I had a rockin' weekend. It was definitely time for a vacation. We started the weekend by sleeping in (a little) until nine. The rental company picked us up at about half past nine, and we were on the road an hour later. First we headed for Edmonton, where else I guess? We checked in to our hotel, and went for a late lunch. Barrie recommended this great place downtown called The Creperie, which served, duh, crepes. It was amazing; great food, great service, great atmosphere, great prices. We then did a little shopping at MEC, I can never resist. The evening was spent at Klondike Days, taking in all the excitement.

Friday ended up being a day at the mall. We got there in the morning and did a little accidental shopping. (The summer sales were on!) We went to the water park and ended up spending three hours in the water. It was too much fun. By this point we were starving, and got some yummy Mexican at Julio's. Not satisfied yet, we did a little more shopping before heading to the grocery store and getting on the road again. At seven thirty we left for Jasper; being a four hour drive we got there a little late. It was raining and late as we went through the park, and the girl at the gate told us there were no campsites left and we'd have to go to the overflow. It wasn't a welcoming scene, but everything turned out alright. The rain stopped, and we found a flat spot to pitch the tent, then went immediately to sleep.

Saturday morning we decided to head out ASAP. After a quick bowl of cereal and nice cup of tea, we started down the Icefields parkway. All of it is breathtaking. We stopped all over the place: the Athabasca falls, the Columbia icefields, and Bow lake, among others. We got to Lake Louise around two and were sent to the Protection Mountain campground about five minutes down the road. It was perfect: clean and quiet. We had made lunch, then drove up to the Chateau Lake Louise, and hiked to the top of the Little Beehive, then to the Lake Agnes Tea House. I think some great pictures will come out of that hike. Back at the campground, we met a couple of Swiss girls who still needed a site, so we ended up sharing. We had a few rousing games of "bumcircle", or "Jackass" as the Swiss call it. Did you know that Swiss-German and French cards start at 6, not 2?

Sunday morning we drove straight back to Jasper. Around lunch time we got a nice campsite at the Whistler's campground right in town. By that time is was rediculously hot, and we had no desire to go hiking. Over lunch we decided that heading to Pyramid lake was the best plan. We rented a kayak and paddled around the lake, then we went for a swim and flaked on the beach. It was great. The rest of the day was spent wandering Jasper and having a nice dinner at Ember's steakhouse. To finish off a great weekend, we headed up to Miette hotsprings. Even the drive up is incredible. Totally relaxed we went to bed. Monday was just for a relaxing drive back to the Fort.

It was actually a relaxing weekend. We all know how hard it is for me to relax and go with the flow. I did.