Wednesday, July 15 Canadian Rockies, Icefields Parkway

 Wed. July 15

Fifty-three degrees this morning.  After cereal with fruit, we visit beautiful Beauvais Lake.  

Several geese hanging out, and ducks on the lake.    One couple of ducks are building a nest on a tussock (is that the word for a clump of grass near shore but surrounded by water? I don't think I've ever used that word before!) and we see the male bringing sticks for the construction. 

There is  a nice playground, but we did a double-take with the Bear in Area sign posted there. I guess you don't send your kids to the playground alone!

Near a town called Sparwood (we're in British Columbia now)we pause to take in "The World's Largest Truck".  See the boy beside its 12-ft diameter tires? It is called the TeRex Titan was used in mining and built by GM.

There are frequent signs to watch for wildlife, but they also have an animal detection system for quite a few miles.  The only one we saw with a message, just said "Slow Down", so I assume that meant there were animals detected in the area?   

 They also have animal bridges, which we read has greatly reduced traffic accidents involving wildlife.

  We will go up on the western side of the Rockies for a while, before crossing east near Banff.  We heard there was a fire up by Golden, so turn east before then, though we see no signs of fire or smoke.

Again, we travel in valleys where the rivers and trains also travel.

We stop for gas in a town called Radium Springs, which has this neat sculpture at the main intersection.  

Lots of A&W's in the smallish towns we pass - reminds me of Dairy Queens in the US.

We pass some construction as 93N veers east towards the TransCanada Highway.    

The Simpson River is a gorgeous blue with lots of daisies. 

We go through  Kootenay National Park and make a few scenic stops including beautiful Numa Falls on the Vermillion River.   All of the Canadian National Parks are free this Summer with something they are calling "Canada Strong Pass." How nice!

We aren't the only ones enjoying the area where Tokumm Creek spills into Marble Canyon.  We pass signs for Lake Louise aren't tempted as we've been there and remember the remote overflow parking lots = crowds. 

Bow Lake is a beauty too.  And then we are on the Icefields Parkway.

And the uphill climb to this view of Peyto Lake was worth it.  The amazing color is from glacial rock flour ground by a slow moving glacier.  It is carried into the lake by melting ice where it bounces and reflects sunlight. That's why the rivers are so blue too.

We pass a few campgrounds along the Parkway,  including one named "Mosquito" - not too inviting.  One has a  "Full" sign,  so we decide to try the next one with openings, which is Waterfowl Lake.   Quite a few spots at 3:30 or so, so we snag one and settle in.  Only tents and small RV's will fit here and by dark, the "Full" sign will be posted.  We are seeing quite a few tenters this trip! 

We check out the lake and walk the campground.  Yes those are picnic tables in the water in the first picture.  Apparently the lake level is quite high!  Only a few waterfowl about.

No mosquito problem - yeah!  Maybe because it is cool?    Fancy hot dogs and beans for dinner tonight with chips and cherries, followed by reviewing pictures and Cribbage.  The temperature falls so Beth will need that extra blanket tonight!  

Tuesday, July 14 Into Canada; Waterton & Beauvais Provincial Park

 Tuesday,  July 14

We fill up with gas at nearby St. Mary's at $5.14/gal Yikes!  Find some nice fresh pastries including a huckleberry scone and turn north towards Canada.  

Only a few motorcyclists in front of us at the border, where once again they see Texas plates and expect that we'll have firearms.  The officer is friendly and polite and we pass easily after assuring him we aren't and never are armed.  

It is a short ride to the town of Waterton.  Waterton is known as "where the prairie meets the mountains", as this picture of a field of cannola shows.  

We stop at a Visitor's Center in town to get a map of Waterton Lakes National Park.  In 1932 Glacier in the US and Waterton were joined in the world's first International Peace Park.  Called Waterton-Glacier  International Peace Park, it symbolizes peace and good will between the two countries (faltering a bit with Trump).  

We first visit Cameron Falls, which is right at the edge of town. And nearby is Parka - the Park or Town Mascot?

 Waterton Lakes is a rather small park with basically 2 main roads.  We opt to take the one to Red Rock Canyon, which passes several of the lakes. 

Lots of standing dead trees in areas from the devastating Kenow fire of 2017,  but many small evergreens and grasses and ground cover. We visited once before the fire, and it is sad to see how long recovery takes.  Makes today's horrible fires even more heartbreaking. 

 The purple/pink fireweed is flourishing. They say it is the first thing to grow after a fire.

Lots of other wildflowers as well; some familiar, some new.

Quite a few people at Red Rock Canyon.   I have to laugh at someone's dog who plops himself down in the cool water. 

  We decide to take a trail to Blakiston Falls, a nice hike amongst the standing deadwood and the new growth.  Pretty wildflowers and fewer people.  Pretty in its own way as a sign of hope and regeneration.

We even spot a stump bear - at first glance thought it was a bear, complete with ears!  (We spot these every now and then lol!)

The stream and the falls are a lovely destination a a rocky canyon.

This park has very little camping, so we've decided to continue north to Pincher Creek and try one of the Provincial Parks in the area.  Beauvais Lake looks promising (and sounds so Canadian, oui oui!) so we call and make a reservation with a really lovely, pleasant lady.  $25 ($36 Canadian Dollars) and it has 30amp electric. Over 75 sites and only three were open when we called.  When we arrive, someone shows us to the campsite, and as far as we can tell from license plates, everyone is Canadian!

We talk with Allen, our next door neighbor who is familiar with Tomball, Texas - a small town only 10-15 miles from our house, as he had work-related travel there!  Small world! He and his wife live about an hour and a half away.  

 I ask them about all the little ground squirrels we've been seeing everywhere.  They are Richardson Ground Squirrels, they say, but people also refer to them as gophers.  They are about the size of our squirrels, but have a shorter, slimmer tail and burrow into the ground rather than live in trees.  They can be quite annoying in people's yards, they say (which makes me think of both Caddyshack and Pop-a-Mole.) I look it up later and they are similar to but not the same as prairie dogs too.

Greg goes for a walk and discovers the lake while Beth plays with pictures.  We'll check it out again in the morning.  Then we have dinner and relax.  Sunset is notably later here so we end up closing all the curtains to make it dark enough to sleep!    Greg's turn to win at cribbage.