BANFF NATIONAL PARK
July 10, 2018
So the only free weekend we had to travel on was the Fourth of July. It’s my favorite holiday, and I didn’t want to miss out our neighborhood Fourth of July breakfast, so as soon as it was over we loaded up our car and drove to Canada. Which seems ironic to leave the country when instead you should be celebrating it.
We stayed overnight in Canada and the next day we woke up early and drove to Banff National Park. We made the rookie mistake of heading first to Lake Louise, along with everybody else visiting Banff. The wait time was over 2 1/2 hours to get in. So we decided to go another time and headed to our AirBnb.
What we didn’t realize about Canada is that in the summertime it doesn’t get dark until 11 PM. So we decided to do a lot of our sightseeing after the girls took naps in the afternoon and headed out at 6 PM every night. It was great because we got several hours of daylight still and there were no crowds anywhere.
We loved Lake Louise, Moraine Lake, and Johnston Canyon was a good hike to see the secret cave and waterfalls. I would recommend them all! We also did the hike to Lake Agnes where they have a tea house located above Lake Louise. We hiked with both girls on our backs and it was harrrrrd. It was about 4.5 miles round trip and a steep uphill climb. And when we got to the tea house it was packed! So go early if it’s on your must-do list. We snagged one of the last tables, and the biscuits and jam, and tuna sandwiches made the whole hike worth it. Or maybe we were just starving by the time we got to the top, but everything tasted SO good.
We also loved taking the Banff gondola to the top of the mountain. It was worth being able to see Banff National Park from a different perspective and they have free roaming mountain goats everywhere. Our girls thought that was pretty neat! Unfortunately, the mosquitoes were going crazy! We checked our watches and it was 10pm and still completely light. Our poor girls were such troopers being dragged all over at the craziest of times.
Getting to see Moraine Lake and Lake Louise were every bit as beautiful as I imagined. I was pretty skeptical at first that they just had to be photoshopped, so I was pretty surprised when they were every bit as brilliant blue as you see on social media. But beware because there are people everywhere! Apparently we weren’t the only ones excited to see Canada’s most famous landmark!
So the only free weekend we had to travel on was the Fourth of July. It’s my favorite holiday, and I didn’t want to miss out our neighborhood Fourth of July breakfast, so as soon as it was over we loaded up our car and drove to Canada. Which seems ironic to leave the country when instead you should be celebrating it.
We stayed overnight in Canada and the next day we woke up early and drove to Banff National Park. We made the rookie mistake of heading first to Lake Louise, along with everybody else visiting Banff. The wait time was over 2 1/2 hours to get in. So we decided to go another time and headed to our AirBnb.
What we didn’t realize about Canada is that in the summertime it doesn’t get dark until 11 PM. So we decided to do a lot of our sightseeing after the girls took naps in the afternoon and headed out at 6 PM every night. It was great because we got several hours of daylight still and there were no crowds anywhere.
We loved Lake Louise, Moraine Lake, and Johnston Canyon was a good hike to see the secret cave and waterfalls. I would recommend them all! We also did the hike to Lake Agnes where they have a tea house located above Lake Louise. We hiked with both girls on our backs and it was harrrrrd. It was about 4.5 miles round trip and a steep uphill climb. And when we got to the tea house it was packed! So go early if it’s on your must-do list. We snagged one of the last tables, and the biscuits and jam, and tuna sandwiches made the whole hike worth it. Or maybe we were just starving by the time we got to the top, but everything tasted SO good.
We also loved taking the Banff gondola to the top of the mountain. It was worth being able to see Banff National Park from a different perspective and they have free roaming mountain goats everywhere. Our girls thought that was pretty neat! Unfortunately, the mosquitoes were going crazy! We checked our watches and it was 10pm and still completely light. Our poor girls were such troopers being dragged all over at the craziest of times.
Getting to see Moraine Lake and Lake Louise were every bit as beautiful as I imagined. I was pretty skeptical at first that they just had to be photoshopped, so I was pretty surprised when they were every bit as brilliant blue as you see on social media. But beware because there are people everywhere! Apparently we weren’t the only ones excited to see Canada’s most famous landmark!
