1. The longest vacation Corey or I had ever taken (2 weeks)
2. The most planned vacation we've ever had — and that's saying a lot for me (this includes applying for the kids' passports 9 months in advance). Yet it was also very unplanned regarding an itinerary, we had ideas of things to do but no set schedule.
3. Not exactly the trip we started planning nearly a year ago. When we started thinking of this trip, we had every intention of staying in Montana the entire time. But the lodging we wanted in Glacier National Park was completely booked, so we looked nearby ... but that was also booked. So we dreamed big and decided to go to Canada.
4. Keeping with the 'dream big' theme, we kept a seize-the-moment attitude in Canada, which resulted in a backcountry camping night in a very restricted area (super cool! so watch for those photos).
5. The absolute best vacation ever for so many reasons. Many thanks to my parents for adventuring with us!
6. Unplugged. While in Canada (for over 10 days) none of us took cell phone calls due to high rates, and while backcountry (5-6 days) we were without e-mail and texting. We minimized the kids' iPad use to just a few hours total for whole trip.
7. Just what we needed. Glaciers, mountains, trees, memories, giggles, adventures ...
Day 1: FLY from Bismarck to Kalispell, MT (with layover in Denver, CO)
Day 2: SHOP for groceries and travel items in Kalispell, PACK the vehicles (SUV and travel van)
Day 3: HIKE Glacier National Park, Mom and Dad arrive
Day 4: DRIVE to Golden, BC, CANADA! from Kalispell, MT (6 hours). Stay 4 nights at Mount 7 Lodges, Golden, BC
Day 5: HIKE Yoho National Park
Day 6: GONDOLA ride up Kicking Horse Mountain, Golden, BC
Day 7: HIKE Yoho National Park. Just Corey and me — my parents stead at the cabin with the kids.
Day 8: DRIVE to Banff National Park and HIKE Banff Park. Stay 2 nights in Banff National Park at Johnston Canyon Cabins
Day 9: DRIVE the Icefields Parkway north to Jasper National Park and Jasper town (8 hours round trip)
Day 10: SHOP Banff town and drive back to Golden, BC. Stay 4 nights in Golden at Mount 7 Lodges
Day 11: CAMP backcountry in Yoho National Park — Gavin and I opted out of this adventure
Day 12: RELAX day for Gavin and me. HIKE Lake O'Hara for Corey, Grandpa and Grandma Z, and Kya
Day 13: SWIM in natural hot springs
Day 14: DRIVE back to the USA to Kalispell, MT
Day 15: SWIM and SHOP in Whitefish, MT
Day 16: FLY Kalispell, MT to Bismarck, ND (with layover in Denver, CO)
Day 17: WORK selling Bison Booties at day 2 at the Capital A'Fair (Caitlyn managed day 1 for me)
Part 1:
to Canada!
Day 1: FLY from Bismarck to Kalispell, MT (with layover in Denver, CO)
we made it through security at the Bismarck Airport
... only when traveling with kids ...
Kya and Gavin literally studied the airplane safety cards for 30 minutes
Here we go!
Our 90 minute layover turned into 3.5 hours. But we were excited to see a friend in the airport (also delayed on the same plane to Montana) — Justin — who is the husband of Jessica Buscho (Campbell), one of my great friends in California. Hello Buscho family!
We explored every corner of the Denver airport (or at least our terminal) and finally got to Kalispell at about 12:30 am.
Day 2: SHOP for groceries and travel items in Kalispell, PACK the vehicles (SUV and travel van)
Day 3: HIKE Glacier National Park, my Mom and Dad arrive in the evening
Kya and her Great Grandma Katy on the Trail of the Cedars in Glacier National Park
We made it! Avalanche Lake in Glacier National Park
The hike up to Avalanche Lake (5.5 miles roundtrip, rated 'moderate') was an incredible learning experience for Kya. She doubted herself most of the way up, which was hard to watch. I knew she has it in her, so we took it one step at a time. Upon reaching the lake, Kya instantly transformed to confident and energetic. We were so proud of her! On the hike back down, she had fun watching for young hikers on their way up — she'd tell them "good job" and "you're almost there!"
