O Canada! Banff, Yoho and Jasper

After 6 days in Glacier NP we drove to Canada!  I'm grateful my passport was delivered to our home in Utah and my sister in-law overnighted it to us while we were in Montana.  It's so funny because when we were driving to Montana we stopped for lunch at Panda Express. These were our fortune cookies and we cracked up laughing, at that point it seemed impossible I would have a passport in time to go to Canada.  It was all meant to work out I guess!

This was my FIRST time out of the country and it was so exciting!  We stopped at the "Real Canadian Superstore" and we couldn't even get a shopping cart because we didn't have a loonie haha. We were very confused.  Thank goodness Eric's friend that lives in Alberta came to hang out and rescue us.

We set up camp at the Lake Louise campground and had the most amazing camping spot with the most beautiful pine trees.  We spent 5 days exploring 3 national parks there. Banff, Yoho and Jasper. I'm glad we went to Canada since we were already so close to the boarder, but this could be it's own separate trip.  There is so much beauty to see and explore.  Next time I want to camp in Jasper.

Campsite views 

Lake Louise 

Oh the famous Lake Louise.... We hiked 3 miles from the campsite to get here.  You would never know there are thousands of people standing shoulder to shoulder trying to take the same pictures. 

Moraine Lake

Yoho National Park 

Emerald Lake

Takakkaw Falls

  

Icefields Parkway

We spent a day traveling the Icefields Parkway to get to Jasper.  This was my favorite day.  We got the gypsy app and listened to the tour guide tell us where to pull over for the best sight seeing and so many interesting facts about the explorers who first discovered this area of Canada and the Icefields that are still there.  I didn't even know what an Icefield was!!  There are glaciers EVERYWHERE.  On one stretch of the parkway we could see and count 15 glaciers.  At the end of the parkway is Jasper National Park.  We explored their town, got some food and did some souvenir shopping. 

Athabasca Falls

Peyto Lake

Icefields & Glaciers 

These pictures may not look very exciting but you just have to see it in person
to fully experience and be 'wowed' by them.

Banff Village

Eric was realllllly excited to try poutine.  French fries with gravy and cheese curds.  I caught his reaction when he saw it for the first time hahaha.  He was actually really disappointed.  I did not try it. 

WILDLIFE

Seeing wildlife was probably one of my favorite parts.  All wildlife was viewed from the safety of our vehicle.  We watched this mama with her cubs for a good 30 minutes as they ate vegetation and berries.  At a spot on the Icefields Parkway there was a bear on the side of the road and sooooo many cars pulled over.  There was a large crowd gathered and watching outside of their vehicle, crazy people. 

Our time in Canada came to an end and we headed home. We stopped at Snowbird and caught the first day of a family reunion.  It was nice to take a shower easily and use clean, flushing toilets.  I miss this trip and camping, but I needed a break from pit toilets and mosquito bites.  I really do look forward to visiting Montana and Canada again!! I highly recommend going!

camping 2019 + an upcoming trip

Eric and I first started talking about visiting Montana and Canada back in 2017!  We knew it would be a BIG trip that would require specific planning.  Especially because everything becomes booked at least 6 months in advance.  We set goals that included purchasing a larger vehicle, complete our list of camping essentials needed, camp as much as possible before, and become more comfortable with longer, more technical hikes.

We put it on the calendar for July 2019.  

January 2019 snuck up really fast and we were booking our camping spots in GLACIER NATIONAL PARK and BANFF CANADA!  Our initial plan was to visit Banff and stop at Glacier "just to check it out" on our way.  I love planning/researching trips and it quickly became obvious that Glacier will be just as incredible as Banff.  We will be spending 6 nights in Glacier and 5 nights at Lake Louise in Banff camping!  The itinerary and plans are coming along very nicely.  I found fantastic facebook groups for people who are experienced with Glacier and Banff.  I'm feeling really good at the positive feedback about my planning haha.

We purchased our truck in September 2018 and our tent trailer in February 2019.  We do a new hike almost every Sunday.  And we have been camping every weekend since May 1st.  It has been very cold while sleeping at night and we have learned how to improve each trip.  We also have gone no matter what the weather has predicted because we can't control the weather on our trip and may need to be prepared for rain and maybe even snow.  So here are some pictures of our tent camper and our camping adventures so far!

The star of these camping trips has definitely been Molly.  She is so fun to take with us and SO GOOD.  Also, can we appreciate that I live in a desert but 45 minutes north it is cold and full of green pine trees?!

A Little Piece of Jamaica

We heard about Little Jamaica, a desert oasis about 30 minutes away from us in Arizona. It was kind of sketchy trying to find it and after deciding to just go for it and start walking (simple hike) we could hear the water from the falls and then found this pool of clear water. When we got arrived there was no one else there! It was nice to explore and relax!! It's right off the highway, not too load though because all you hear is the waterfall. But seriously how many people have driven by and had no idea this existed!

Recent Happenings and Changes!

Hello! I believe it's time for another catch up. Some of my excuses for not blogging include Texas, a wedding, graduating and moving to a new state. So those are all perfectly good reasons :) 

On March 12th my best friend, Alyssa, from high school got married to her high school sweet heart! It was the perfect excuse to fly to Texas for 5 days to finish wedding plans, catch up with friends and eat mexican food. Alyssa's bouquet was AMAZING and the wedding party made their own! It actually felt intimidating but turned out fun making mine. I just don't think I could professionally do that haha.

Since September 2015 we have taken a trip almost monthly to St. George.  The photos below were taken early February after we felt prompted to officially move to St. George and we were there looking for a home! If you've been to St. George you most likely can guess exactly where we are standing :) Not pictured is Easter weekend when we took a trip to St. George. The first full day there Eric felt so sick he requested to be taken to the Doctor and after a nasal swab we found out he had type B influenza. I'm so happy we caught it quickly and he started taking his medications so that he was better for our move the following week. But during that weekend I had a job interview and was offered it! I accepted and so far have been LOVING it. 

At the time of our decision to move I was in an online program to get my Bachelors degree in Nursing. I was working as a RN up to 60 hours a week with the demand of about 25 hours a week of school papers and projects. With the decision to move during this time saying I was stressed is an understatement. I was drowning. I'm so grateful that we were in a good place that allowed me to quit my job the first of March and focus on completing my online assignments as fast as possible and pack up our belongings. We had our official move on April 1st! Minus the stress leading up to it, the drive went smoothly and great. My feelings of leaving Rexburg were strange because I've spent the past 5 years there growing and changing as a person. Living in Rexburg for college gave me my best friends, my engagement to Eric and our first 2 years of marriage together there!

April 8th was graduation day and I officially have my BSN degree! Instead of walking across a stage, since I did that when I got my ASN degree, I treated myself to some ice cream. THIS is why I suddenly have free time. Only working three days of the week opens up a lot of possibilities of what I can do on my days off. Also, here's a little throwback to graduating with my ASN degree! :)

WE HAVE BEEN MARRIED 2 YEARS. WHAT?! We pampered our selfs as a way to say thank you to each other for putting up with one another. Haha just kidding :) Being married to Eric is the absolute greatest. He completes me and is my best friend. We had a very laid back day. After sleeping in, we enjoyed an incredible couples massage and pedicures at a day spa. If you want a good laugh watch Eric get his feet tickled during a pedicure. We then ate dinner at the Cliffside and enjoyed this gorgeous view from our table.

The most exciting change happening... Our future home! We have found and decided on a place to live here in the St. George area!! We are so in love with it. Obviously, it's being built! I'd say these next two months are my biggest test of patience. More updates and pictures on that to come!