Today was a long, full, good day.

We left Cochrane for Banff at 7:30 to get there in time for a 9:00 meeting during which Calvin and I walked up and down the main street, then took refuge from the rain in an indoor shopping centre and went up and down the escalators. The only shops open before 10:00 are the souvenir shops, which happen to be every other store, so our walk wasn’t much entertainment.

After another meeting, we went to check in to the hotel then found some yummy lunch. One more meeting, then we were off to do some sightseeing!

The first thing we did was a narrative boat tour of the Minnewanka Lake. This lake is super long and skinny, so basically they dive you up then back down, telling you about the local wildlife and the forests along the way. Did you know that the lake rose 10 feet during the two days of rain that caused all the flooding?!

From there we went to the gondola. The weather wasn’t perfect for it, but it was fun none the less. The scenery is gorgeous, with it without clouds and the gondola is just plain fun anyway.

We were going to have supper at the top, but apparently they close down quite early. We ended up treating ourselves at the Keg. We got there at 8, making it the latest I have ever eaten dinner in my memorable past. Calvin did super well, considering the only nap he had was about an hour in the car and he was confined to the stroller more than he was able to run around today. But we finally got back to the hotel and he is is fast asleep, only 2 hours later than usual!

Tomorrow we will go to Lake Louise then head back to Edmonton. Maybe not quite as full of a day, but possibly just as long. Then we have a weekend to recuperate and get things done at the house!

Today was the first day where we didn’t have to travel between cities! Tim had all his meetings scheduled for the morning, so he was out the whole time, leaving me and Calvin to hang out together. We had a leisurely breakfast, played in the room then got some fresh air in a field behind the hotel before coming back for nap time. If I had enough forethought, I would’ve asked Tim to leave the stroller behind instead of taking it along in the trunk.

After Tim came back and we had lunch, we went out for some ice cream in Bragg Creek. That is one area that was highly affected by the flooding. They are still rebuilding roads and many businesses are still closed. You can see damage along the river, in the form of broken and bent foliage (hard to see in a photo though). It almost felt a little bit surreal to see all the “thanks for the help” posters and things they show in the news all the time.

We came back to the hotel, enjoyed a dinner we got at a grocery store deli, put Calvin to bed, and are currently watching Arrested Development. Ah, the relaxed life!

I’m sure you are all so interested in what we are doing with our vacation, and that is why I am doing this. Also, all the hotels have free wifi, so I have to do something with it!

Today we woke up and I went down to grab some breakfast. I also happened to grab part of our lunch, but they don’t need to know that. Tim had one meeting in the morning so Calvin and I hung out in the room before he came back and we checked out. It was quite a task trying to keep Calvin from dialling the front desk and asking for more toilet paper to shred.

Tim’s next meeting was in downtown Medicine Hat so I took Calvin on a little stroll down the street. Next was a picnic lunch and some playground time! He had so much energy to burn off!

It was getting hot out so Tim dropped us off at Target and went for yet another meeting, then picked us up shortly after and we went to Medicine Hat’s main attraction, the Historic Clay District. Because this is a not-budgeted-for vacation, we didn’t pay to go in the museum, but we peeked around and it looked like it would be a interesting one, if you are passing through and want to do something.

Medicine Hat seems like quite a lovely town. We drove around the residential areas a bit, and they are filled with cute old homes. Seems like a nice place to retire to.

We returned to the highway and made our way back west, and Calvin finally had a decent nap.

We are staying in Cochrane for the next two nights. Hopefully we can find some more fun things to do!

A couple weeks ago Tim learned that he would probably have a business trip to go on. At first I was a little sad because it lined up right after we got possession of the house, so I would have been all alone for a week, organizing and tidying everything. But then we had the idea that Calvin and I could go along! Why not, right? It was just a bonus that part of the trip included Banff and Lake Louise.

I actually think this is a much needed break for me. If there was ever a time I would consider myself stressed, it would be the past two days. I was frequently getting annoyed at small things and frustrated with things that couldn’t be helped. I am glad I can leave behind the mess and disorganization and do nothing without feeling the least bit of guilt. Then I can tackle everything with a renewed energy and (somehow still not swollen) feet that don’t feel bruised when we return.

So this morning Tim popped into the office to grab some things then picked up the rental car, and we left the house at noon, headed towards Medicine Hat. The drive was of course uneventful, with the exception of driving through a thunder storm just outside of Calgary.

We checked into our hotel, then headed to Montana’s for supper. It’s going to be fun using a per Diem that is meant for one person and letting it be our entire budget. Those thrifty Sevenhuysens!

Tomorrow Tim has a few interviews lined up in Medicine Hat, and then we will head west toward Bragg Creek. We will see what Calvin and I get up to while Tim works. I’m especially interested in seeing how Calvin will nap when we are between hotels. What an adventure! If you are interested in what Tim is working on, his company has been hired by Tourism Alberta to check in to how the floods have affected the tourism industry. It’s a project of his that interests me a bit more than his usual stuff, coming out of that industry myself, so it’s fun that I get to tag along.