Alberta Bound
Ever since my husband and daughter went on a solo road trip a few years ago, I’ve have been wanting to do the trip with them. It was also my first time driving through the Rocky Mountains. Our trip went wonderfully as we had planned a full itinerary, however due to the smoke in Alberta, I never actually got to experience the wow factor of the mountains driving through. If we do another trip, I would also like to add a stop at Banff and Lake Louise which we did not do this trip due to the smoke. All this means is that we will have to make the trip again some day!
Day 1&2- Vernon BC
The first night we drove to Vernon BC. The kids needed a break from the car and we also wanted to take our time on this trip. We stayed 2 nights at the Castle at Swan Lake Hotel. It was right beside the waterslides and within a 2 minute walk outside our doorstep. It was the perfect location. The hotel was a 2 floor open concept loft style with a kitchen living room and 2 bathrooms. It was great as the kids slept upstairs and we had the downstairs to ourselves. It was perfect to have a kitchen. We brought some food from home and zipped out in the early evening to grab fresh fruit, vegetables and and frozen treats for the kids….and our selves, who are we kidding. The hotel had an outdoor pool which was nice seeing the kids wanted to continue to swim even after a full day of water sliding. Both kids have never been on waterslides before so it was a perfect chill way to introduce them it without having it being to daunting and steep. By the end they found their groove and even went for the big ones!
Day 3&4- Calgary AB
The next morning we were drove the number 1 highway, Alberta bound.
The Zoo
We basically missed the rocky mountains as it was so smoky, but the drive was good so we went straight to the Calgary Zoo. We got there in the mid-afternoon and stayed their for a few hours, but the kids were definitely tired. In hind sight, I would have stayed another day in Calgary and gave the Zoo it’s own day of exploring so we weren’t so spent. Nevertheless the kids were troopers and we still managed to get it all in and enjoy it along the way. If anything, the Zoo created a lot of critical thinking and questions that we had really great deep conversations about with the kids.
Calgary Stampede
In Calgary during this weekend the hotels were mostly booked because it was the last weekend of Stampede. We managed to book a Holiday Inn just outside of the city, north and it was a great location from the Zoo. It was literally 6 minutes away and we could pay for parking and hop on the C-train from the Zoo station to take us down town in 15 minutes.
First Time on the C-Train!
The C- Train was super easy to get around, clean and convenient. I liked how it was ground level with the streets and cars unlike a sky train with the routes are easy to navigate.
Off to the Calgary Stampede we went! It was super fun, The kids loved the rides at the fair. We wandered through the exhibitions portions and had tickets to the rodeo finals.
The Grandstands
Day 5&6- West Edmonton Mall
Next we drove to visit West Edmonton Mall where we had a blast. We stayed 2 nights but we found that we needed more time in order to enjoy the amusement parks for the best deals. We also needed more time to shop! We stayed at the Fantasyland Hotel right at the mall and we got ask the girls to choose one of their theme rooms. They chose Space theme which was super fun! The bunk beds were space pods with a queen size bed! They were in their glory. It was so convenient being right in the Mall. The Mall didn’t open until 10 but the Starbucks was open which was a bonus to start the day out with a sleep in and slow coffee. We did the rollercoasters, skating, shopping and ate out on Bourbon Street. Some of the other amusement parks we wanted to do next time was the wave pool, and go carts.
Day 7- Invermere BC
We drove back down to Calgary and decided to take Highway 93 through the Kootney National Park which was beautiful. The road was quiet and he scenery was stunning. We went through Radium Hotsprings, saw some mountain sheep and stayed the night at the Copper Point Hotel in Invermere. The hotel was gorgeous and I think most people that were there for the golfing. I wish we were able to stay another night to enjoy all the hotel amenities as it was beautiful and peaceful.
Day 8&9- Osoyoos BC
We went continued south and hit the number 3 highway to Osoyoos where we stayed at the Watermark Beach Resort. It was a gorgeous 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom suite with a kitchen, dining room, living room condo style with laundry and a private deck overlooking Lake Osoyoos. The weather was hot! like 38 degrees hot! We spent most of the time in the pool or the lake which was why we were there anyhow!
