Brooke and Cody rode their first ski lift today.  No, we didn’t go skiing.  We went for a tour of the Olympic Park Tower.  “Tour” is a relative word.  The room we were supposed to tour was maybe ten by ten.  We were able to ride the ski lift up , which was a treat, and just by chance a whole bunch of sixteen year olds were heading up to zip line down.  I’m not sure it was worth the five dollars a person for the tour, but the ski lift ride was fun and so was watching the zip liners scream.  Brooke also tried the louge on the way down.

We did showers, laundry, shopping, and an oil change today as well.  Although, not quite as photo worthy!

Brooke is getting her first glimpse of the mountains as I write. Scott passed up a chance to ride the mountain bike trails at Olympic Park, so we are headed to Banff National Park.  On the way to Banff we spotted a park recommended by a lady we ran into at Olympic Park.  We ate dinner here.

It was actually a off-leash dog park, and also a popular spot for mountain bikers.  We think it was called Quarry Lakes.  Brooke found her first walking stick.  Scott cut it down to her size and started to carve it.  Brooke wants to take her stick to Alaska and then back home.  Scott is currently looking for a place for us to camp along a windy gravel road tucked in between the mountains and pine trees.  I’m not excited about camping outside of a campground, especially since Scott promised in bear country we would be in campgrounds.  Brooke is currently screaming, “I don’t want my seatbelt on!”  What I wouldn’t give to be a bird soaring over the scenery right now instead of in the van.  Cody has given up and decided sleep is a good option.

Well, Scott did find a great campsite.  We were surrounded by mountains on all sides.  It was quite an experience to hear several animals sniff outside our tent throughout the night.  We decided not to bring a gun, as most people wind up hurting themselves or their children rather than imposing wildlife.  We haven’t made it to a Canadian Tire yet to get bear spray, so our only deterrent right now is an air horn.  Sharon, the lady we met while camping in Drumheller, said that she used to chase bears as a child with her siblings.  She tried to assure me that bears are really shy creatures.

The mountains are beautiful and when my mom lived in Colorado I loved waking up each morning and looking at the mountains first before I did anything else.  The mountains put Scott in an euphoric state.  Not to mention there are droves of mountain bikers, kayakers, hikers, and all around outdoor loving people.  I knew when we woke up at our campsite this morning what was on Scott’s mind.  “Why don’t we move here?”  It is quite breathtaking.