Let's go camping!

On our way home from Raymond, we went camping for a few days at Cypress Hills Provincial Park. We stopped at the visitor's center first

and then headed to the free mini golf course in town.

Because, free mini golf! 

What could possibly go wrong?

Craig ended up our scorekeeper after he had a bit of a meltdown. 

Silly boy, but he had fun in the end.

We also went to the Head of the Mountain Lookout: the highest point in Canada east of the Rocky Mountains. 

As you can see, it was quite the view. 

One of the things Cypress Hills means for us is lots of time at the lake. 

For Craig, an open beach means running as far as he can 

and then turning around a running back. 

On our list of new experiences was Fort Walsh National Historic Site (in Saskatchewan!) 

The kids and I had never been to Saskatchewan, so we decided to expand our horizons a bit.

The drive there was... interesting. Sometimes I question Google Maps' accuracy. When we were very nearly at the site, we drove down, and then up, an incredibly steep incline on a quite narrow road. Kyler did marvelously, but I did fear we'd have to get out and push the car or something. When we left that "road" and turned onto the main one, I turned around and saw a sign: "Road Closed" from the other side. Huh. That's interesting.

Fort Walsh itself was a lot of fun. The kiddos loved the trading post at the visitor's center, 

and we all enjoyed the guided tour of the fort. 

Especially Caleb, who was sometimes too intent on asking questions and getting answers. 

Also in Saskatchewan, we went to Loch Lomond. 

Or were we in the UK?

No, it was Saskatchewan, I promise. 

Loch Leven is also in Saskatchewan. 

Gotta get more use out of the water gun I bought to attack Kyler in the parade!

The kids favorite part of the trip was probably the campsite, though. 

We let the kids be a little bit feral when we discovered that there was a small stream right behind our campsite. 

They went and explored the stream and the area behind it every chance they got. 

As they explored, they found some trails behind the stream and wanted to know where they led. At their request, we went on an impromptu hike led by the children.

Having them make all the decisions meant they were enthusiastic and had really good attitudes.

After a few days camping we are ready to go home, shower, 

and take on the rest of summer!

Tour de Alberta (Part 3): Hoodoos

The sky cleared up and the sun came out and we headed to Writing-On-Stone Provincial Park.

  It was Canada  Day, which meant for the first time in days, we actually were among people.

 Not that you'd necessarily know it from the pictures.

The kiddos loved playing in the hoodoos.

 It's always interesting to me, watching them start out nervous and then gradually gain in confidence as we continue to climb and explore.

Caleb kept telling us, "I'm so brave!" which may or may not have been a good thing. 

 Sometimes a healthy dose of fear is good. ;)

 And while it was sunny, it was also incredibly windy.

 So windy, in fact, that when it came time to set up our tent, Kyler and I struggled.

We struggled so much that we decided to just give up and drive into Raymond (it was Canada Day, after all) and ask Rachel if we could crash at her guest house early.

 So, in defeat, we left Writing-On-Stone.

Craig cried as we drove away, because we hadn't been to the river yet. So we promised we'd come back the next day.

 And we kept our promise.

 We headed straight for the river, and - bonus - we even had some family join us!

 The second day, while still incredibly windy, was probably even better than the first day.

 Cousins increased the kiddos' courage even more.

Kyler spent the entire time chasing Caleb, and I followed the other two as they followed their cousins.

Writing-On-Stone was the one place on our tour that wasn't a new thing for us. It was comforting and fun and we knew what to expect. In spite of that, we still had to change our plans and be flexible - not always my forte!
It was also an absolutely exhausting few days, including seeing the Canada Day fireworks from the safety of our car. The exhaustion would come back to trouble us in our next stop, a day trip to Waterton Lakes National Park.