Day 12 - Christmas in July

Warning ... excessive photos!


It was a very cool morning when we awoke. By the time we had packed the car, the temperature said 12 degrees! Because we had made an early start, we were able to miss most of the crowds. Not that there were really that many people anyway. We've noticed there are not a lot of crowds here in the park. The local people we've spoken with have said that business is down and has been for the past few years. I guess the recession really is alive and unfortunately, well.



Views from "Going To the Sun" highway.

Going-To-The-Sun Highway 

Mountain Goats at Logan's Pass

Views heading down from Logan's Pass - East side

Jackson Glacier

St. Mary Lake - East Glacier

  

Anyway, we drove thought the park gates with no problems and were on our way to Logan's Pass and the Road-to-the-Sun highway. The sun was trying really hard to come out but the cold temperatures and clouds persisted. The road really is an engineering feat. We were hugging the side of the cliffs while cars passed on the other side of us. Snow was packed on the mountains and here and there were small waterfalls. There was some construction on the road but the waits weren't too long. As we rounded the corner for the visitor centre, we saw a herd of mountain sheep. We weren't too close but we knew they were the sheep we had been looking for!

At the top of Logan Pass

We hopped out of the car at the centre and.....just about froze to death! It was so cold and windy. We were totally not prepared for that. With the whipping wind adding a windchill to the temperature, I'm sure it was about 0 degrees (Chloé said it felt like -10!) Needless to say, we were not dressed to go for a walk of any kind. We carried on stopping now and again to take incredibly breathtaking views. We also stopped to take a photo of one of the last glaciers left in the park. Awesome to see but also sad as the sign pointed out that the next time we pass this way, the view could be completely different from as it is today.

US / Canada Border Crossing - Line through the park

We carried on driving north to the US/Canada border and came back into Alberta. 

Very sad .. .we never saw a bear.  :(

Waterton Park was our next stop. We had lunch by the lake and then drove down the road to take photos of the famous Prince of Wales Hotel. When we went into the lobby we were surprised to see Christmas trees all set up and there was an elf at reception! We asked what was going on and they explained that as they aren't open in December, they celebrate Christmas in July and today was Christmas Eve. Fun!! 

Christmas Eve at Prince of Wales Hotel

People were in a celebratory mood and there was harp music playing in the background. We took photos outside whike trying to not be blown off the point by the ferocious wind! Down into the town of Waterton to look through the shops and source out some coffee. We were all needing a pick-me-up afafter he cold temps and lots of driving.

Town of Waterton 

Prince of Wales Hotel

While sipping our drinks, we decided to take a small detour to Red Rock Canyon for a short hike. The pictures looked really interesting and it wasn't going to take us too far off the highway. As we drove along, our eyes were peeled for a bear sighting. We stil hadn't seen one after all our days in the mountains and we would be leaving soon. :(

Red Rock Canyon

We arrived at the canyon and were very impressed by the red colours. Tribes of Aboriginals had used this area hundreds of years ago so that added to the appeal of the area. We did the short hike, reading the information about the canyons about its features and then stepped down into the canyon. We took some photos, having fun with the sunshine.

Back to the van and we settled in for the drive to Lethbridge. Very sad ... this was the only bear we saw ... a plywood cut-out on the side of the road, warning people "Never get this close"!

Finally ... a bear!

We were rocking and rolling on the curvy road when we came across a few vehicles pulled over on both sides of the road. Guess what it was they were looking at! Guess! It was a GRIZZLY BEAR EATING BUFFALO BERRIES!!!! This was an awesome experience. We spent 20 minutes watching this fantastic animal eating berries in its own environment. I'm certain the bear knew there were cars and people there but it just carried on doing its own thing. We took so many photos it was hard to pick one that would give everyone the right idea of how big it really was. All we could say at the end of that experience was "WOW!" This was a the final thing we needed to make a great holiday even better.

We arrived in Lethbridge around 7 pm and checked in to the hotel. Out for dinner, a quick hot tub and then bed. What a day!
Jenn


P.S. Some more random shots ...

Tinsley - the Recycling Fairy

  

A new addition - Doug the Moose

Doug navigating

Ah ... Canada!

Not Abbey Road