Eventful August!

The highlight of this month was a visit of my brother Fanda and his girlfriend Katka. They came for a couple of weeks and we were busy! The first week they were here the annual Northwest Washington Fair took place in our little town and we enjoyed all it had to offer from live stock exhibitions, carnival rides, fair food to Demolition Derby. We also took a couple of nice hikes, picked blueberries, walked every day, and Fanda helped around the house with everything that needed to be fixed. He also built a really nice birdhouse with Eli. It was a blessing to have him around and our kiddos just adore him!

We took them to La Conner for a little stroll through the town and seafood dining experience. We also visited Deception Pass. It was a nice day. I haven't taken many pics from the fist week as I was busy and always forgot to snap a pic or two. That is usually Tim's job! He does it the best!

Fanda a jeho přítelkyně Katka nás přijeli navštívit na dva týdny. První týden jejich návštěvy se tu konala NW Fair, a tak jsme je vzali na výstavu koní a dobytka, děti se povozily na kolotočích, prohlídli jsme si různé výstavy, a shlédli demoliční derby.

Fanda mi spravil co bylo třeba kolem domu a postavil krásnou budku pro ptáčky s Elijáškem. Také jsme vyrazili na procházku do lesa, nasbírat borůvky a na výlet do městečka La Conner. 

Tim took a week off and  decided to go on a road trip to Banff, Canada. We rented an RV and headed out! I planned and cooked all the meals for the entire trip so we did not have to worry about that. It was really helpful. We did not make it all the way to Banff the first day and camped at Smoky Bear Campground about 2 hours from Banff. It was a nice little campground with all the necessities. Camping in RV is really not camping for us as we are hard core tenters! but it was fun and quite a luxury!

Tim si vzal druhý týden dovolenou, a tak jsme vyrazili na dlouhou cestu to Kanady navštívit Narodní Park Banff . Pronajali jsme si obytný vůz a vyrazili objevovat krásu Kanady! Tady jsme první noc kempovali. 

Tim just knows how to take a great pic! I love this one of the kids with their strawberry jam toast! 

A little game before we headed out....
Před cestou jsme si ještě zaházeli podkovami.

The Trans - Canada highway drive was very scenic and we enjoyed the views greatly. Here we are at the Summit. Cesta byla krásná, lemovaná vysokými horami. 

 The mountains in the back of this picture almost look like they are not real but believe me...they are! God's glory!

We made it to the Banff and took a stroll around the town visiting the information center for maps and good tips on hikes and camping places. Banff is quite unique and has lots to offer. It is the highest town in Canada with an elevation of 4, 537 feet. Banff National Park was established in 1885 as Canada's first national park and offers a natural richness that is becoming increasingly rare. We were struck by the jagged peaks and unspoiled wilderness of this area. Just plain beautiful.
Do Banffu jsme dorazili kolem oběda a prošli jsme si městečko, které je nejvšším v Kanadě. Národní park Banff je prvním národním parkem v Kanadě a byl založen v roce 1885. Všude kam se podíváte jsou hory. Prostě krása a vše dobře zachovalé.

We camped at Tunnel Mountain Campgrounds for a couple of nights.
Tady jsme kempovali dvě noci. 

We took an 8 minute Gondola ride which took us up to 7, 415 feet for a panoramic view of the Banff town site area surrounded by a sea of peaks. At the top we book a wooden boardwalk which leads from the upper gondola building to an abandoned weather station about 0.3 miles away. There we admired the spectacular views. I love this pic of Lucie!

Druhý den jsme vystoupali gondolou na horu, odkud jsme měli krásný výhled městečka Banff a okolí.Nahoře byla zima a silný vítr. A ta panoramata!

 It was so cold and windy!

 

Fanda is quite interested in Native Indians and their culture so we took him to the Trading Post and Museum of the Native Tribes. He loved it and bought a few souvenirs! 

Navštívili jsme muzeum historie původních indiánů, což se Fandovi hodně líbilo. Koupil si i pár suvenýrů.

