Part 1 - Family trip to Alberta

We decided to pack up our bags and leave on our trip earlier than planned. We were all excited to get on the road for our family vacation to Alberta, Canada. We drove 9 hours to Golden and then stopped for the night at a motel there. We got up early to drive out to Banff which is one of our favorite places to visit. We stopped at Tim Hortons though for breakfast first which was one of the many we did on our trip. There seems to be Tims everywhere all over Alberta! I could always count on my double double coffee to help give me energy during the road trip. I loved driving through the Rocky Mountains. We saw lots of wildlife. We saw a tiny black bear by the side of the road near Golden. There was lots of different birds. And also different wildlife like big horned sheep by the side of the highway or the deer all along the way. We meant to stop in Lake Louise but missed the stop. We went on ahead to Banff where we spent a whole day shopping and enjoying the quaint town. I absolutely love Banff. I can cross something off my bucket list. #40 -Visit Banff again The shops there are so cool. We stopped by Lush and also their candy store there. The dollar store was even really neat where I picked up some goodies. I enjoyed shopping a lot there which was also on my list. #172 -Shop in Banff again (I loved the shops there) We had a family lunch at the Old Spaghetti Factory. We ran into a sexy mountie on the street too. There was a Christmas shop there which was the coolest ever!! It was a perfect day. I wish we could have spent more time in Banff. We went for a hike around the gondola's. Another thing I can cross off my bucket list: #171 -Hike in the Rocky Mountains We tried to convince the kids to go on it but there was no way. lol. They looked way too scary for the kids and admit it made me a bit nervous too. We had a family picnic down by Bow Lake where the Banff bridge is. I can cross something else off my list! #636 -Have a picnic in Alberta with the kids I love it there. Very good memories in Banff. We felt close as a family. Even the teen enjoyed it and had a few smiles which is a miracle indeed! :) I discovered an amazing art shop in Banff which I plan to go back to one day. I know that we'll be back there again one day. We had a great day there and then headed to Calgary. I'll continue with part 2 in my next blog post and tell you about our adventures there! May the force be with you all!! ~padme amidala