onwardstoadventure 
We ended our first month of summer break with a trip to visit some wonderful friends and our kids’ past Canadian exchange teachers in Medicine Hat!
As we made our way through the prairies and traveled south east to the Badlands we were surprised to find that the landscape resembled our home on the Yorke Peninsula!
..And Medicine Hat was HOT in the summer! After having one of the wettest, coolest summers in Edmonton in around 100 years Medicine Hat was all sunshine and warm days!
While in Medicine Hat we attended the stampede! This was an upbeat and high energy mixture of carnival and cowboy!
Medicine Hat is home of the Saamis Tepee, the tallest tepee in the world!
Thanks for checking in!
PSA: I loooove dinosaur jokes and puns so this is just fair warning for everyone to either crack up with me, brace yourselves or maybe just skip this post! 😉
Jurassic Forest made for a dino-mite summer day out!
Having a 4 year old in the house means that dinosaurs are one of the coolest animals to have ever existed!
Why can’t you hear a pterodactyl going to the bathroom …because the P is silent!
Our year in Alberta has been filled with learning about dinosaurs so this was a fun way to spend some time outdoors and for the kids to learn a little more about dinosaurs!
Jurassic Forest had self-guided trails through nature where animatronic dinosaurs were activated to move and make sounds as you approached.
There were fossils hidden in the sandpits for children to discover, dino sculptures for the kids to play on and a dino mini golf course too.
For more info on Jurassic Forest:
Thanks for checking in!
Victoria is a city full of whimsy and is a wanderer’s paradise! We were surprised to find out that Victoria is the capital city of British Columbia.
After summer rain following us for most of our road trip, we were lucky to have sunshine and blue skies as we caught the ferry over from Vancouver to Vancouver Island.
The top 5 things we did on Vancouver Island are:
1. Hatley Castle
As a filming destination for X-men and Deadpool (plus Disney Descendants), Hatley Castle was at the top of Luke’s to do list!
We signed up for the tour inside the castle, although around the castle and its beautiful gardens are open for anyone to have a peek.
2. The Butchart Gardens
This was a magnificent manicured botanical garden spread over 55 acres!
During the summer the garden is lit up after dark and there are bands playing and fireworks on the weekend!
We timed our visit for the late afternoon so we were able to explore the garden in both daylight and lit up at night. We encountered more squirrels, salamanders and our first sighting of racoons here!
3. Fisherman’s Wharf in Victoria
Fisherman’s Wharf was a unique, colourful, vibrant gem to find! The wharf is lined with gorgeous, colourful floating homes. We would have loved to have a peek inside one!
We had a delicious seafood lunch at Barb’s fish and chips, where they had the best clam chowder ever!
4. Downtown Victoria
Seeing totem poles in BC was at the top of our to do list, so we visited Thunderbird Park where there is a display of remarkable totem poles.
The Inner Harbour was a beautiful stroll on a perfect summers day! There were many street performers out and about to check out.
Just next to downtown Victoria is Victoria’s Chinatown, the oldest Chinatown in Canada. It is famous for having the smallest street in Canada, Fan Tan Alley, which at its smallest point is only around 90 cm wide! This little street was a unique, whimsical place to wander!
5. Beacon Hill Park
Beacon Hill Park covers 200 acres of parkland! Highlights that we discovered there was the world’s tallest free-standing totem pole, spray parks, gardens and plenty of wildlife! We saw deer, sooo many squirrels and peacocks (which was a surprise!).
We took a quick walk and detoured to the ocean adjacent to the park where we found a beautiful beach lined with pebbles!
For more info:
https://www.tourismvictoria.com/
Thanks for checking in!
Elyse
After not seeing the ocean for 6 months our Vancouver agenda mainly consisted of beach combing, esplanade walks and spray parks by the ocean!
Vancouver is the largest city in British Columbia. We stayed just out of the city in West Vancouver for a couple of nights, only a short walk from the beach.
The Seaview Walk in West Vancouver was an easy waterfront walk to do with kids in tow. The walk had many information boards along the way about the history of the local area. We passed an info board identifying Atkinson Point in the distance, which the kids thought was pretty cool! The halfway point of this walk, John Lawson Park, had an awesome spray park, picnic area and pier!
We loved staying in West Vancouver, there were lots of boutique shops and markets running around every corner over the summer!
We took a drive through the city and took in some sightseeing of local landmarks.
We explored Stanley Park, which was a huge recreational area with bike rentals, many playgrounds, a spray park, aquarium, horse and carriage rides. We were most excited about the abundance of squirrels!
Thanks for checking in!