Then we headed out for a walk near Cave & Basin National Historic Site which was already closed by the time we got there but we still enjoyed a little walk. It was there that three railway workers stumbled on the hot springs and put Banff on the tourist map. Today you can view historical exhibits, as well as a replica bathhouse and the old pool (if you get there before the close;-)) Our little walk was cut short as we stumbled upon a sign telling us that the hike is closed because there is a 600 pound grizzly bear feeding on a carcass. Having experienced bear first hand a couple of years ago we turned around and walked back along the beautiful river Bow. Here are some pics. 

Poté jsme si vyšlápli na malou procházku kolem historického místa, kde se nachází horké prameny. Smrdělo to tam jako v Yellowstonu. Procházku jsme museli zkrátit, protože jsme narazili na ceduli, která nás upozornila, že tam někde blízko žere medvěd nějakou chcíplinu.  A tak jsme si to zkrátili kolem řeky Bow. 

The next day we took the Icefields Parkway to Jasper. 

The most beautiful road? Really?

That's what many seasoned travellers have told us, and they were right! How many highways can claim 230 kilometres of continuous World Heritage Site scenery completely protected in two national parks?

We decided to spent the entire day or more on this scenic drive. The speed limit is leisurely. The pull offs and picnic areas are many. We enjoyed this amazing trip through Banff and Jasper national parks. 

Our first stop - The Hector Lake. It was a cold and cloudy day and we tried to soak up some sunshine!

Z Banffu do Jasperu vede vyhlíková 230 ti kolometrová silnice s nádhernými ledovci, ledovcovými jezery, vodopády a dalšími přírodními úkazy, které jsou chráněné dvěma přírodními parky. Na cestu jsme si dali celý den a rozhodli jsme se, že si vše v klidu projedeme a pokocháme se krásnou přírodou. 

Grizzlies, black bears, coyotes, wolves, elk, deer, mountain goats, bighorn sheep...we were travelling right through their habitat. We did not see as much wildlife as we hoped for but we got blessed and saw a momma bear with two cubs! 

Těšili jsme se, že uvidíme spoustu zvěře, ale moc se nám nepoštěstilo. Viděli jsme malou medvědici s medvíďátky a to nám bohatě stačilo.

The Payto Lake was turquoise blue. So beautiful!
Jezero Payto mělo krásně tyrkysovou barvu. 

Here we hiked through completely preserved alpine tundra. Only here you can see ti that close!
Tudy procházíme alpskou tundrou. To se nedá popsat, to se musí vidět!

 We stopped and hiked up to a glacier.
Tady jsme se šli podívat na ledovec. 

 Here you can see  a glacier completely covered with rocks dirt. 

 We camped at the Honeymoon Lake and made hamburgers!
Tady jsme kempovali a k večeři jsme měli hamburgery.

 The next day warmed up significantly and we were excited to see the rest of the drive. 

Our fist stop - Athabasca Falls.

WOW!!!
Druhý den se výrazně oteplilo a my jsme se těšili na slunečný den. 
Jako první jsme shlédli Athabasca vodopády.
Nádhera!!!

Arriving at Jasper! We parked in town and  strolled through this cute town. 

Po dlouhé cestě jsme konečně dorazili do Jasperu. Prošli jsme si městečko a pokochali krásou okolí.

A little lunch in a parking lot watching trains!
Malý oběd na parkovišti.

 We finished our Canada trip with a hike near Pyramid Island. We saw a lot of signs of bears but praise the Lord never encounter one! Před nocí a cestou domů jsme si ještě vyšli na malou procházku kolem Pyramid Island. Všude jsme nacházeli stopy po medvědech, ale naštěstí jsme žádného neviděli!

This was truly a memorable trip and we feel extremely blessed to be able to do that! It was so wonderful to just be together as a family. It is so precious to us! It was really nice to have Fanda here and get to know his girlfriend Katka. Canada is a beautiful country and we enjoyed it greatly. 

Hope you liked the pics!

To God be the Glory!

Kanada je nádherná země plná neuveřitelných přírodních úkazů! Jsme moc vděční, že jsme měli tu možnost se tam podívat s Fandou a Katkou. 

Chvála patří Bohu!