Before heading home, we had one last stop: Calgary, or more precisely, Okotoks, a town about 30 minutes south where we were staying with Joey’s sister and her family. It was also our chance to sneak in some Rocky Mountain time and visit a dear friend of mine.
Nico, my brother-in-law, greeted us with great enthusiasm and even greater promises: “The weather here has been amazing: 24°C earlier this week!” Naturally, we believed him. When we arrived, it was cold but sunny, and the mountains looked absolutely majestic in the distance. We thought, This is it. We’ve hit the jackpot.
We had not.
Our first night… did not go as planned. And by “not as planned,” I mean no one slept. Sure, we all passed out easily, travel exhaustion will do that. But a few hours later, everyone was wide awake and ready to seize the day… at midnight. Our internal clocks were clearly operating on a different continent. Emma was up from 11 p.m. to 3:30 a.m., Teddy from 1 a.m. to 3:30 a.m., and I joined them in solidarity (and damage control), while Joey slept, because, as we’ve all learned, Joey without sleep is not a risk worth taking. I finally crawled out of bed at 5:30 a.m., feeling like I had just blinked.
The next day, the house was quiet, everyone off to school or work, so we took it easy. My brilliant plan was to get the kids outside, tire them out, and reclaim the night. Unfortunately, the weather had other ideas. Gone was the sunshine; in came bone-chilling cold and 90 km/h winds. Still, the kids were determined to try the pump track, so we layered up like arctic explorers.
Teddy attempted to scooter but was essentially defeated by physics: the wind literally pushed him backwards. After half a block, he gave up, cold and exhausted, and declared the outing over. Emma, however, pressed on like a tiny, determined warrior. I, meanwhile, hid behind whatever shelter I could find, questioning my life choices and trying not to be blown into the next province.
Miraculously, that night we all slept. Not perfectly, but enough to call it a victory.
The next morning was the weekend, and we were excited to finally visit the Rockies with the family. We woke up, opened the curtains… and found ourselves in a snow globe. Snow everywhere. Thick, relentless, visibility-zero snow. So instead of majestic mountain views, we pivoted to Plan B: the local pool. And to be fair, it was a pretty great Plan B: two big slides, a surf rider, a lazy river, and a hot tub. Not quite the Rockies, but no one complained.
By Sunday, it had snowed even more overnight. Clearly, we are very persuasive with weather systems. Still, determined not to be defeated, we drove closer to the mountains for a walk. Technically, we were near the Rockies… we just couldn’t see them. At all. But we got some fresh air, spent time with family, and the kids had an amazing time with their cousins which, honestly, was the highlight.
Eventually, the weather decided to cooperate. We seized the opportunity and planned one day in Calgary and another in Banff.
In Calgary, we wandered through the Inglewood neighborhood, a charming area full of great little shops. We admired many things and bought almost nothing, mostly because our luggage had already reached maximum capacity. We also visited the Central Public Library, which is absolutely stunning. The kids happily spent over an hour reading and playing, and I couldn’t help but feel excited for the new library back in Ottawa.
We wrapped up the day at a scenic viewpoint with a playground, perfect for the kids to burn off energy one last time. After that, Joey and the kids headed back to Okotoks, while I snuck away to visit my friend Nita. Seeing her again felt extra special. She was the last friend I saw before we left last June, and now the very first one I got to hug upon our return. A perfect full-circle moment.
The next day gifted us exactly what we had been waiting for: clear skies, sunshine, and finally a proper chance to explore Banff National Park. While we weren’t exactly geared up for hardcore snowy hikes, we revisited some of our favorite viewpoints and even discovered a few new ones along the way.
The kids were completely in awe. The last time they were in Banff, they were just 4 months and 2 years old, so this felt like their first real visit. We even spotted a bit of wildlife… though sadly, no bears. (Part of me was relieved, part of me felt slightly cheated.)
And just like that, it was time to say goodbye to our family and to this incredible trip. It’s strange how something you plan for so long can feel like it’s over in a blink.
Stay tuned for our final post, where we’ll share a few stats, highlights, and lessons learned from the journey. And as always, feel free to drop your questions in the comments!
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