Every year for our anniversary we go on a big road trip. This year we had a 6-month-old as a third wheel, and everyone told us we were crazy, but—historically our craziest ideas have also been our best ones, so we did it anyway. This was no exception.

I’ve dreamt of visiting Banff and Jasper National Parks in Canada from the moment I laid eyes on a picture of Lake Moraine some ten years ago. This year when we decided to finally go, I knew it wouldn’t be the trip I’d imagined a decade ago, or even the one I’d have thought up just a few years ago. It required far more planning, more luggage, and more compromises than any trip we’d ever been on pre-baby (duh)—but it was also that much more rewarding.

We flew to Seattle, rented a truck camper, and drove about 2600 miles, from Seattle to Banff, up to Jasper via the Icefields Parkway, back down through Yoho and Glacier National Parks, out to Whistler, down to British Columbia’s coast via the Sea to Sky Highway, then all the way out and around the Olympic Peninsula before returning to Seattle and flying home.

So I guess you can go ahead and call us crazy, but—what an adventure for our family, and what a joy to spend 2 weeks on the road with just my guys.

I’ve chosen to share our journey in 4 parts: Seattle to Jasper, Yoho to Kamloops, Whistler to Porteau Cove, and the Olympic Peninsula.

Here is part 1, as told in pictures: our journey from Seattle up through the Canadian Rockies via the Icefields Parkway. I hope you enjoy.

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