Day 32 – Monday June 19/17

(Posted on Tuesday June 20th)

Nancy was awakened just before 7:00 this morning by the sharp chattering call of a western ground squirrel – a noise she finds reminiscent of grackles at home and just as irritating. These little critters are similar to the prairie dogs we’ve become accustomed to in our stays across the prairies, but they are a darker brown with a fuller tail. But one look out the window to see the stunning mountains all around and the irritation was gone.

We left the trailer at 8:30 to walk into the town centre in order to buy tickets for the 10:00 sailing of the M.V. International cruising Waterton Lake from Canada into the adjoining U.S. national park in Montana. (photos)

The M.V. International, built and commissioned in 1927

We had about an hour to sit in the sun and enjoy the lakeshore view before boarding began. We got a prime seat outside on the top deck. Unfortunately the sun disappeared but we were still able to be awed by the scenery.  (Photos) 

Mountaintop up in the clouds, about 2miles high

When a bald eagle circled the ship we knew we were in the right place.(photo)

We were surprised to learn that by agreement the border between Canada and the U.S. must always be clearly visible. Along the shore of Waterton Lake that meant that a row of trees had been cleared and obelisks were erected on each shore. (photos)  Every 5 years or so the trees are cleared to make sure the boundary can be seen.The boundary here is the 49th parallel.

East side of the lake

West side of the lake

Upon reaching Goat Haunt – the southern end of the lake in Montana – we were greeted by a U.S. park ranger who gave us some history of the park.  This international park was established in 1932 as the first International Peace Park in the world, commemorating the long standing history of good relations between the two countries. 

After a half hour stop in the U.S. we made the return voyage to Waterton and lunch.

We had spectacular views of many mountains and rock formations on the 2&1/4hr cruise.

A welcome nap and then we headed out to explore another area of the park. We drove the Akamina Trail stopping frequently to take in the specular views of Cameron Creek with rapids, waterfalls and canyons. (photos) 

We were delighted to discover the site of the first oil well in western Canada.

We then stopped for a short hike along the shoreline of Upper Waterton Lake. With mountains on the far side and a hillside of wildflowers to walk through (photo). This was another wonderful experience. 

A final stop at a waterfall on this same Cameron Creek here in town provided the final photo stop of the day.

The deferred Father’s Day bbq’d steak, baked potato and corn-on-the-cob feast was a special treat when eaten with a mountain view.