2017 Summer Road Trip: Calgary, Alberta Canada

Dave says: I am always impressed with the cities in Canada. Vancouver has been my favorite for a number of years but Calgary also has a lot to see and do. We drove in from Glacier and for a while it was flat terrain with fields of gold. On the way, we stopped at a big splash pad and Skye played in the water. Then, it was a few more hours in the car. Since Skye loves swimming so much, we stopped at a big aquatic center on our way into Calgary. This one had water slides that I could take her down, a kiddie pool, and a big beach area with occasional waves that she had mixed feelings about. We finally pulled into Bow River's Edge Campground around dinner time. This turned out to be a nice campground 30 minutes west of town with nicely graveled sites that were fairly close together and some grass in the back.

The next day was a big bike adventure. Alisha clocked us in at over 30 miles cycling plus 4 miles of walking. We rode into town on some great bike paths along the river and then stopped at a park on a small island near downtown. We ate at Tim Horton's and walked around the downtown mall. It had just been Canada Day and so there were a lot of decorations. Behind the mall was a cool downtown city street and a store where we bought Skye some Canadian pajamas. There was a huge Alaskan malamute dog on the street that was quite memorable as well. Next, we walked through Olympic Park and back around to the river. After a brief rest in the shade, the adventure continued. I routed us back a different way through Nose Hill Park that involved a lot of climbing and some dirt. Finally, we dropped down through the University of Calgary only to get detoured by some construction at the end that led to a few extra miles. Skye was quite the trooper. After dinner, we somehow still had energy to go to for a swim at a different aquatic center.

On the next day, we went to a nearby farm for kids where you can pet all the animals. They had cute baby goats, chicks, pigs, rabbits, horses, etc. Skye was both excited and nervous about the animals. There was a lot of hand washing involved. We ate at Costa Vida which exists in Canada and then I worked in the afternoon. In the evening, we went on a little bike ride along the river.

On the final day in Calgary, we went to Heritage Park which is Calgary's "ye old time" park with little rides for the kids, some old buildings and tours, and a train that you can ride around. Skye had a good time and the old car museum was a particular favorite of hers. There was a kid area with a little road that she loved and she played with a little metal tea set for a long time. In the afternoon, we made it back to the aquatic center from the first day because that was perhaps the best one of the whole trip. As usual, Skye had a great time playing in the water.