The day started warmly with a dip in the Radium Hot Springs. Brooke was so excited to go swimming she stripped right in the parking lot much to the dismay of her parents. Cody loves splashing around and occasionally tries to drink the whole pool. We stayed around for almost two hours. If we weren’t tight on time I could have soaked all day.
After the Hot Springs, Brooke and I ran/ hiked the Paint Pots also in Kootenay National Park. We met a cute family of five on the walk. They were from California. I had fun chatting with the curious fourth grader and listening to the very verbal four year old. She spoke my sentiments exactly after talking to some backpackers about bears in the area. “I’m not afraid of bears when I’m in the car, but I don’t really want to walk into one!”
These pictures were taken at the Canmore Nordic Center and Provincial Park. It was raining when we first arrived and then it continued to rain on and off after Scott’s ride while we made dinner, but we saw another double rainbow. The Nordic Center has an amazing amount of trails. Scott biked 7.2 kilometers while the kids and I ate a snack of yogurt and bananas. While I was cleaning up Cody gave his classic “I’m adorable” eyes to a woman and her five year old. We wound up walking for over an hour with Virginia, the mom, and Madeline while her daddy was also biking. It turns out that they also don’t watch television. They don’t even have a tv to watch an occasional DVD. Virginia and her husband have been doing triathlons for ten years.
Our campsite just up the hill from Canmore, off of the same road we camped off of last time we were in Canmore. Only one problem, it was on Provincial Park Lands and camping isn’t allowed there. Thankfully Mic who woke us up at 12:30 let us stay because of the kids. That marked the end to the longest stretch of sleep I had from 10 – 12:30. Cody had a really rough night due to being congested. I couldn’t console him, so I finally started singing to him. Which I do at home, but not usually in the tent so as not to wake everyone else up. Scott did wake up during my fabulously creative “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star”. He asked who I was singing to. I knew exactly what he meant. I assured him that, “No, I’m not singing to the bears.” I haven’t really slept much the last three nights. Since Cody keeps me up I have been privileged to experience the sounds of wildlife eating outside our tent. Scott assures me it is probably raccoons or a little squirrel. I’m picturing a bear or a wolf with bones of some sort. (At least my imagination isn’t dead). The night before last animals were rubbing up on the tent so vigorously that they pulled up a tent stake. I have been enjoying the daytime of our trip immensely, but I have been spending the last few nights watching the hours tick by and hoping for sunrise to come a little sooner. I miss you warm and secure bed!
