After a super late night yesterday, half our room slept in a bit while the other half was up at their usual time. No surprise it was Liam and Whitaker who were up early. Some kids had run out of clothes with today and our travel day left so we did some quick laundry in the hotel and enjoyed another breakfast in the Canalta hotel in Banff where the pancake conveyor belt was once again a big hit.

The courtyard and hot tub area is wonderful so we took advantage and hopped in the hot tubs and cold plunge for a quick swim. After finishing laundry and repacking all the suitcases in preparation for going home, we said goodbye to the Canalta and headed into downtown Banff.

We stopped at a few art galleries ogling beautiful photographs but ultimately decided to pass on the $10k bear photo that was larger than a real bear. It was fantastic though! The favorite shop was a cowboy shop where everyone added lots of things to their birthday and Christmas lists! We took the classic photo on main Main Street with the mountains in the background. It's a really neat mountain town. The kids were getting hungry and we had yet to try the classic Canadian dish, poutine, so we headed off to find some. Liam loved the cheese curds, Odin loved the fries and the littles liked it all. It's an odd dish and not something we'd choose on the regular but it was good to experience.

Since the last time we were in Banff, Liam has been talking nonstop about toy trains and how much he loved the sushi restaurant that served food on the train. Liam and Odin have been researching trains, discussing layouts, and scheming how to serve food at home on a train. After a bit more pursuing and trying desperately to keep the kids from breaking things, it was time to go back to the sushi restaurant. Liam, Odin and Ainsley were ecstatic!

We sat right in front of the sushi chef which was great fun and the trains had a lot more dishes on them during the lunch hour compared to last time we were here. Whitaker found chocolate cake on the train and was content. Ainsley once again wanted to try one with eggs on top. Last time she chose one with salmon eggs which were pea size. This time she opted for Tobiko (flying fish eggs) and it was a big hit with everyone. Highly recommend the Sushi House Banff!

Whitaker fell asleep almost immediately when we got to the car. We had one last waterfall to see: Bow Falls. It's easily accessible by car with a short sidewalk along side. Whitaker stayed sleeping so the five of us walked up the falls and then skipped rocks in the river for a bit. It's a magnificent waterfall and a great way to end our time in Banff. My shoulders couldn't take another long hike with Whit on my back and Ainsley's legs were still pretty tired.

Since we got in so late to our hotel last night, we missed s'mores. Luckily we spent so much time in the town of Banff today, it was time for s'mores again before we headed to Calgary. Keely and the kids made a quick one and then we were off to Calgary. As we pulled out of town, a momma coyote and her three pups crossed the road in front of us. The kids were so happy to see wildlife one more time!

Back in Calgary, we cleaned out the car to make our morning departure easier and then it was time to hit the hotel's water park one last time. Slides and hot tubs and swimming wrapped up a great vacation. We leave for the airport early in the morning and didn't get anyone to bed nearly early enough. Maybe they'll sleep on the plane!

-Kevin