We drove down the road a bit from our campsite nestled in the Rockies to have breakfast and attempt to fish again.  Brooke really enjoys plunking rocks in the water instead, so Scott taught her how to skip rocks this morning instead since the fish were long gone.

Brooke took the picture with the reflection of the clouds.

Cody in the mountains above Canmore

Scott was able to catch some downhill biking while Cody napped this morning.  We went back to the Quarry Lakes to explore some trails and eat lunch. After lunch we visited the Nordic Center in Canmore, great place to relax and get some info. Then we went to Grassi Lakes for a 3 mile hike, it was a great suggestion from a  lady at the Olympic Park parking lot in Calgary.

It took us about fifty minutes up Grassi Lakes Trail and forty minutes down.  There was about a 500 ft. elevation gain.  I almost turned back towards the van thirty minutes into the hike, due to the unsettling screaming from cutie #1.  Brooke was screaming and crying the first fifty minutes of the hike.  First she wanted be in the backpack.  We wanted her to walk ten minutes, she can easily do that on the way to the park or around our block.  I strapped her on for maybe ten minutes after her ten minutes of scream walking and then almost passed out.  She’s only ten pounds heavier than Cody, but I couldn’t get the second pack to fit comfortably, so she was near my knees.  Scott gave me Cody and was going to take Brooke, but she decided she didn’t want Daddy.  She finally stopped crying at the sight of the beautiful crystal clear lake.  The walk down was finally relaxing and enjoyable.  The good news about Brooke’s screaming, at least we didn’t have to worry about the bears or cougars.

We are now in Banff National Park at Johnston Canyon Campground.  Scott feels this site is quite a let-down from yesterday’s site.  I have to agree considering we can’t see the mountains and we were instead serenaded  with the melody of a highway and freight trains every half hour.  Banff National Park is interesting in that one of Canada’s main east/ west roads, #1, goes right through the middle of the park.  Thus, even if you want to just drive through you have to buy an $10 day pass per person or $20 per family.  Although there is always the annual pass for $130.  We feel right at home considering the toll roads of Chicago are so expensive that people from remote areas of Canada mention the expensive roads of Chicago when they find out that’s where we are from.

Grassi Lakes