September 17…. O Canada!

Another visit north of the border today, this time to Alberta to visit Waterton Lakes National Park. This park is Canada’s fourth national park, established in 1897.

I thought WLNP was going to be Canada’s version of Glacier Nat’l Park, since they are right next to each other and use the same mountain range, but it was quite different. Seemed drier (on the mountain sides) and rockier than Glacier. Reminded me more of Rocky Mountains Nat’l Park in Colorado. I mean, it is an extension of the Rocky Mountains, so it makes sense, I just expected it to be more Glacier-y.

Anyway…. Getting there is a long drive through nowhere. Forests, grasslands, lakes and bogs, but almost no civilization. Beautiful country, just empty, mostly.

But once we reached the park, there’s the town of Waterton Village. Neighborhoods, lawns, stores, the whole thing. All on the shores of several lakes with the prettiest aqua and turquoise waters.

We explored the little town for a while, got some ice cream (because that’s what tourists are supposed to do) and walked along the lake, then headed up into the mountains to sightsee.

Waterfalls are always on our list…

And we also visited the lodge…. Prince of Wales Hotel. Built in 1927 at the height of the tourist boom in Waterton. It’s perched on a hilltop and overlooks the length of the lake.

We also visited the site of the first producing oil well in western Canada. Drilled in 1893, it produced about a barrel a day for several years, till drilling issues forced them to shut down.

Part of the park is a huge fenced in bison paddock. We entered and drove all over the place, hunting the elusive beasts. Nuttin’. Finally, off just over the crest of a hill, we could see a partial view of a single bull. We started to feel like driving there would be a bust, until we walked up a hill and there they were, waaaay off in the distance, we could see a herd.

Another long day in this hard, hard life. Going out and seeing all these sights is so tough. I mean, I could still be back at work, sitting behind a desk, looking to head off the next emergency. My old boss texted me yesterday and I didn’t even go into automatic overdrive panic mode when I saw his name.

Hmmmm, maybe this isn’t so bad after all. 😉