play as well as Eric's sibs Caitlynn, Jesse, and Bryan...which makes up most of the team! Other players include close friends so it is so much fun. Eric and I both have been playing on the city leagues for years - even before we met. We both want to continue playing every year as long as we can. Last year I couldn't play since Gabe was born mid-season. (I actually went into labor on a game night so I think we forfeited since pretty much the whole team was at the hospital waiting for his arrival! We have the best family!) So anyway, I was excited to be playing this year again. Honestly, I'm nothing to brag about but Eric is another matter....he is our heavy hitter! When he hits it out (which is often), that ball is gone! All the guys are awesome hitters though... wow... and every single person is great in the field too... those other teams didn't stand a chance! Ha ha, I'm just kidding - we actually had a run for our money last week! :) We pulled through at the end though and it ended up being one of the funnest games since it was so intense. Matt gets nasty rash burns almost every game from sliding and Griff even dislocated his shoulder this season! Then waited, with it hanging there, for Mindy to bat so we wouldn't take an out!! Now that is dedication! (Although he deeply regretted that decision by the time they got the hospital and he was in such agony - what a guy, though!) Honestly, this is one of our favorite things to do and we look forward to it every spring. Now we are all ready for the super tournament in Magrath (Canada where my grandparents live) this summer - it's next week and we are all revved about it! In case your wondering about our team name...that was our manager Josh's doing (Eric's good friend) - he has a very unique sense of humor...:)Some shots of Eric and Matt in action... Our fans...:) They come every week to support us and are one of the reasons softball is so fun! I was bummed to realize I didn't have a picture of Eric's dad Don with his dog Max - they come to every game too!

TJ, Mom and Dad

Cheryl with the 2 babies Wesley and Gabe

Amy and Wesley (with Matt)

Timpooneke

Last Thursday through Saturday we spent camping at Timpooneke with almost my whole family. Not everyone could get out of work on Friday but the evenings and Saturday were a blast with everyone there. Lucky for Gabe and I, we got to spend every day up in the mountains with my parents and Mel's older boys. The nights were a different matter...after our nightmarish experience with Gabe screaming all night last weekend, we opted out of the sleeping part of camping and drove home each night. Luckily it's only a 20 minute drive home - perfect! (Eric actually chose to sleep over with Denali on Friday night - what a diehard camper!) Mom came home with us to sleep each night too since she is recovering from yet another surgery. She is such a FUN mom and such a good sport to want to camp after all she's been through! Dad set up a screen tent for a shady, relatively clean spot for the babies to play and the adults to read and hang out...it was great!

*Here is a pic of the girls relaxing in the screen "playground"! Then Mel, Cannon, Gabe and Bridger. Then two of just the little guys: Wesley, Gabe and Cannon - the second pic in their smaller, yet even cleaner "playground"! :) The last is Mom relaxing in the tent trailer with Gabe and Bridger.

Timpooneke equestrian campground is awesome. Matt brought the four horses again and we had so much fun riding...I had forgotten how much I love the feeling of riding through the mountains horseback. It's exhilarating! I hadn't been for over a year since being pregnant and having a newborn aren't very conducive to horseback riding! I'm happy to be back in the saddle this year! :) The trails there are breathtaking...literally! One ride was along the ridge back of a mountain so you are pretty much riding along this narrow trail that feels like you are on top of the world! There were extremely steep, wooded slopes on either side and the views were gorgeous... Mount Timp towering over you and mountains as far as you can see in every direction. It is impossible to explain how beautiful it was...and how nerve racking to be up so high! As long as I didn't look down the slopes on each side, I was fine though!

Gabe loves the horses too...he points as soon as he sees them (pic with Connor) and wants to go pet them. He was doing great as we went down the row letting him point and pet each horse until we went past Chief... Chief is very affectionate and kept nuzzling the back of Gabe's head as he was trying to see Coal Train and Rio. Or maybe he just loves Gabe because when Gabe would move on, he would strain his neck as far as he could to get to Gabe! Either way, Gabe did not appreciate it! :)

...and here are two more cute pictures of our weekend adventures...