Visit to Canada? Check!
I had an amazing trip to Canada. It was short – only a couple of days, basically just a long weekend – but I loved every second. I’ve been to Canada in the past – to Thunder Bay, Ontario (by myself) but most of my time in Canada had been spent in the Vancouver, British Columbia area to visit my friend Tiffany.
Tiffany and her boyfriend Terry moved to Red Deer, Alberta about a year and a half ago, and when I began planning this trip – I knew I needed to make a point to visit her, see her new house, and finally meet Terry in person. I haven’t seen Tiffany since 2019 when she joined me for a leg of a Road Trip from Phoenix to Ohio and then I spent some time with her in BC. It was absolutely amazing to see her again and catch up on what has been happening in our lives. We met in London back in 2013 and I’m so glad that we’ve managed to stay friends.
Cool fact about this trip? It’s both their Birthday Week! While I wasn’t able to stay long enough to hit Tiffany’s birthday, I was there for Terry’s. And even better? The gifts I had gotten them in South Carolina arrived while I was there! (no way was I going to attempt to pack them in my limited space). I got them handwarmer mugs that were specifically designed for lefties as they are both left-handed!
Red Deer
Alright – Red Deer, Alberta. It’s basically dead center between Calgary and Edmonton and honestly the entire area reminds me of the American Midwest. Lots of fields of corn, wheat, and livestock. Lots of rolling hills and land as far as you can see (once you leave the city). It’s got it’s charm, but it is definitely not the Vancouver area I’ve been in. We spent most of our time in Red Deer catching up and they showed me around a couple of local places. All of it was accompanied by their 1-year old puppy Remington (Remi) who is a ball of energy and chaos.
By far my favorite place was the local Ice Cream shop that is walking distance from their house. They make the Ice Cream in house and it was amazing. I had a half a scoop of Blue Raspberry Ice and a half a scoop of Airplane Cookie (which is literally a Bischoff cookie in ice cream form!). They were so good! And before I get the comments of “Only a half a scoop of each?!” Their half-scoops are most places single scoops. So I really got 1 full scoop of each. So good. I have it on great authority that their waffle cones are great too – but since I’m not a cone person I had mine in a cup. And eating it in the nice clear air while we talked around a fire pit? *chefs kiss*
Sylvan Lake
One of the places that we went to near where they live is Sylvan Lake. A family friend had asked if I was going to be visiting it when she found out what area I was going to be in, and when I asked Tiffany and Terry they told me it was only about 30 minutes away, so we could definitely do a little trip down and we could all explore it together since they still hadn’t seen much there.
We were not prepared.
So there we are, parked and walking around the small downtown checking out all the shops. They’re adorable and we really enjoyed checking them all out! But then we move on from the shops and head towards the actual lake, only to find that it’s the place to be! The weather was amazing (despite, or perhaps in spite, of the forecast) and people were taking advantage. So many people were set up with all the works – tents, chairs, picnics, etc. People were fishing, some were wave riding, others still were taking advantage of one of those giant blow up obstacle courses that was out on the water. You name the lake activity and there was probably someone doing it. Then you have us there – in sneakers, pants, and without a bathing suit or sandals in sight. We figured we’d just walk around and take in the sights – but we all agreed it would’ve been a blast to spend some time with our feet in the water at the very least.
Oh well. It was great and we enjoyed our time. Tiffany and Terry made some mental notes for the next time they visit, and I made plans for the next time I’m in Canada.
Banff
We rounded out my time in Canada with an all day trip to Banff up in the Rocky Mountains. At 7:30am we loaded up into the car (puppy included) and headed out. After a bit under 3 hours, we arrived in Banff. With the puppy, we were a bit limited in what we could do, but Terry let Tiffany and I explore downtown Banff while he took Remi for a long walk around the residential areas. The shops are cool, but it is very much a tourist town. I’m sure the locals don’t bother to shop there as everything was a bit more expensive and all of it was geared towards visitors. It was still fun to walk though, and the views were amazing.
After checking out the gardens, we all packed up and took some very scenic drives around the area. Honestly – I don’t know how much I can tell you about what the town looked like, for the most part I was fixated at the gorgeous mountains. I do know that there were a lot of great looking hotel resorts, spas, and buildings – including one that included a convention center and looks a bit like a castle. We ended up pulling off the road on a little offshoot and having our own picnic lunch that we had made and packed for the day. Remi was able to be out on a long line lead that we hooked to the tow of the jeep and we got to enjoy the fresh air and mostly quiet. Even with the road so near, it was a bit like we were in our own little world.
Our final drive was down the Bow Valley Parkway and pull off on almost every scenic view point. We got some amazing pictures and despite the amazing weather, we were largely alone out there. It was only when we got to the end and were attempting to do a visit to Lake Louise that we found the majority of people – and by that I mean a lot of people. Apparently during the season, it’s so popular that they don’t even let you get close to the lake and instead have people do a park and ride miles away at a ski-resort so that they can limit the amount of traffic in the area. With Remi, we couldn’t do the park and rides, so we turned around and headed out. Every lake we passed was filled with people. There was no chance that we were going to get anywhere near any water – so we all collectively made the decision we would come back one day during the off season (maybe June or September), put Remi in Doggy Bootcamp, and spend a couple of days in the area so we could get the most out of the trip. Not sure when I’ll get there, but I definitely plan to come back to do this!
We returned back home around 9:30pm and we all knew we would sleep deeply! Especially Remi who at this point had missed all of his puppy naps and was seriously rethinking being an adventure dog. And Tiffany slept so deeply that when I tripped over my bag after going to the bathroom at 2am, she didn’t even wake up to me accidently activating the safety alarm I have on the bag. Whoops.
Overall a great trip and I can’t wait to get back to Canada in the future to see even more!
Hi Holly! Enjoy your adventures! We are in Germany now and will be in Amsterdam tomorrow (guided tour) and then flying home. Have fun and be safe!! Cousin Eric and Paula
Hi Eric! Thanks! Hope you all had a great time over here! Germany is amazing and I really enjoyed my time in Amsterdam! Safe Travels!
~Holly
It’ll be fun to follow you on all your adventures. How fun to be able to participate in a “Red Heads” event!
I hope you plan to spend time in Amsterdam. It’s a beautiful, safe city to explore although pick-pocketing is a major problem.
I enjoyed having lunch at The Hard Rock Cafe and of course bought a t-shirt!
Thanks! I can’t wait to write about the Redhead Days Festival! It will hopefully be up in a couple days. I didn’t spend too long in Amsterdam, only a couple of days, but I enjoyed what I saw and will definitely visit again! Zwolle was gorgeous as well if you’ve never gotten a chance to visit, it is well worth it!
~Holly
Loved hearing about your days in Canada! It all sounds beautiful and so much fun! 🤩
Thanks Mom! 🙂
Sounds divine! I think I once read a book series set in Red Deer. Or, maybe I knew of a hockey player from there? Either way, it sounds familiar. I would love to see more of Canada someday. Thanks for the quick peek!
We had a library board meeting with your replacement tonight. Many kind things were said about you. She seems lovely, but you’re missed. Our loss is the world’s gain! Looking forward to seeing where you land next!
Thanks Ann-Marie! Red Deer is great and the Alberta area in general is so pretty. Hopefully you get a chance to visit!
I definitely miss you all as well! Stay in touch! 🙂
~Holly