Alberta in a Nutshell

So, about a week after Nashville, my friend and I decided that we are still not over our broken hearts and need to go to Alberta. A month later, here we are in Alberta. Instead of giving y'all travel itineraries to the dot, I'll just give you a brief rundown of each day, along with the stupid $hit that went down.

Day 1 (Canmore)

After picking up our rental car and dealing with the mean lady that decided that her personal space is more important than Destiny's (aka forcing her seat up when she tried to lay back and slapping her in the arm), we headed to Grotto Creek trail for a quick 7km hike. Keep in mind, we came straight from the airport, forgot waterbottles, and immediately had to poop when we got there. Shout out Destiny for playing music in the outhouse so we could not be pee and poo shy lol. The hike itself was meh. The waterfall at the end was not what we expected and lacked pizazz. That said, it was still a good hike to get our toes in the water to start the trip.

After our lovely hike, we ended up on a scenic drive to Canmore. Downtown Canmore did not leave us wanting more, from the cute shops to the cafes and even better, the smoothie stop "Mountain Juice Cafe." We also went to the Big Bear souvenir store (that also has a location in Banff) where I got a cute magnet that says "Hike Because People Suck." In Canmore there are supposedly, the 3 Sister Mountains. Until Day 2, all we saw were like 17 sisters because there are so many mountain peaks. Day 2 we had better luck and Destiny actually paid attention to the signs.

What Destiny didn't pay attention to was the fact that Highway 40 (the highest elevation highway in Canada) does not have service. So, what was supposed to be a 30 minute scenic drive became 3 hours...lost...without service. On the plus side, cows roam freely all over and they were cute and fluffy. If you do this drive, beware, they have no fear and stand in the middle of the highway. Special shout-out to Alberta though, for making natural

crossings for animals going across the highway.

Day 2 (Banff)

Not by my choice, Day 2 started at 4am. After Destiny forcing me from bed and not allowing me to sleep on the drive up, we made it to Lake Louise and actually got a parking spot. The lot fills up by 6am, and we were a two hour drive away. The sunrise there was absolutely incredible and worth the ongoing brain farts throughout the day from being so damn tired. The only thing that got me through that morning was the $7 dollar coffee I bought from the Fairmont next to the lake. Who in their right mind charges $7 for a small coffee?! At the lake, some lady decided to set up a camera in panorama and record the lake (hate to break it to her, but a picture does it enough justice). She literally was not letting people walk near where she was filming, which was the entire landscape of the lake! Safe to say, we made her pack up and leave - not in a mean way I swear.

We decided to do the one trail at Lake Louise before checking out Lake Louise village (which is small and not worth it except for the yummy little cafe called Cafe Trailhead). On our way back from the peak, Destiny started freaking out because she saw a bear and obviously we are both idiots and started screaming and running. I'm just mad because I DID NOT see the bear :( or a moose for that matter. All I've seen is a bunch of cows.

Anyhoo, after our heart rates went back to normal we went to Johnson Canyon for a gorgeous waterfall hike, followed by a trip to Banff Village for lunch. Similar to Canmore, Banff village has restaurants, souvenir shops, and cafes. We ate a gorgeous lunch with a mountain view at Melissa's Missteak. Food was great, but remember to ask for extra dressing if you get a salad.

Day 3 (Calgary)

After a solid 12 hours of sleep, we started the day with a good upper body workout at the gym. Safe to say I still didn't have any energy because I dropped a 30lbs dumbbell on my face. After working out, we hit the Farmers Market, which is across from the 1988 Calgary Olympic village. The Farmers Market was adorable and a great way to start the day! You can grab breakfast there (which we didn't know and ended up at OEB, which had amazing chia pudding), Best part about the market was the free samples - that is, up until I had a mini allergic reaction (I think) and my throat started closing. Best snack was definetly the pumpkin spice pecans.

We sadly dropped off our rental car and took the bus to our hotel, where I had a hefty nap to sleep off my migrane. Then, for dinner, we headed to 17th Ave., the main strip in Calgary. Hate to say it, but it's kind of a let down. The food at Whisky Rose slapped, but that's about all the strip has going for it. Nothing to write home about.

And that's a wrap of Alberta for Des and I! I'm ready to catch the 6AM flight and go home to sleep in my own bed!