Elyse
The next stop on our summer road trip saw us cross the province border into Revelstoke, British Columbia. This sweet little mountain town has our hearts! There were so many family friendly adventures to be had in and around Revelstoke.
Thanks to many wonderful suggestions from Canadian friends, our top 3 activities were:
1. The Enchanted Forest
The Enchanted Forest was charming, magical, delightful, and definitely enchanting. We explored tree-houses and fantasy fairy-tale scenes, went on relaxed strolls through the forest, drank fresh mountain water and rowed a boat on a lake surrounded by tranquil scenery.
2. The Pipe Mountain Coaster
The pipe coaster down the mountain side was one of the kids’ favourite experiences they had over the summer! We took a gondola halfway up the mountain and were dropped off at the coaster where we were able to ride it twisting and turning around one and a half kms back down. The coaster is designed so that it can peak at just over 40kms/hr, but the driver is able to control the speed so you can go as fast or as slow as you like.
Also…for any non-Australians reading.. Hoon. Noun. (plural hoons) (Australia, New Zealand, slang) One who drives excessively quickly, loudly or irresponsibly; a street drag racer often driving heavily customized cars. https://www.yourdictionary.com/hoon
3. 3 Valley Gap Heritage Ghost Town
The ghost town was a picture of a typical late 1800’s western town. Thousands of people descended for the short lived gold rush leaving behind many abandoned buildings and towns. It was an interesting and slightly creepy walk through the town, exploring the old buildings such as schools, banks, churches, and saloons.
We went to Kawakubo Restaurant for my birthday dinner and it had AH-mazing food! We definitely recommend this Japanese restaurant if you ever find yourself in Revelstoke!
For more information:
The Enchanted Forest
The Pipe Mountain Coaster
https://www.revelstokemountainresort.com/lessons-activities/mountain-coaster
Thanks for checking in!
Elyse
The second stop on our summer road trip was Banff. Even without the blanket of snow, the town of Banff still had a magical Christmassy feel. There seems to be endless activities to do in and around Banff National Park, no matter the season!
Through recommendations of friends we took the Banff Gondola 698m or 2,292 feet up Sulphur Mountain, which took a lot of bravery from me who is not a fan of heights.
When we reached the Sulphur Mountain summit we were rewarded with breathtaking views from every angle.
At the top there was plenty to do, we explored the interpretive center and then took a walk along the boardwalk across the top of the summit. We encountered mountain goats and some super friendly chipmunks at the top!
On the day we visited Lake Louise it was only 6 degrees and we were told by staff there was a snowstorm brewing at the top of the mountains… in the middle of summer!! Although it was overcast and chilly the lake was still a magnificent turquoise blue which was a striking contrast to when we had seen it last in winter, frozen so solid that we could ice-skate on it!
A visit to the hot springs is the perfect way to end a long day of sightseeing!
We couldn’t travel through Banff again without stopping for beavertails again!
For more info on the Banff Gondola:
https://www.banffjaspercollection.com/attractions/banff-gondola/experience/
Thanks for checking in,
Elyse
Day one of our road trip to British Columbia we headed from Edmonton to Jasper National Park, which is part of UNESCO’s Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks World Heritage Site.
Our first stop was Maligne Canyon which was an easy, self-guided, interpretive hike to do with kids in tow. We followed the trail over bridges and through mud, spotting new whirling, churning waterfalls around every bend. At points the canyon is over 50 meters deep!
Next we headed to the Jasper town site for a picnic lunch with a beautiful view of the alpine skyline.
After lunch we headed to the Miette Hot Springs. This is the best finish to a day filled with long walks and hikes! When I was getting tired and sore on the hike, I was repeatedly reminding myself of this soothing reward that awaits!
We encountered so much wildlife on our first day, elk, coyote, mountain sheep, mountain goats and squirrels galore. But, the biggest surprise of the day happened when we pulled into the hot springs car park and saw a black bear walking around right in between our car and the hot springs!
Immediately telling the kids to stay in the car we grabbed our phones to let our travel companions know.. but we had no service! Hoping they were not about to walk into the path of the bear (when we got to the springs we found out they would have walked up the path behind the bear to the springs none the wiser!) we grabbed our camera to get some pics of this amazing close encounter!
The Miette Hot Springs is usually the hottest hot springs in the Rockies, flowing from the mountain at 54 degrees and being cooled to 40 degrees. The afternoon we arrived there had been a lot of rain earlier in the morning so the hot springs were a slightly cooler 37 degrees but that was perfect for the kids to float about.
For more info on Jasper National Park:
https://www.pc.gc.ca/en/pn-np/ab/jasper/activ/itineraires-itineraries
Thanks for checking in,
Elyse
On the May long weekend we took a drive south to Drumheller, which was a place that many Albertans have told us is a must do, especially with kids! Known as the dinosaur capital of the world, Drumheller had dinosaurs around every corner!
