The Rockies

Well, we picked the best time to go exploring through Jasper and Banff! Late September meant a small number of people on the roads and trails. However, what made it truly memorable was the fantastic colours of the fall leaves. The bright red, yellow and orange of the leaves, paired with the snow-capped mountains, lakes and wildlife, is something I will never forget.

After calling in sick so we could spend just one extra day in this paradise, we finished the trip in Kicking Horse. Just a few months too early for the ski season, we stayed in a deserted resort and was welcomed by the lone receptionist and a small black bear eating berries in the driveway.

To top off the trip, we woke up to the first snowfall of the season. While marvellous to wake up to, the snow quickly took a turn for the worse. As we made our way back to Vancouver via the Coquihalla Highway (aka one of the worst roads in the world/one of the roads commonly featured in Ice Road Truckers), we were hit with our first snowstorm...sans snow tiers. While we made it back in once piece, we learnt a fundamental lesson that day, always have snow tires from October 1!

Despite the scary end, this trip was magical and will always have a special place in my heart.