I suddenly realized that it had been 30 years since I had travelled the beautiful Icefields Parkway to Jasper. So my kids and I started off from Calgary on the Labour Day weekend last year. My only regret is that it has taken me so long to return to this spectacular highway. We managed to turn a trip that usually takes 5 – 5½ hours into 11 hours of fun. We stopped at every viewpoint along the way, visited Sunwapta Falls and took time to see the Columbia Icefields, oohing and aahing all the way!!

If you are leaving from Calgary, Lake Louise is a great spot to stop for coffee and goodies before you start up the Icefields Parkway. Of course, on a beautiful day, there are lots of places along the way to stop for a picnic. Once you are on the Parkway, there seems to be a glacier around every corner and many, many places to stop and admire the view. One of the most beautiful is Peyto Lake. Unfortunately we somehow missed the walk to the lookout, so that will have to wait until next trip.

Once we arrived at the Columbia Icefields, we had to wait an hour before the tour bus took us over to the Ice Explorers (busses with giant tires). We took that opportunity to have our picnic lunch and to take a look at the very interesting displays about the formation of the glaciers and the history of the area. We managed to be on the glacier in the middle of a snowstorm (at the beginning of September yet), with the wind blowing the snow horizontally. However, it stopped before we had used up our 20 minutes and we tramped around and sampled a little meltwater, etc. I can’t believe the sun shone before and after we were on the glacier. The glacier gods were laughing!!

Sunwapta Falls was a huge success with all of us. It is an amazing waterfall and then we wondered down to the foot of the falls where the river is wider and quiet and found an amazing beach full of inukshuks that various visitors had built. One of those surprising and fun moments you have when you travel.

In Jasper the next day, we went up Whistlers Mountain in the gondola and then started to hike to the top. I hate to admit that the combination of altitude and climb was too much for me. My daughter and I sat on a rock while the guys went to the top. Watching a silver-haired couple with their walking sticks heading to the top made me think that I needed to do some serious stairclimbing.

We took time to walk around Annette Lake, a beautiful lake nestled in the mountains. It was a nice, easy hike with picnic grounds. We then headed home. I wish we had allowed ourselves an extra day as there was still lots to see. We missed going to the Maligne Canyon which is beautiful any time of year. On the way home, we stopped at Athabaska Falls, which was again beautiful and impressive. We made it back to Calgary, stopping in Banff for dinner. A busy and unforgettable two days!!

Pat

If you would like to know more about travelling to Jasper, check out these great travelguides!

We have recently started canoeing with our seven year old daughter. Here are a couple of the places that we have discovered and love to visit.

Forget-me-not pond is west of Bragg Creek in Kananaskis Country on Highway 66. This beautiful site has picnic tables and fire pits. It is a great place to canoe and also has an easy walk around the pond.

Wedge Pond is approximately 70 kilometres west of Calgary on Highway 40.There is fishing as well as canoeing. There are picnic tables here as well and, again, it is an easy walk around the pond.

For more ideas on where to go and what to see close to Calgary, check out Day Trips from Calgary by Bill Corbett. And why not take along a copy of the Alberta Nature Guide if you're strolling in the country.

Patti

• Attention, all you explorers! We have just received a new book for those who plan to explore BC this summer. Kootenay the Rockies B.C.Backroad Mapbook has just arrived.

This complements the other Backroad Mapbooks that will help you explore past the main roads in B.C. and Alberta.

Celebrate the May long weekend by attending a children's festival or a Little Britches rodeo, all within easy driving range.

The Canmore Children's Festival is an opportunity to set the kids free and to unleash your inner child for a day of fun, laughter and merriment. Storytellers, theatre, comedy, magic, puppets, crafts and games await discovery. Programs at the festival run all day Saturday, May 21st. Check their webpage for details on programs and tickets.

The Cochrane Children's Festival has games and activities for the entire family from 12 - 4 pm on May 21st and includes a one hour show by International Children's Entertainer, Flying Bob! Tickets are $6.

High River is holding its annual Little Britches Rodeo preceeded by the Little Britches Parade. The parade starts a 10:00 am on Monday May 23rd. The rodeo begins at 2 PM. Admission is free, so load up the car and head on down. Participants are aged 3-14 and they put on a really good show.

The library has a great children's book, Little Britches and the Rattlers, about the adventures Little Britches has on her way to the rodeo.

Last week one of our staff shared her secrets for travelling with her son and some of the activities that they enjoyed when visiting Edmonton. This week we'll talk about fun activities for the kids in our fair city.

Calgary Public Library has some great programs on Saturday, May 21. There is a Drop-in Storytime at Country Hills Library at 11:30 and one at Crowfoot at 10:30. Bring the little ones for a half hour of stories, songs, and fingerplays the whole family can enjoy. Ages 2 to 5 with a parent/caregiver. No registration required.

Shaganappi Library is offering an exciting program, Tales from the CYPT, on Saturday, May 21, 3:30 - 4:30. Join us as the troupe of young performers from Calgary Young People's Theatre weave their tales for folks of all ages in this special preview of their upcoming show. You can register online, by phone at 403-260-2620 or in person at any branch.

Heritage Park opens for the summer on Saturday, May 21 with all the usual fun activities. My kids loved a day at the park with the horse-drawn hay-rides, the antique midway and, of course, riding the steam train. No day was complete without a visit to the candy store and the ice cream parlour.

Special events for May 23: The first 500 guests to arrive between 9:30 -10:30am will be treated to Heritage Park’s complimentary pancake breakfast served hot off the grill in Gunn’s Dairy Barn, with regular paid admission. A special Mother Daughter treat might be the traditional Afternoon Tea served at the Wainwright Hotel Tea Room.

The Calgary Zoo is a great place to visit any day of the year. "Giraffes: Behind the Scenes" is a special program which will run on Saturday, May 21st. To make the most of your visit, you can check for times and locations for free Daily Visitor Activities that run every day.

The Telus World of Science has the wonderful exhibit of Titanic artifacts which we went to see on Mother's Day and which was totally fascinating. We each received a boarding pass and became an individual who sailed on the boat. At the end, we found out who survived and who didn't. A sobering experience!

We watched the James Cameron movie, Titanic, the night before. I couldn't believe how accurate the movie was for historic details and the stories of many of the passengers. If you would like even more of the background, the library has Secrets of the Titanic, which is the story of the first undersea explorers to locate, photograph, and explore the wreckage of the ill-fated Titanic.

I wouldn't recommend the exhibit itself for younger kids, but there are related activities for children. The Creative Kids Museum has some special Titanic programs plus there is a new Imagination Playground. I would recommend buying your tickets for the Titanic exhibit in advance. It was busy!!

Summer hours started on May 15 at Royal Tyrrell Museum. Allow yourself 2 - 3 hours for a good visit to see all the dinosaurs in the museum. Some special programs will start on May 21, such as Dinosite, Fossil Casting and the Badlands tour. Visit their website for details on the programs and costs. The museum is open from 9:00 am - 9:00 pm, seven days a week this time of year. And don't forget to stop for a look at Horseshoe Canyon just before you start the long drop down into Drumheller.

And, of course, don't forget Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump for an interesting day trip.

One of my favorite drives is down the scenic Cowboy Trail, and then on to the Crowsnest Pass and the Frank Slide.

Check out this great book, Day Trips from Calgary, for more ideas on places to go and things to see!