Waterton, July 6, 2014

Last night was unusual for a KOA stay. Not only were there some people setting off fireworks off the campground property during the wee hours of the morning, but the people in the cabin opposite ours decided to have a loud party til 2:00 a.m. The only reason it ended then, was that I got up, got dressed, and marched over there, with a reminder for them that there were people in the surrounding cabins that were trying to sleep, and with a request to SHUT UP! Surprisingly, they complied.

This morning, we showered, had coffee and breakfast, then set off for Waterton, the Canadian park just north of Glacier. The border crossing was uneventful, and a red fox watched at the side of the road as we passed by just at the Waterton entrance.

Our first hike there was called Bear Hump, a promontory that overlooks the town of Waterton and the lakes. This hike was like climbing the Empire State Building with lots of rocks in the way. The trail

View from the top of Bear Hump

itself is steep: the rise of 738 feet came over a relatively short trail--.9 miles one way. The way it

managed the inclined was by steps, each with a rise of anything from 5 inches to 18 inches. This made both the trail's ascent and descent quite challenging for both of us, just having had knee surgery.  But the view at the top was worth it--360 degree views of mountains, lakes and prairies.

Another view from the top-- The Prince of Wales Hotel is in lower left of photo

Absolutely spectacular.

The trip back down from Bear Hump--steep!

After this hike, we drove to a meadow area that was exploding with purple lupine and bright yellow daisies, and there we ate lunch.

We had been recommended to take the drive out to the Red Rock Canyon area, and try a few hikes there. We took the short trail around hte Red Rock Canyon of the Bauerman Creek. Very scenic. From there, we hiked up to Blakiston Falls, through piney woods on a flower-lined path. The falls had several viewpoints, all of which were very cool.

After a short tour around the town of Waterton, we headed back east out of the park. One note about Canada, that we had experienced in other travels as well, the signage is really terrible. The sign for the turn south from route 5 heading for the US border was about 12 inches square. Needless to say, we overshot our turn by about 8 miles. No worries, it was a beautiful ride.

Back at the cabin, it was time for chardonnay, then dinner at Johnson's restaurant, homemade everything: soup, fried chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, coleslaw (fantastic) and biscuits. I'm not sure whether I like Johnson's or 2 Sisters better. I think Johnson's wins by a hair.

Tomorrow we leave this special place (Glacier), and head for Thermopolis, WY. I hope they have better WiFi there.