OUR FAVORITE FAMILY VACATION
June 1, 2018
Staying at the hard rock hotel in Riviera Maya, Mexico has become one of our favorite vacations together as a family. Marcus even checks the webcam constantly throughout the year when we’re at home in the states! It really is the ultimate relaxation and actual vacation because we never even leave the resort! Our girls really are treated like little rock stars and they loooove the unlimited piña coladas the staff bring them. We just always have to double check to make sure they didn’t include alcohol, ha! A typical day for us included waking up and heading down to breakfast for our favorite Nutella waffles and omelettes, then heading straight to the beach. The beach is a man-made cove so our girls are free to swim around and make sand castles as they please. It’s perfect for smaller kids! And it’s right by the soft serve ice cream machine…so it’s perfect for adults too!
After a few hours at the beach we head up to the pool for lunch. They have a great splash pad and wading pool, and the unlimited tacos, chips, and guacamole are what our kids practically live on for the week! And us parents live off taking turns going to the all-included spa! This place is seriously a slice of heaven.
Staying at the hard rock hotel in Riviera Maya, Mexico has become one of our favorite vacations together as a family. Marcus even checks the webcam constantly throughout the year when we’re at home in the states! It really is the ultimate relaxation and actual vacation because we never even leave the resort! Our girls really are treated like little rock stars and they loooove the unlimited piña coladas the staff bring them. We just always have to double check to make sure they didn’t include alcohol, ha! A typical day for us included waking up and heading down to breakfast for our favorite Nutella waffles and omelettes, then heading straight to the beach. The beach is a man-made cove so our girls are free to swim around and make sand castles as they please. It’s perfect for smaller kids! And it’s right by the soft serve ice cream machine…so it’s perfect for adults too!
After a few hours at the beach we head up to the pool for lunch. They have a great splash pad and wading pool, and the unlimited tacos, chips, and guacamole are what our kids practically live on for the week! And us parents live off taking turns going to the all-included spa! This place is seriously a slice of heaven.
MAUI WITH JUST THE TWO OF US
April 26, 2018
This was our first time traveling to Hawaii just the two of us and we couldn’t wait to go and explore. We had been a few times with family, but this was our first without kids. We were so excited to do some hiking, and we were super nervous we wouldn’t make it to the top of the Waihee Ridge Trail before the clouds moved in. But the timing worked out perfectly and we had some great views of the island. Way off in the distance we could see a waterfall so when we got to a clearing we decided to put up the drone and see if we could maneuver it over there. We were pressing our luck in the small space we had but when it sailed over we just looked at each other and went “WHOA!” It was this huge waterfall that was just flowing. We started to bring it back and all of a sudden we lost connection with it. We thought it was a goner this time for suuuure…we couldn’t see it or hear it. Then Marcus had the brilliant idea to have it follow it’s flight plan and we got it back juuuust before the battery ran out. I always get so nervous when he takes that thing up!
After that we decided to find the bamboo forest at mile marker 6.5 on the Rd to Hana. When we got there the trail was completely muddy but we decided to just go for it and had a good laugh crossing the river and getting completely stuck. We got brave and climbed up to a waterfall that we knew would be pretty secluded but it was a 20 min climb over boulders to get there. And all we had were flip flops! The people who saw us said, “You guys are crazy to hike in those.” But they worked, and when we came around the river bend we saw this waterfall that was over 100 ft tall. It was SO worth it!
This was our first time traveling to Hawaii just the two of us and we couldn’t wait to go and explore. We had been a few times with family, but this was our first without kids. We were so excited to do some hiking, and we were super nervous we wouldn’t make it to the top of the Waihee Ridge Trail before the clouds moved in. But the timing worked out perfectly and we had some great views of the island. Way off in the distance we could see a waterfall so when we got to a clearing we decided to put up the drone and see if we could maneuver it over there. We were pressing our luck in the small space we had but when it sailed over we just looked at each other and went “WHOA!” It was this huge waterfall that was just flowing. We started to bring it back and all of a sudden we lost connection with it. We thought it was a goner this time for suuuure…we couldn’t see it or hear it. Then Marcus had the brilliant idea to have it follow it’s flight plan and we got it back juuuust before the battery ran out. I always get so nervous when he takes that thing up!
After that we decided to find the bamboo forest at mile marker 6.5 on the Rd to Hana. When we got there the trail was completely muddy but we decided to just go for it and had a good laugh crossing the river and getting completely stuck. We got brave and climbed up to a waterfall that we knew would be pretty secluded but it was a 20 min climb over boulders to get there. And all we had were flip flops! The people who saw us said, “You guys are crazy to hike in those.” But they worked, and when we came around the river bend we saw this waterfall that was over 100 ft tall. It was SO worth it!
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