Awoke around 6AM we are at 50 degrees since we did
not turn on the heater. The campground has
only a few campers and is very quiet.
Given the wind yesterday there was none last night and it’s warmer
outside than in the RV. No sign of
animals except for ground squirrels. A
ranger tells us he has seen no bears yet and the park has moose but not around
here. In all the large animals of the
deer family they seem to be the most fragile in their needed environment. That is inconsistent with their feisty nature
and huge size. Another ranger tells us
about the effects of the congressional sequester on the parks. They continue to take cuts and it cuts
services and the length of the season.
The visitors center is closed right now.
Besides the scenic wonders, the kinds of rock that come out of the
melted glaciers are very beautiful and unique.
Bright turquoise and deep red and other colors. Glacier NP is mostly accessed from the edges
because this is the Continental Divide.
Only one precarious road can go through.
We leave the park and return onto the Blackfeet Reserve and enter the
park again at Many Glaciers. We see our
second bald eagle. The horses and cattle
run loose on the roads so we have to watch out.
The drive is well worth it. We
travel back into a tight mountain valley following the St Mary River. It is partly cloudy. There is some snow cover and some big patches
on the ground nearby. It appears they
had a mild winter. The road has some
very rough spots of loose gravel. There
is a new dam on the Blackfeet side, Sherborne Dam, at the end of Lake Sherborne.
The rivers and lakes are glacial blue. The level is low. Thinking once the remnants of the glaciers
are gone and the rivers are dependent on snow melt it will change everything
about this valley. We travel to the furthest
end of the road at Swift Current Lake.
There is a campground and cabins and restaurant etc. all hidden in the
pines. On the way back we stop off at
the big lodge which is still closed. It’s
Very beautiful like a Swiss alpine chalet facing the lake. There is a waterfall on the road running
fast. We see 20 plus sheep on the side
of the mountain just above us. No lambs
yet. We leave the valley; it was a good
decision to take the time to go back. We
have the road to ourselves.
Back
on the Reserve we spot a huge herd of domesticated buffalo and lots of
calves. It’s always thrilling to see
them. We decide not to stop at Waterton
Peace Park (Canadian) that abuts to Glacier NP.
We pass over the Canadian Border at Port of Piegan, Arretez-vous! Rt. 89
north. We are greeted with bonjour and given a survey from their travel bureau
to mail in. There only concern is guns,
alcohol and tobacco and transporting goods for sale. No restrictions on food items. We are in the province of Alberta, the
Primrose is their logo. Edmonton is the capital. This is part of Canada’s bread
basket with mega ranches of cattle and wheat.
They are harvesting winter wheat.
The fields are so massive the machinery looks like it is on
steroids. Think Montana only no buttes,
flatter and more water, although irrigation is needed with mega irrigators. We see pump stations running in a line moving
northward through the fields. It is
natural gas, we finally see the natural gas plant. This province is having an energy boom. Natural gas and crude oil from the tar sands
far in the north. We enter Calgary. Can’t believe how much it has changed over 30
years. Even over the past 2 years when
we came through. The boom is obvious,
the new wealth is obvious, and the population is growing by leaps and
bounds. We stop at Safeway to get some
last provisions. We can get some things
between here and Anchorage only the prices will be ridiculous. The weather report says rain all around over
the Victoria weekend. It rains heavily
on the way up. We are on Rt 1 north. Thinking
it’s our fifth time here and it was bound to happen. We end up camping at Tunnel Mountain II and
are greeted with bonjour! Chuck responds
with bonjour! He is very fluent with the
lingo. TM I is in the forest and would be lovely but TM II is open with clear
mountain views all around. Also the city
bus stops here. We take the bus, $2.00,
one way as far as the Fairmont Hotel. The
sky clears and we have sun, 62 degrees.
The hotel never fails to impress.
We go into the lounge area and sit by a window for a full
mountain/valley view while we have drinks and Alberta beef appetizer. Gorgeous!
The hotel is mostly done in stone.
We had dinner in their high end restaurant about 10 years ago. All in tartan, Banffshire. Scottish themed. We walk back into town in sun. Walk the main street. We see the Maple Leaf
restaurant which would have been our second choice. Brenna and Pat ate there in 2010 and never
forgot it. We return to the Balkan Greek restaurant that has been there for
years. We have a fantastic meal and a
bottle of very good Greek merlot. Return
to campsite via bus. We have showers and
electricity tonight. There is potable
water fill up and a dump station. These
are important things in RV camping. The
views all around are incredible. Night
is falling. On to Lake Louise and Jasper tomorrow. We will not likely have Internet access for a
few days. So will enter our WORD docs
when we can.
Nighty night.
RV Mileage total 290, Total RV Mileage 1,664
Total road miles 2,564
Hours traveled today: 7 1/2 hour with stops
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