Day 14: Canada,here we come!

This is kind of a long blog with lots of pictures because I wanted to write about our trip to Canada.  So you can just look through the pictures or read about our experiences.  You've been properly warned.   

Happy 20th Anniversary to us!  By this time, Curtis and I had already had such an active, fun-filled week that we just kind of looked at each other and said "Oh, by the way, happy anniversary!" We headed to Alberta, Canada to the Prince of Wales Hotel in Waterton to spend the night.  It's actually part of the Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park.

We drove through the Blackfeet Indian Reservation.  The drive in was filled with endless views of grassy plains, rolling meadows of yellows, green and gold and farms with bison, cows, horses and bees.  In the distance, the mountains of Glacier National Park could be seen outlined.  We drove through some open range land in which you might round a corner and meet cows or horses in the road.  

Welcome to Canada!

We crossed the Canadian  border and took some obligatory pictures.  I saw the speed limit sign and got excited that it said "80"...until I realized it was in km, not mph. Alberta is a very beautiful countryside to drive through. 

Waterton, Alberta, Canada

The Prince of Wales Hotel reminded me of a Swiss chalet.  The lobby kind of had a large cabin feel to it, lots of dark wood with a large window overlooking Upper Waterton Lake. When we checked in, we were given a key, not a card, and told that it's a $100 Canadian fine for losing it.  So I told Curtis I didn't need my own key! Trish said the same to John. 

The only handicapped restroom was in the lobby.  None of the rooms have been updated for handicap access.  There was only one elevator and it was the original elevator so guests aren't allowed to operate it.  So Trish had to get one of the stewards to go up and down the elevator with her.  And they were only available from 7:30 am till 10:30 pm.  So we joked that Trish better make a last call before going up for the night.  She never complained.  Just kept laughing.  Everyone could take a page from her on attitude!  You don't appreciate the need for really handicap accessible facilities until you are one, you have family who is one or you have a good friend who is and you see the compromises she makes.  We did a few things on this trip that she couldn't do and she just said, Go...Have fun!  I always feel bad because I want her to experience everything too.  That's my soapbox for today....

We had balcony rooms that overlooked the lake. It was very windy and you can hear the hotel creak when the wind blew hard.  John also talked to the stewards in the lobby and told the hotel is haunted by several ghosts. One of them was helpful and would tuck you in at night.  I wonder if that's why the covers felt heavy at one point???  😱  Trish read up on the ghosts too at breakfast the next morning. Curtis was smart and didn't tell me when he read about them or he would not have gotten any sleep!  But the rumor is there is a ghost that haunts the hotel when it is closed for the season.  All I could think of was the movie "The Shining".  

Afternoon High Tea:

One of the items on our list to do was afternoon High Tea.  The hotel offers high tea every day from 1 pm till 4 pm, first come, first serve.  We got in line right before 1 pm and we were glad we did.  The line filled in really fast.  It was a fun experience. They served hot tea, finger foods such as quiche, Yorkshire pudding with beef wellington, mini lemon tarts, baguette with salmon mousse, scones with herbed butter, jam and chiffon whipped cream, chocolate cookie and some type of pudding with a gooseberry on top.  Curtis tried the gooseberry and from the look on his face, he didn't like it at all.  The tea is all you can drink.  It was really delicious and we enjoyed tea while joking and laughing.  Curtis and Trish were laughing so hard that Trish was crying.  We joke that she's his long lost twin sister.

The two pictures above are my Instagram worthy shots.

Scenic cruise of Upper Waterton Lake:

After tea, we headed into the city and decided to take a scenic cruise of Upper Waterton Lake.  The part of the lake we cruised is seven miles long and crosses the border into the United States.  The cruise guide said that they had to have a visible border so they stripped/cut trees along the border between Canada and the US on both sides of the lake.  There is an obelisk at the base and top of the borders.  I couldn't get a good picture of them, but one side would say "Canada" and the other side would say "United States".  The guide said the workers actually take several weeks every year to go up along the border and cut down trees and shrubbery to keep the border from becoming overgrown.  Curtis was so tired he tried to take a nap on the cruise.  And again, the cruise was not handicap friendly, so Trish wandered through town for two hours scoping out places to eat and see, making friends and finding out town history...and doing one of her favorite activities...people watching.  

This Chevron Rock pattern on the hillside is actually a geological site.  National Geographic did an article on it according to our guide.  The way the sedimentary layers formed the pattern is unique and says something about the way the crust is moving.  Also, the way the rocks are ground into dirt where trees can grow on the rocks is also a unique feature of the formation.

The clearing in the trees that looks like a line is the border. You can see it better on the other side of the lake in the picture below.  The guide said we can cross the border as long as we don't get off the boat because the customs on the US side is closed. He also joked that all of the Canadians just felt their wallets get lighter because their dollar just dropped to 75 cents. You can kind of see the obelisk marking the border at the bottom on the picture below.

                                                                There is a bald eagle sitting on the dead branch.

Fun facts about Waterton:

All but three businesses close in the winter: local grocery store, gas station and liquor store.  Costco is a few hours away. Only about 50 people live in Waterton year round.  They reach temperatures to minus 45 degrees F in the winter.  The lake freezes from about 5 to 8 feet thick.  People were allowed to drive on it in the past when it was frozen, but now they don't allow cars on the lake.  They don't allow ice fishing either. All motorcraft has to be inspected because they don't want foreign muscle in the lake or it could disrupt the lake ecosystem.  The deepest part of the lake is 485 feet.  It is turquoise because of the glacial melt from the mountains.  There are only three kinds of fish in the lake, but I can't remember the names.  Bears, deer and elk frequent the lake side.  Mule deer can be seen walking around town and most people had deer fences up around their yard.

We closed out the day in Waterton by walking over to Cameron Falls downtown.  They are not very big falls, but you could still feel the cool mist coming off the water.  Then we ate at the Lakeside Chophouse before making the trek uphill to the hotel.  We finished the evening by having drinks in the hotel lounge.  It was a great way to spend our anniversary!