(There is a spray park out the front in the summer season!)
I heard a saying once that the times in your life when you know most about dinosaurs is; 1. When you are 4 years old, 2. When you are the parent of a 4 year old and 3. After you have completed a degree in paleontology! What better place to visit with a 4 year old in tow!
As a kid I loved learning about dinosaurs and I only wish I had my favourite dinosaur stories with us to read to the kids! (Michael Salmon’s dinosaur series, did anyone else have these as a kid of the 90’s?)
OUR TOP 3 ATTRACTIONS TO SEE ON A VISIT TO DRUMHELLER AND THE CANADIAN BADLANDS ARE:
1. Royal Tyrrell Museum
We arrived at the Royal Tyrrell Museum at midday to huge crowds, rookie mistake! We ventured through once and then decided that as the museum was open until 9pm over the summer season we would go explore outside and see if the crowds thinned out. The Museum had a café, a great playground with picnic area and a walk along the Badlands Interpretive Trail all on premises.
Best decision ever! After exploring outside we made our way back in at 4pm to find the museum almost empty! We discovered so many more corners to the museum this time that we missed in the crowds. This museum had the most epic displays of fossils and dinosaur skeletons and many interactive displays that the kids loved using! There were walks through different time periods and a favourite of the kids was seeing palaeontologists working on fossils on site.
2. Drumheller Hoodoos
Hoodoos are sandstone pillars on a base of shale that take millions of years to form and were a marvel to see. They can be found across the Canadian Badlands, although not unique only to this area. Stories from Blackfoot and Cree traditions tell of the Hoodoos being petrified giants who come alive at night and throw stones at trespassers to protect their land.
3. Horsethief Canyon
Horsethief Canyon was named after the thieves that used it as a spot to hide their stolen livestock. The lookout at the top of the canyon offered spectacular views of the striped rock layers illustrating centuries of time. We were feeling adventurous and made the hike all the way down the canyon to the Red Deer River.
Thanks for checking in!
Elyse
Easter landed on a beautiful spring weekend which reached a high of 21 degrees! Knowing the temps were likely to dip into the single digits again the following week, we packed a picnic lunch and headed outside to the Edmonton Valley Zoo to make the most of the sunshine.
There were plenty of opportunities to learn about animals from interactive displays to live talks by zoo keepers.
The kids loved exploring the giant nature play area where they could pretend to be beavers climbing over a log structure and mountain goats climbing and navigating a huge rock, maze-like construction.
We saw our first Canadian lynx and porcupine. Did you know that porcupines climb trees? I think I was expecting them to be like the Australian Echidna.
For more info on the Edmonton Valley Zoo:
https://www.edmonton.ca/attractions_events/edmonton-valley-zoo.aspx
Thanks for checking in!
Elyse
School life in Canada has been very different in some ways, and in other ways very familiar to school life in Australia. Walking to school in the dark and snow has been so strange for us, but the never-ending lunch box preparation is an all too familiar experience! There are no cafeterias in schools in Alberta, much to the kid’s disappointment!
Here are the kids experiences of life at a Canadian preschool, elementary and junior high!
Preschool
I love preschool! At preschool we do running and playing. Sometimes we play outside. By Imogen.
Elementary
We don’t have a school uniform in Canada. But we DO in school in Australia! I think because in Canada they have to wear snow clothes because it SNOWS in Canada but NOT in Australia. In Australia the buildings are apart. But in Canada the BUILDING is ONE WHOLE BUILDING! In Canada they have INSIDE shoes AND OUTSIDE shoes! In Canada they have MORE THAN ONE EXCURSION/FIELD-TRIP. But in Australia we only have ONE excursion/field-trip. My school in Canada has a boot room! EVERY SINGLE MORNING THEY SING O CANADA! My favourite field-trips were skiing and going to a farm.
Different words at school:
Excursion = field trip
Toilet = washroom
Texter = marker (I was asking for a TEXTA and a teacher thought that I wanted something “textured”!)
Lunchbox = lunch-kit
By Isabella.
Junior High
At my school in Canada we start school at 8:15 am and end at 3:10 pm. We have 6 lessons each lasting for 50 minutes except on Thursdays which lasts for 40 minutes. On Thursdays school ends at 2:00 pm. At lunch time we eat inside for 20 mins and then are forced outside for the reminder of lunch. We have to go outside if it’s -20 or higher. The lessons we have are math, language arts, social studies, science, physical education, french and 2 options which can be active living sports performance, robotics, drama or environmental outdoor education.
Jack
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