At the drivers' meeting last night, they specifically told us they were providing us a route that is more scenic than driving down the main highway. It definitely was more scenic as we drove south with the Rocky Mountains on our right in the distance. The countryside was rolling and avoided larger cities but we did go through some smaller communities. We had a surprise moment when we happened upon Longview. We thought we might have taken a wrong turn somewhere and ended up back in Texas. But no, this is Longview, Alberta, Canada.
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| Scenery with Rocky Mountains in Background |
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| Well what do you know? It's Longview |
We did not stop in Longview as we had another stop along the route to visit the Remington Carriage Museum in Cardston, Alberta, Canada. Check in time at Crooked Creek Campground was around 2 PM so the group had time to stop and view the museum. Of course, a carriage ride was in store as well. Our driver was from Texas and had been in Canada for the last 20 years or so. Something about a horse-drawn conveyance that is very pleasant and relaxing, apart from the obvious smell of course.
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| Clip Clop Clip Clop |
Crooked Creek Campground is located just a few miles from the entrance to Waterton Lakes. We were pleasantly surprised at the views and ambiance in the park. We were only there for a few days and were kept so busy with the group that we didn't have much time to relax and enjoy. We did have a nice evening sitting out and visiting with the couples in the tour group from Massachusetts. Then the Wagonmasters and Tailgunners had a cookout for the entire group another evening. These are some of the views from our RV site.
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| Sunset changes the color of the mountains |
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| Hard to beat these views |
Our first visit to Waterton Lakes was as a group. We went to Waterton, the town, to board the boat for a lake tour of the park. This park is the Canada side of Glacier National Park which is in the U.S. and our next destination after leaving Canada. We spotted a bear while on the boat but without binoculars it was impossible to see clearly or to get a good picture without telephoto lens. The guide on the boat explained that if you are hiking, the best way to avoid surprising a bear is to make a lot of noise by talking and being in a group. He said the bells are not any good and bear spray isn't effective either. I personally am not willing to test his statements for voracity.
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| Ready to board, Prince of Wales hotel in background on cliff |
During the boat ride, we actually crossed from Canada to the U.S. while on the water. Every year, the U.S. Park Service and the Canadian equivalent get together and cut the area shown in the photos below which is the US/Canada border. Don't have to worry about illegal border crossings here, the nearest road is over 30 miles away and there's lots of rugged terrain and bears to contend with before reaching any form of civilization again.
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| View of border from one side of boat |
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| View from opposite side of boat |
After entering US waters, we came to a landing that is for Canada and an adjacent US Park Ranger office and residence. This sign below says, no entry and I for one, believe they are serious. I wouldn't even step behind the sign cause I was skeered. Yep, a true coward for breaking the rules. The vistas and beauty is impossible to describe or capture on a two-dimensional image. Here we are with Waterton Lake in the background surrounded by the mountainous terrain.
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Landing on Waterton Lake for US/Canada Rangers
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| Entry Verboten unless with proper authorizations |
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| Location of our next house |
After eating lunch and meandering around Waterton, we boarded the bus back to the campground. Tomorrow promises to be another adventurous day. We are close to leaving Canada for the US but still have a couple of days to explore left. Come back for some more adventures in the next post.
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