July 15-18, 2023 - The Phillips Come To Visit

As with many stories lately, this one starts with COVID...  During the lockdowns Mandy and some high school girlfriends of hers started meeting on Zoom, after many years of being busy with family, work, life.  From these get-togethers, Mandy and the girls hatched a plan to organize our 30-year high school reunion, which Mandy made happen in June of 2022.  While we were in Ottawa at the reunion, I was able to connect with one of my closest buddies, who I had gone to school with from Kindergarten through Grade 13.  We hadn't seen him in a very, very long time, and it was so amazing to catch up and re-connect.  Fast forward to July 2023, and Mike and one of his sons Oliver, pulled the trigger on a last minute trip out to Alberta to visit us.  We decided to make the most of the visit and pack as much fun and reminiscing in as we could.  Mike and Oli were amazing guests, and if they went home half as tired as we were once it was all over, they definitely would have slept the whole way there! 😊

Jumpingpound Mountain, Elbow, Kananaskis - July 15, 2023

Mike and Oli landed at YYC around 11:00 a.m., and we whisked them home for a quick charcuterie-style lunch before dragging them out to Jumpingpound Mountain for a late-afternoon hike.  We were worried they wouldn't get any views as the forest fire smoke had rolled in pretty thick.  Fortunately it cleared up a bit and they were able to take in some of the surroundings.

Twilight Zone Pano 😁

Summit Shot

Lake Louise, Banff, Moose Mountain - July 16, 2023 

Today was a very full day!!  We spent the morning and afternoon being tourists, and the evening as backpackers.  It was a day I think we will all remember for a long time.

We tried to get out fairly early so we could beat some of the other tourists to Lake Louise.  Although we did get  out early, we did not manage to beat the tourists...  After a bit of figuring, we managed to get Mike, Oli, and Amanda out by the lake for a quick look around and some pictures.  We didn't waste any time and immediately headed back towards Banff where we would check out some of the shops and stop for a delicious lunch at the Three Bears Brewery.  Once again wasting no time, we headed back home mid-afternoon for a quick rest and to get ready for our Sunset hike to the summit of Moose Mountain.

Sam has written up our Sunset/Sunrise overnighter in another great blog post, which you can find here.  All I will say was that it was a very special moment on Moose Mountain summit watching the sun go down with my old buddy and some of our kids.  Wow!!

Sunset Summit Shot

Watching The Sun Go Down

Ben And Sam Enjoying The Sunrise

Kananaskis Golf Course, July 17, 2023:

When we got home from our sunset/sunrise hike Mandy had prepared an unbelievable waffle breakfast with fresh fruit, whip cream, hash browns, and bacon.  We were starving from all the hard work of camping out, and did our best to consume everything on the table!!  After we were able to move again, we took our time unpacking, cleaning up, and getting ready for our 3:45 tee-time at the Kananaskis Golf Course.  Mike and Oli are avid golfers and were really looking forward to the round.  Unfortunately some weather rolled in as we were driving out to the course.  We fought it off for six holes, but when the lightning came we decided to call it a day.  Despite the early exit we were able to take in the beautiful backdrop of the course for a couple of hours, and I think we all had a really fun time.  The one upside of the short round was that we could head back to the house for some more visiting, a few games, and one or two beverages.😁

Sam And I, Weather On The Way...

On Tuesday morning we headed back to the airport to send Mike and Oli back home, after a busy, super-fun, amazing time.  I really appreciated that Mike made the effort to come out to visit us.  Life is busy and it's easy to say "maybe next year".  Mike and Oli made it happen, and we have some very special memories as a result.  We laughed a lot, reminisced, caught up, got to know each other again, and had a really great time.  Thank you, Mike and Oli!!!