pie ranch barn dance, pescadero

the barn dance at pie ranch is something we've been wanting to experience for way too long – so when we found out they were hosting one last weekend, it was time to finally just make it happen. this last minute decision left us high and dry with where we would sleep that night [and we knew driving 1.5 hrs home afterwards would not be fun]. typically we camp or snag one of the spots i mentioned in this post, but alas these were long since sold out. after some pretty hilarious brainstorming, we agreed on renting a pick-up F250 from getaround {which is actually awesome} and camping in the truck bed. for dinner we picnicked with wine and the infamous artichoke bread followed by sandwiches and sparkles. 

the rest of the night was spent dancing [to the calls by this guy] and laughing uncontrollably. afterwards we shared an entire pie, enjoyed the crazy moon, rolled out our sleeping bags and slept to the sound of the waves. the next day was spent having coffee @ downtown local and breakfast before a beach day at grey whale cove. these random little weekends are one of the many reasons i really love living here. 
 

bachelorette weekend in islamorada, florida

my dear friend elizabeth's birthday/bachelorette party came and went much too quickly. last weekend a group of 7 chicks all met up in the bottom tip of florida in the beautiful village of islamorada. i already want to go back! arriving at the crack of dawn on friday morning we chugged coffee and loaded up our bachelorette mobile to drive two hours south of ft. lauderdale. 

the weekend was perfect for so many reasons. some of which include:  old photos – everywhere, gorgeous weather, an insanely beautiful place to call home [thank you x 1 million billion, teena & bill], a pool stacked with floaties & endless rosé, beach photos @ the moorings, waterfront dinners, ridiculous straws paired with hot pink cups, pin the **** on the ****, hilarious gifts, the best question games, biking everywhere, tiki bars, so much laughing and even more loving. thank you to the best bride ever for hosting us. it was such a fun girls getaway that i'll never forget. 
 

banff national park part II: peyto lake

our final full day in canada was spent back in banff national park. on our way out of emerald lake lodge JC spotted a BEAR on the side of the road and we whipped the fasted U-turn i've ever seen. munching on some flowers he allowed us to snap a few photos and admire his cute little self. our bodies were pretty tired from hiking the day before, so we were looking for a more casual hike. peyto lake was perfect for this. we still felt active, but the entire hike takes about 20 minutes. and the water is CRAZY blue. we started to laugh when we saw it only because things just seem to keep getting prettier and prettier in this country. 

the rest of our afternoon was spent wandering the num-ti lodge, grabbing rooftop beers, having another 2 bottles of wine lunch at our hotel, playing cards, napping and hot tubbing and later venturing into town for dinner at the truffle pig bistro. this place! their food was insanely good and the vibes were so cute. 
 

banff national park: lake louise & lake agnes

after seeing photos of lake louise it's very obvious that this is a must stop if you are in the banff national park area. when we arrived it was jam-packed with tourists snapping photos – the good news is, if you have the energy to hike you can avoid having someone taking a selfie in the back of your pics.  

we heard from locals that the real way to see the views was to hike up to the "big beehive", with a stop at the tea house for lunch. i could not have been happier with our decision to do this! the hike was challenging and rewarding, the tea house was cute as can be, and we had some of the most gorgeous views I've ever seen. 

some tips for the lake agnes & big beehive hike:

• go early to avoid the crowds during, especially on weekends.
• there is limited seating inside and on the tea house patio, be prepared to share your table with strangers.
• it's much cooler up at lake agnes, bring layers to adjust to the temperature as needed.
• the distance from lake agnes [this is where the tea lodge is] to the summit of the big beehive is 1.6km. allow approx 40 minutes each way. 
   

welcome to emerald lake lodge [canada]

Our trip to Alberta was planned so long ago that when if finally came last week it almost didn’t feel real – "we're going to Canada tomorrow??".  After traveling to Glacier and Yellowstone National Parks two years ago, we were craving another mountain vacation and knew that Canada would not disappoint.

We took the SFO > Calgary flight on United to meet my parents who were traveling from Austin. After getting our rental car we drove ~1 hours West to Canmore where we stopped for extremely tasty drinks & snacks at Crazyweed before heading another 1.5 hours to our home for the next four nights, Emerald Lake Lodge.  In my eyes, this lodge is a dreamland. When we drove up and saw the cozy vibes, blue water, huge trees, perfect cabins, lake view patios and fireplace rooms we knew it was the perfect choice. The rest of the evening was spent exploring and settling in. 

Day two we hiked trails around the lodge, rented canoes, had a long and tipsy lunch at Cilantro on the lake, played cards, hiked some more, jumped in the hot tub and stayed on-site for dinner. It was a great way to ease into our vacation. 

DETAILS:

where: field, BC, canada
time of year: july
how to get there: we flew into calgary and rented a car [about 2 hour drive]
price per night: roughly $200/night [depending on time of year]
activities available: hiking, canoeing, fishing and loads more
things to know:  there are so many things to do in this area, that you'll be tempted to leave the hotel each day and explore. i'd recommend leaving a full day to just stay at the lodge and enjoy their trails, lake, food, etc. 

our full travel guide can be found here. enjoy!

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