We made it to Canmore and back.  The wedding was lovely, except for the actual ceremony which took place in the pouring rain.  It was 5C and there was also a strong wind which made it feel even colder, but we all survived, although there was a fair bit of grumbling.  The rest of the wedding celebrations took place indoors in a lovely venue with the mountains all around.  My nephew was the officiant and he did a wonderful job, even as his script was dissolving in the rain:)  My niece was beautiful, her groom was handsome, and the whole thing was so nice.

I caught up with family as we all stayed at the same hotel.  There was a lot of talking and hugging, and catching up.  I hadn't seen most of my sister in law's family in twenty years and I was shocked at how much older everyone looked, unlike me, whom I have watched age in the mirror everyday for the past twenty years.  My sister in law and I even had time for a nice long walk, which we both love.

There was Proseco and speeches that made me cry (probably helped along by the Proseco).  My niece and her new husband were both good sports about the weather, and the speeches made by friends and parents.    

The day of the the wedding my husband and I drove up to Lake Minnewanka to visit Bankhead, TwoJack Lake, and Johnson Lake.  All was going well.  We went for a nice walk at Bankhead (an old coal mining town which was disassembled and moved in 1922 when the mine was shut down).  It was raining lightly, so not too bad.  We ran into two bachelor elk, enjoying the peace and quiet, and we promptly left them to enjoy the peace and quiet.  

We carried on to Johnson Lake which neither of us had seen before.  There is a sweet little bridge and a creek there.  I was busy taking photos, moving down the creek, while my husband was on the phone, trying to sort out a problem with the MRI scanner long distance.

I was doing fine, watching my footing, not doing anything stupid when I hit a patch of mud that was as slippery as ice.  The worst part is the my right knee was forced into hyperextension, not something my knee can do anymore, thanks to arthritis.  I screamed, because it hurt, a lot.  My husband heard me, hung up the phone and came running (he thought I was being attacked by a wild animal), at which point he also discovered the mud was as slippery as ice.  He fell flat on his back.  He got right back up, found me, and helped me up.  Both of us were covered in mud, shaken up, and sore.  He has bad arthritis in his one hip and an old back injury, plus we're not young anymore.  

We drove into Banff, a couple of minutes away and found a pharmacy.  I went in to buy some muscle relaxants and ibuprofen.  When I came out of the pharmacy I saw a woman who looked really rough, and then I realized it was a mirror:)  My hair was flattened and soaking wet, and I was covered in mud, quite the sight.

We went back to the hotel, rested, took pills, and were fine to go to the wedding thankfully.

My husband was still sore yesterday as we drove back home but feels much better today.  I'm doing fine with no ill effects thank goodness.  

The photo below was the scene of the mud crime, nothing dangerous, just unexpected.

We'll definitely be going back to Canmore.  We've never visited there, just stopped there for gas and lunch on the way through.  It's a lovely town, with new moutains and trails to explore, that we've never seen before.  Plus they had the most amazing quilt shop that I've ever seen.  Maybe we'll go back in the spring and take Jack.