The Best Laid Plans

Our plan for this weekend was to take Matt skiing for the first time. Saturday was predicted to be cold and windy, with conditions improving on Sunday. We decided to go to Cochrane on Saturday for their WinterFest - there were pony rides and hay rides - which our son loves to do at any opportunity. Sunday we'd go to Lake Louise, spend an hour or so on the learner's slope at Lake Louise resort with our son and then head to the Chateau on the lake for the Ice Magic Festival.

We had loads of fun Saturday and Sunday morning the weather looked like it would cooperate, so we packed up the truck and took off to Lake Louise. As we headed in the mountains, the weather worsened. Ominous clouds hung overhead, the wind picked up and snow hit the windshield but as anyone who has headed into the mountains knows, the next turn in the road can bring dramatically different weather so we continued on. This proved the case a couple of time but looking ahead there was always more inclement weather ahead. The dramatic conditions did provide for some great photographs.

Upon arriving at Lake Louise, with the wind blowing on the mountain, we gave up the idea for the skiing - we wanted good weather (or at the very least better weather). The wind was calm when we got the parking near the Chateau and after a bite to eat, we bundled up, grabbed the skates and sled and headed to the lake. While the wind didn't remain calm, we had a great time at the festival - we saw the ice carvings, went ice skating on the lake, and generally had fun in the snow (we did go inside to do a craft when the wind created white out conditions on the lake).

It took a bit of flexibility but even though our original plan didn't work, we had a great weekend. What did you do this weekend? How do you deal with changes to your plans?