Calgary Bound

When opportunity knocks you can choose to answer, or ignore it and continue on as is. When opportunity came knocking at our door we set off on an adventure that involved moving our family from Thunder Bay, Ontario to Calgary, Alberta. So we quickly went to work on downsizing our possessions so that we can move them across Canada in one go with as little stress as possible.

The drive took three days, since we had to think of our little guy who was only 9 months old and didn’t really like sitting in a car seat all day long. We got to experience the many different landscapes that make up Canada. Ontario; the land rises and falls, the trees sit close to the roads and are broken up by many lakes and rivers. Manitoba; the land begins to flatten out and the trees begin to recede, there are still bodies of water but they begin to become smaller. Saskatchewan; the trees disappear and the land flattens out with small dips and hills, the road is straight and you can see for miles. As we entered Alberta the hills and dips become more pronounced and larger, the trees are starting to return, though not to the extent that we were used to in Ontario. The great expanse of sky that stretches across Calgary makes you feel how very small we all are in the grand scale of the things.

For the size of Calgary there is still so many green spaces and parks. It took us a little bit to realize that the idea of a park in Alberta was slightly different then in Ontario where we were used to thick forests, lakes, and streams. One of the first places we went to explore was Nose Hill Park. We were blown away by the size of the park and how far we could see from the tops of the hills. It may not have had the thick tree lines we were used to, but it was definitely beautiful in its own way. We only had a chance to take one of the short paths, but it is somewhere that we will visit again since there are so many different trails to explore and discover.

On another beautifully sunny day we decided to pack up the kids and head further south to the river and explore some of the parks that surround it. We took the LRT downtown and walked down to Prince’s Island Park to enjoy nature and some stunning scenery. We walked along the river, feeling a couple pangs of nostalgia as we went, to the Peace Bridge where we crossed into the park. To us it felt like going home, the trees, the sound of water, and the gardens. It was a wonderful walk that helped us feel like we weren’t so far way from Ontario. We will definitely be checking out more of the river parks in the future, especially to check out some of the different seasonal fun.

We have started to appreciate the beauty of nature here even though we do miss the forests and lakes of Ontario. We are looking forward to exploring our new home and finding the hidden gems that are in Calgary and the surrounding areas. There seems to be so much to do and see that I don’t even know where we will find the time to explore it all properly. I hope you will all be back and join us on our next family adventure.

Top photo: Hazelwood Lake Conservation Area in Thunder Bay, Ontario

Bottom Gallery: Photos taken in Prince’s Island Park in Calgary, Alberta