Alberta bound!

I've had this Gordon Lightfoot song stuck in my head all day. Although we are not "Alberta-bound" for the same reason he was, we are, as a family, Alberta-bound for summer vacation. And yes, I LOVE Gordon Lightfoot. Gord's Gold is a must-have for any decent music collection.

We went to Banff 3 years ago with all the kids. We only had 6 kids at the time, and we were a FREAK show wherever we went. We didn't see more than 6 other kids total in the time we were there--let alone 6 kids in the same family. It was a little tricky to get seated in a restaurant with a party of 8, but we did it, and we all loved it. Thanks to Bruno's Bar and Grill for always being so kind to our family! The kids have been begging to go back ever since. They said they didn't even ever want to go back to Disneyland (we haven't been there for 8 years) if we could just go back to Banff.

Last time we stayed at the amazing and luxurious Rimrock Resort. I highly recommend this place, unless you are with a travelling circus. We got snooty looks as we carried in our bags of groceries to our rooms, and paraded 6 kids through the lobby on our way to the pool. We had the BEST view in all of Alberta, however. Ask for room 304 if you ever stay there. And don't plan to eat at their restaurant, either. $100+ a person is a little much. We were happy to find Bruno's and also finally the DQ on our last night there.

This time, with one more kid and all of them 3 years bigger, we are going to stay somewhere else. I found a great place in Canmore that will be a home-away-from-home, where we will have a kitchen and living area along with bedrooms. We're also going to go all the way to Jasper, which we didn't do last time.

I think in a perfect world I would get to live where I do, but spend each spring break in Belize and a week every August in Banff, Alberta. The 3 prettiest places in the world--my backyard, La Isla Bonita, and Banff National park.

I've been dreaming about seeing the Canadian Rockies again. I thought I knew what mountains were--I did grow in up Salt Lake City. However, as we entered Banff National Park, I realized that I had never seen a real mountain before. The Valley of the Ten Peaks is truly the prettiest place I have ever been. I nearly started crying when we saw it before because it was just SO beautiful. The whole drive on the Icefields Parkway is just breathtaking.

I hope this trip will not require my skills as an elbow-relocation technician. Last time Savanna was 2 and she really, really wanted to jump into Lake Louise. Mark was holding her hand so she wouldn't plunge into the 35-40 degree water. But Savanna really, really wanted to get in. She pulled so hard that she dislocated her elbow. Fortunately, Mark's aunt had taught me years before how to re-locate an elbow when the same thing happened to Jake at a family reunion. I put my skills to the test. I figured it was worth a try if it would help me avoid getting entangled in the Canadian healthcare system. I found a cozy rock to sit on, I grabbed her hand in my hand, her elbow with my other hand, a twist and push, and VOILA! Savanna jumped up freed from pain. She gave up her quest for the polar plunge, however.

Alberta bound! Alberta bound! So good to be Alberta bound.