We decided to do a road trip in the summer before I returned to work, we weren’t exactly sure where we wanted to go, or how much time we would have. We just knew that we wanted to pack up and go. One day we decided to ask my cousin if we may invade their home in Alberta. My cousin hadn’t seen Evie since she was a month and a half old. We were told we were welcome to come and visit and stay at their home. We were off to Alberta!
We decided to also do a mini visit in Kelowna to go see Jason’s family, and as a pit stop to get some rest before doing the long portion of our drive. We left right after getting back from Anvil. First we did laundry, have a nap, and repack. Then we hit the road to drive for 3 and a half hours to get to Kelowna. I am so thankful that Evie is a pretty good traveler.
We were able to drive straight there without needing a major stop to let her take a break. I think it really helped that she was probably tired from her very busy week at camp the week before. She crashed within the first hour of the drive and slept for a large portion of the drive. We were also prepared with lots of snacks and drinks for everyone.
We started the big trek from BC to Alberta early in the morning, in hopes to have Evie sleep a bit during the first half of the drive, and we were hoping to get to our final destination for dinner time at my cousin’s home. So we were on the road and driving by 5 am. Jason was a champ and did all the driving on this trip! I offered to drive but we never did end up trading. Jason cannot fall asleep in cars or on flights, but Evie and I can, so we ended up getting some sleep while on the drive.
Being a Mom means you have baby wipes, and hand sanitizer at the ready, this is a great thing because some of the pit stops are not so nice, and most were just a glorified outhouse with no water. Some thankfully had hand sanitizer, others did not. So if you are thinking of doing a road trip, have these with you just in case.
We came across this one pit stop area that had no one there, we let Evie out to run around, and we got to check out some of the tourist info that was around. Jason and Evie spotted what I think was a gopher, and it kept running up to them, then running away. It would do it again, and get a bit closer each time until Evie chased it and it remained in hiding after that. Our first wild animal sighting.
Soon it was time to get back to driving, we made a few more stops along the way some just quick stops, but one we decided to make our major stretch our legs break. We drove 5 kms out of the way to go see Emerald Lake. It was so worth it. That lake is gorgeous. It is located in Yoho National Park, it is right on the border of BC and Alberta.
As soon as I saw the colour of the lake I told Jason that we needed to come back here some time in the future and rent one of the canoes that is available there, I also hope to maybe stay at the lodge that is nearby. Apparently the mountain ranges that surround the lake can often trap storms in the area, so there can be major rain fall in the summer, and lots of snow in the winter. We were blessed with gorgeous weather while there, and we took in the beauty that surrounded us. The first European who set eyes on this lake gave it the name Emerald Lake, but this person also gave that name to another lake just a bit earlier in the year of his travels. That lake was later renamed Lake Louise. Oh the things you learn when traveling… this is why I hope we continue to do trips like this as Evie grows up.
We were soon back on the road again, Evie had a movie playing on the kindle was attached to the car seat, and we had another 5 or 6 hours of driving ahead of us. I some how managed to forget to pack a book to read on the drive. It was okay because the drive was filled with so much scenery to look at, and I was trying to spot more wildlife.
Stay tuned for Part 2 this week. I didn’t want to cram a bunch of photos into one post and make it super long.
Are any of you planning a road trip this summer, or have you already done one with your kid(s)? How did the trip go for you all?
[…] did a couple mini road trips this summer, and one big trip between provinces. Road trips are a ton of fun. I grew up with many great memories from going on these sorts of […]