The alarm at the Hilton Garden Inn in Calgary goes off at 5:20 A.M. but it is worth the effort getting out of bed because breakfast and a great day awaits us. We joined our friends, Steve and Margaret Friedman in the hotel café for the Caravan tour breakfast which means we get just about everything the other hotel guests get except omelets and oatmeal. Our bus, practically new and bigger than a lot of homes, pulls out at 8 AM and heads towards Waterton Lakes National Park. On the way we stop at historic Fort Macleod and visit the museum of the North-West Mounted Police, later renamed the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. This fort was built in 1884 and was established to bring order to the wooly, wild, Canadian West. www.fortmacleod.com Back in the saddle, we travel on up to beautiful Waterton Lakes National Park www.explorewaterton.ca and watch in awe as the Rockies rise dramatically out of the rolling prairies. The cloud shrouded, snow capped mountains and myriad of lakes and rivers are a sight to behold. In side the park, our first stop is at the Prince of Wales Hotel with it’s unique turn of the century architecture and view overlooking Waterton Lake. Just down the road is the charming village of Waterton. After lunch at Zum’s and Welch’s Chocolate and Fudge Factory, we piled into the bus again for destination Camaron Lake. Camron Lake has the distinction of having the US – Canadian border crossing it. That’s right, if you go out in a rowboat, you can row your way out of Canada and into the USA and you won’t even need a passport to do it. A little later, back in Waterton, we checked into the Bayshore Inn for a 2 night stay. Dinner was on Caravan tonight and 3 of us opted for a delicious salmon meal while 2 others (Debbie and Melinda) who are culinary challenged opted for the chipper chicken (I think they have watched Father of the Bride) once too many times. One neat think about eating at the Bayshore Inn dining room is that you get to look out over the bay as well as watch deer feeding on the lawn in front of the dinning room.
Melinda at Fort Macleod with a Royal Canadian Mounted Policeman
Niles protecting the fort from attacks by the First Nation
Debbie and Melinda in front of the Prince Wales Hotel
Melinda, Margaret, and Steve at Camaron Lake. Oh yes, and Flat Stanley, too.
2 comments:
Rick and I went to the Prince of Wales Hotel for tea one afternoon and we stayed at the Bayshore with all the kids on one of our trips.
We're reliving this trip with you. I'll be anxious to hear how you like Banff and Jasper. Have a great time! Thanks for the time you spend on your blog.
I'm going to Kentucky for a couple of days with Deana to help her son pack for a move to Arizona.
You'll probably have pictures up by the time I get back.
Say "hi" to Debbie and Melinda.
~Cherie
I did and Debbie and Melinda said to say "hi" back. Hope you had a great trip and will post some pictures.
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