Back from Banff

 12 hours (one way) and almost 2,000 miles (round trip), and we're back. Where'd we go? North of the Border: we went to Banff.

It's a place that has been on Greg's Bucket List (much like Australia was on mine), and it did not disappoint. His refrain for the week was "It's like being IN National Geographic!"

Truly, the mountains and the rivers and the lakes were spectacular. It was breath taking, and gorgeous, and hard to take my eyes off of those Rockies.


We took two days to drive there, and the same kind of drive home: a short day (5 hours) and then spent the night in Spokane, and then a beastly 7 hour drive through Idaho, southeastern British Columbia and then into Banff National Park in Alberta (and vice versa for the drive home). The drive, while long, was remarkable, and the different kinds of landscapes we drove through was fascinating.

Greg and I decided that we have arrived at parenthood: for a couple of stretches of the drive, we entertained Nate by singing kids songs. Without a cd or anything in the background. Oh, yes. It was awesome.

And, since we are of Canadian heritage, it was pretty cool that we celebrated Canada Day in Canada. We at maple leaf cookies, and cheered at the parade, and felt a little more Canadian. (Well, Nate and I did, anyway, since we are half and one-quarter - respectively - Canadian. Thanks, Dad!)

Nate was a trooper, and we consider it a good test trip for our drive (half-way) across the country to Oklahoma in a few weeks.

It was a perfect family vacation away. And we needed that.