Waterton Lakes National Park AB to Browning MT USA - 11,134 kms
Jul 30, 2014
Thumbnail is a shot of Cameron Falls literally on the outskirts of Waterton which was jumping last night and today there were people heading out on horseback trail rides and group cycle rides on a tarmac track as well as heaps of hikers. It is a short time for local businesses to make their money as there is no snow field handy and they operate mid May until mid October, weather permitting, and the winter population is only 20.
And farewell to Waterton Lakes, an unexpected surprise as was the opportunity to watch a small fawn and deer graze beside the deck where we ate our dinner at the Bayshore Chop House Restaurant last night.as we have had to show a number of people how to open them
From here we headed out briefly into the plains and as we headed for the border and the Glacier National Park we had a view of where the mountains meet the plains.
This is a shot of Chief Mountain with a summit of 9,080 feet and yes we crossed the border on Chief Mountain so back to feet and inches and mph. Oh and by the way these mountains aren't foothills of te Rockies but are a separate limlimestone range which has been forced upwards.
We stopped for a coffee at the Lodge at St Mary before we turned onto the 'Going to the Sun Road' and let me tell you we were fortunate there were a lot of road works with road ripped up and gravel surface and the only pullover places full of works vehicles or inaccessible from the works or we wouldn't have gotten in yet!
An awesome view as we headed for West Glacier.
And another.
And yet another.
Everywhere we looked there were more waterfalls and as we headed down the other side from Logan Pass they were right on the edge of the road.
Some tourists volunteered to take our photo near the top of Logan Pass. The large peak in the middle of the shot is called 'Heavy Runner' which I assume refers to the thaw water as even now well into summer it is considerable.
Heading down from Logan Pass and what a dizzying view and yes that is the road cut into the hillside to the right. We have very few shots from here down as there were very small and limited spots to pullover and they were mostly full and unlike some travellers we didn't think we should stop in the middle of the road to take photographs.
And after lunch at the Lake McDonald Recreation Reserve this is a quick shot of Lake McDonald as the skies were closing in and we needed to make a mile or several to get in dry....which we did.
Bits and Bobs:
The 'Tip Jaw' at St Mary Lodge coffee shop Rather than a Tip Jar.
We have been moving through Grissly bear and Cougar country and this was a sign as we were heading into the Glacier National Park.
A mountain goat enjoying the lush growth at the top of Logan Pass.
Last Night's Accommodation:
Bayshore Inn, 111 Waterton Avenue, Waterton Lakes National Park, AB T0K 2M0
Comfortable space in the bedroom but cramped with 2 beds. The building is ageng pretty well but must have a huge maintenance bill with so much timber everywhere in a brutal climate. Staff were great, good services throughout town. Included on site parking and wifi which was useless other than for email (hence no blog last night) reasonable value for money in a beautiful spot to chill out or be very active, whatever suits you. By the way the rubbish binisn't falling over. This is a bear proof bin (they are everywhere) and the top has a special bear proof latch which is apparently more effective than childproof caps on medicine bottles as we have had to show a numbet of people how to open them.