We brought two child carrier hiking backpacks on the trip (both bought used that we owned before the trip) since we weren't sure what Kya could or would want to hike. I carried the larger pack (without kid in it, just in case Kya would need a lift) and Corey carried Gavin in the slimmer pack. In the event that Kya would need a ride, we'd switch packs, and I'd take Gavin, and Corey would carry Kya. Long story short, for the ENTIRE trip ... Kya never once got a ride. More to that story later.
Our hiking carrier packs:
1. An older very loved metal frame basic Kelty Kids pack without any "pack" space.
2. A newer yet also previously loved Kelty backpack and child carrier (you can see Gavin leaning on it in the photo above). Much improved and updated from the older pack. I got a bargain locally on this pre-owned pack, and it was an absolute necessity this trip.
**note: we are considering selling both packs soon, so let me know if you're interested in either **
To get the packs from home to Montana, we packed both hiking packs together in one carseat bag, and checked it at the airport as "free child luggage."
I never thought these two kids looked alike. Until this photo.
Day 4: DRIVE to Golden, BC, CANADA! from Kalispell, MT (8 hours). Stay 4 nights at Mount 7 Lodges, Golden, BC
The next day we loaded up the vehicles and headed north to Golden, BC, CANADA.
A trillion thanks to my grandma for loaning us her two vehicles!
1. Buick SUV with three rows (shown above with third row folded down)
2. Conversion van (shown below)
The seating arrangements weren't without great thought and a hefty amount of research.
Our top priority was safety. Next priority was 'what fits where.'
I know I'm opening a can of worms here, but I also know there are many other families doing similar road trips, so I'm offering up our child carseat strategy ... (skip over this next part, unless you want to know way too much about child carseats)
I was not satisfied in the safety of children's carseats in conversion vans, so both kids rode in the SUV for the entire trip. Because of the location of the third row seat-back latch anchor (there was only one in the third row, positioned in the middle seat), it was impossible to install either seat in that row, while also seating an adult. So, both kids sat in the second row bucket seats. Kya is 5, and is definitely still safer in a 5-point harness seat (same seat we have at home - love it!). This was not my top choice, but we opted to forward-face Gavin (he is still rear facing at home) to save space, since my mom and I would both be riding in the third row for much of the trip and needed a route into and out of the third row.
On the note of carseats ... I am generally not comfortable renting carseats since the history of the seat is unknown (car accidents, germs, etc). Plus, we knew we were going to be driving an extensive amount on this trip, so we wanted the kids in good quality, safe, comfortable seats. With much advanced planning, during one of my grandma's previous trips to North Dakota, we had her drive Gavin's extra seat back to Montana with her. Kya was due for a carseat update, so we ordered a new seat from Amazon and had it shipped directly to Montana before we arrived. My grandma picked us up at the airport with both seats in her car (uninstalled) and I installed them at the baggage claim curb. We'll leave Gavin's extra seat in MT for future trips and my grandma will drive Kya's seat out to North Dakota the next time she visits.
More thanks to my grandma for helping us keep the kids safe!
#SafeTravels
The camper/conversion van. I'm not sure what the exact name for these vehicles is, but this is a Roadtrek 210 and it was so much fun. The kids loved to "play camping" when we were parked at the cabin and there were even a few "camp out fun" overnights in the camper (it has a king size bed!).
The van has a good sized fridge for transporting our perishables, plus a bathroom, small kitchen, and TONs of storage space for things that we'd normally have to rationalize more ... like stocking up on diapers for the whole trip, bottled water, canned food, pack-n-play, hiking backpacks, coolers, etc. My parents drove this van up to and back from Canada — but for most of the driving while there, all six of us rode in the SUV. Yup, clown car style. That's how we roll.
Kya was an excellent traveler the entire trip. I'm convinced that age 5 is the perfect age to travel and explore. "Look, mom, trees!" Kya often demanded that I hand over my camera, surprisingly, she knew how to focus and said, "always take two photos." Proud mom moment.
Just across the Canada border we stumbled upon Fort Steele, a charming, historic, touristy town. We had picnic lunch and let the kids run off energy. FYI: Fort Steele's little cafe store has the best pot-pies!
Our home base at Mount 7 Lodges, in Canada, near Golden, BC. This is the view from our cabin.
Gavin walking up the road to our cabin.
Cheers from Canada!
Did I mention our cabin has a hot tub? That's awesome.
Stay tuned for Rocky Mountain Road Trip: Part 2 ...
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