Day 23 - Monday July 8 - Waterton National Park

We started the morning out early. The only other people up in the RV park were those going to work. I took Buck for a walk and noticed that although the sun was not up to see, it was bouncing off the mountains to the west of us. A beautiful sight to see.

We started driving east and were soon up in the mountains. This road had something unique that I hadn't seen any place else. It had signs that said they would flash if wildlife was present on the road. I can't imagine the amount of motion detectors they have placed to determine this. To our disappoint none of them were flashing.

I have always been curious about the name Crow's Nest Pass, and Highway 3 is specifically designated the Crow's Nest Road.

We have kind of flip-flopped back and forth from Alberta to British Columbia, so sometimes I am confused by which province I am really in.

The nice thing about not being in a hurry on vacation is that you get to make little side trips and discover cool things. This was the case today when I made the turn off to Crow's Nest Pass, the town. I saw some old buildings from the road and thought it looked worth exploring.

The town came about because of coal mining. A little park downtown had the remains of some of the equipment used to bring forth the coal. Between 1903 and 1913 the International and McGillvrey mines helped to fuel the boom in the region. The mines were productive until the 1950's.

This kiln was used to heat rails that were then bent to make the arches that
supported the entrance to the mines

Like I said, not being in a hurry definitely has its advantages. I might have missed the largest Piggy Bank in the World in this little park.

It is funny that I had to go through this overpass on my way to the little park and didn't even notice all the puzzles on the walls. This was pretty cool. There were all different kinds of puzzles that were put together and displayed under here. Protected from the elements.

Now we were on the southern plains of Alberta. Rolling hills full of canola and cattle.

Canola Field. The first time I came to North Dakota I was told that is was known for its oil: sunflower, Canola, soy beans and flax

We were soon seeing the mountains of Waterton park in the distance.

Our first views inside the park was fantastic.

The first place we visited was Red Rock Canyon. There were people here, but it wasn't crowded. Many of the people were actually in the canyon, some of them walking up the canyon.

The wildflowers here were absolutely beautiful. Each turn was prettier than the last.

Buck enjoying the views and fresh air.

These jokers even put a life size bear next to the road. It didn't give you pause.

Next we drove to Cameron Lake. There were lots of people here. Many in the water (my heavens it had to be cold since the water came right off the snowmelt). Some were picnicking and others boating.

We took a walk along the shoreline and enjoyed beautiful views of the mountain and glacier at the end.

BRRRRRR

Buck enjoying a drink

We meet a couple from Calgary that said they came to escape the festivities in Calgary. Right now the Calgary Stampede is going on. I asked them what mountain this was (thinking that maybe it was Cameron), but he looked on his app and told me it was Custer. She mentioned that the mountain was in the US. I said that was HOME!

Before I walked on the trail I noticed these two little girls in their swimsuits carrying this large inflatable unicorn on to the pier. They went all the way to the end and then were not quite sure how to launch it. It was pretty windy and they had their hands full. When I came back from our walk, the little girls were still on the end of the pier, now with life jackets on. And they were still holding on to the unicorn.

We drove back down the road and drove around the town of Waterton. Stopped in at the Post Office to mail some postcards and saw this proof set. The Post Mistress told me that each year that make a creative image for the One dollar coin. This year it was a beaver paddling a canoe that said Oh Canada on it. She also told me that this was the first coins to have King Charles on the back. Pretty cool collector's item.

this has coins for $2, $1, twenty five cents, ten cents and five cents. They do not have pennies

King Charles on back of the coins

Whimsical beaver in a canoe

Then we drove to Prince of Wales Hotel. There was a gate person greeted us. She handed us a parking pass and then mentioned that Buck couldn't go in. I asked her if she wanted to watch him and she surprised me by saying yes.

This is Kaylie and Buck. She told me it was the best 45 minutes of her day. When I left I gave her a bag of Cheesies and a handful of maple cream cookies and big thank you!

The hotel was amazing. All the hotels in Glacier and this one in Waterton were built in the early 1900's by the Burlington Northern railroad in hopes of encouraging tourism. Guests for this hotel had to be bused up from the terminal in West Glacier.

Not sure if this was meters or miles

From here it was time to go home. We had been in Canada for five days and although we had a fantastic time, we really just wanted to be back in the US. We crossed the border at 5:09. While the official was reviewing our documents and asking me questions and older gentleman motioned me to roll down Buck's window and asked if he would bite him. I said heavens no and the man proceeded to pet Buck up. Then a lady appeared and asked if he could have treats, Of course he can. We were soon on our way. I determined that even if I could not have gotten by, Buck was getting a free ride.

This is Chief Mountain- it holds huge significance for the Indians you know you are close to the US/Canadian border when you see this

We took a quick trip into Many Glacier the northern most place on the east side of Glacier Park. Way to crowded. One big difference between Provincial Parks and US National Parks is that Canada allows dogs on their trails, the US doesn't. So we didn't stick around here long.

I was excited to see more Bear Grass in the woods.