We arrived in Banff after driving from Calgary. And what a drive it was. It went from flat plains to giant mountains over the course of the journey. It was really quite epic. What a way to start our trip.

We made it to our hotel and got settled. It wasn’t very late but was Pa was hurrying to go back out. Apparently, the sun sets much earlier here, and he wanted to watch it at a lake just outside of town. So, we bundled up, layer after layer, and hopped in the car to watch the sunset. Pa can be so weird sometimes.

I instantly realized why we had to bundle up. It was so cold!!! I am pretty sure the temperature was 100 below 0. The lake was frozen over. And I was about to be frozen over if we stayed out much longer. But Pa had to wait for the perfect moment. He is so weird!!! Ma and I went back to the car to warm up while Pa waited for the sun to set. In the end, Pa was able to capture a pretty epic sunset, so I guess it was worth it……maybe!

The next morning, after I thawed out, we headed to the Banff Gondola to take us higher up the mountains. The gondola was a fun ride to the top with great views all around. Up top, we had a 360 degree of the Canadian Rockies.   Such a spectacular view on a beautiful day. But that wind was howling, and it was even colder than the day before. I toughed it out, but soon it was time to head back inside. We warmed up quickly and then hopped on the gondola back down.

Once we got to the bottom, I saw the real attraction. Two big horned sheep were pulling Santa’s gondola! I think, in the back of the gondola, I saw a bag of toys for Christmas. I had never experienced cold like this, so I just knew we had to be close to the North Pole.

 The next day it was time to go out exploring. We headed to the border of Alberta and British Colombia. There we saw the Continental Divide. If I hopped in the river here and pushed off east, I could float to the Atlantic, and if I pushed off to the west, I could make it to the Pacific. How cool is that?

We then headed to Marble Canyon. The drive there was epic. I am pretty sure the writer of the Christmas carol Walking in a Winter Wonderland was talking about Marble Canyon. The pine trees were covered in snow. There was an eerie mist coming from the cold flowing river. The trail had two sets of boot prints since the last snow. It almost didn’t feel real. Like we were exploring some fantasy world.

The little trail would take you to a frozen over waterfall. We started the trek, but Ma was the only one who could make it. It was bloody cold. Pa took me back to the car so we could warm back up. A few minutes later Ma met us at the car to thaw out too.

That afternoon we headed out to watch another sunset. I think Pa is obsessed. We headed just outside of town to a viewpoint overlooking Banff. At this viewpoint, there were some bighorn sheep. They were just hanging out munchin’ on some grass. The sunset ended up not being that epic. Too many clouds for the night. But the bighorn sheep were cool so I would call that a win.

The next morning we were off to another waterfall at Johnston Canyon. This place was a bit more popular than Marble Falls. It was easier to navigate, a bit warmer, and a lot more people. We started the hike, and I was good for a while but walking in these snow boots with my snow pants was exhausting. Pa had to carry me for a while. We pressed on and finally made it to the waterfall. It was quite impressive. The outside layer was completely frozen over, but you could still hear the water flowing. Behind the ice, the waterfall was still active. It was feeding down into the river below, and it too was not frozen. It is truly crazy how nature works.

On our last day, we head to the most epic spot in Alberta, Lake Louise. Pa had flipped the script on us. This time, he wanted to get out there to watch the sunrise. Make up your mind man!

6 am wake-up and …. It’s still dark outside dude! We all hopped in the car and headed north. We made it with plenty of time. This place was beautiful. The lake was fully frozen over. When we got, there was a tractor clearing the ice for skaters. The hotel on the lake was massive. It was surrounded by mountains and forest. We walked along the lake for Pa to get the best shot of the sunrise. The sunrise was amazing, but with no clouds, it didn’t create the best picture. So, I jumped in to make the picture better.

Our last morning, before we headed off to the airport, Ma snuck out on the balcony to take in one last view. And oh, what a view it was. It was one of the most epic sunrises we have ever seen. We soaked it in for a few minutes, but then we had to load up the car to start the trek back to the airport.

This was an amazing few days. Cold, but amazing. The amazing scenes, waterfalls, rivers, and views. I am not a cold-natured boy, but I sure enjoyed it for a few days. I like Canada.