Waterton Lakes + Head-Smashed-In

Aaaaaaaah, Canada!!!  Let me drink from your streams!  Wade through your crystal lakes!  Wander through your prairies!

 

 

Let me…..burden my life with more material possessions.

Ai yai yai.  After we drove past the Canadian border, we drove straight to the “Bear Mountain Motel”.  What a delightful stay!  Quiet, clean + VERY reasonable!  I would definitely book a room with them again!

The next morning as you can see from the above picture was Jeff’s daily game of Jenga with our voluminous vehicle.  No joking, if you opened a door, guaranteed something would fall out EVERY TIME.  It was a stuffed turkey.

After packing it up, we took a wee bit of a stroll.  By gods, twas GORGEOUS!!!!

Had to get my feet wet.  Yo, this water is glacial!!!  Soooo clear + pure – like glass!

By the way, I got this muumuu in Utah of all places!!!  Aloha!

Canucks know how to party it up right during their 3 months of sun!  Heyoooo!!!!!

I want one of those maple leaf chairs!!!  Canadian Tire???

Around the park there were Richardson’s Ground Squirrels EVERYWHERE!!!!  Popping out from multitudes of holes like the carnival game, “Whack a Mole” – except they’re not moles.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Photo courtesy of the Kansas State Fair

This one was getting all territorial on us yelling, “HEY, HEY, HEY, HEY, HEY!!!!!”.  Translated it sounds like, “MEEP, MEEP, MEEP, MEEP, MEEP!!!!!!!”.

Alright!  We’re leaving, bossy pants ground squirrel!!!  10 minutes south we drove to check out the “Prince of Wales Hotel”.  Built in 1927 to lure Prince Edward to stay during his Canadian tour.  Wellllll, he ended up staying at a nearby ranch instead.

 

 

 

 

Ouch Prince Edward.  That hurts.  Nonetheless, it was a beautiful hotel situated by itself on a hilltop revealing breathtaking views of the lake + a high tea service that I want to get in on for my next visit!!!!

 

 

 

Amazing view, no?

Leaving Waterton Lake, Jeff + I discussed returning later in the summer.  I would love to spend more time there!  We took a detour to Fort Macleod that had cute historic downtown area + a….Salvation Army.  Hey, I wasn’t doing the driving!  When Jeff was working on “Brokeback Mountain”, they shot some scenes in Fort Macleod. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here’s Ennis (Heath Ledger) + Alma’s (Michelle Williams) apartment!

About a half hour drive east + we arrived at “Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump”.  A friend of Jeff’s knew I was interested in Native Canadian culture + suggested that we take a visit. 

“Head-Smashed-In” is a world heritage + archaeological site.  Displaying + explicitly laying out a more than 6,000 year old custom where hunters herded buffalo down lane ways where they were subsequently plunged off a cliff .  The hunters’ camps were waiting below the cliff to drag off, butcher the buffalo carcasses + used every precious piece of the buffalo for their daily lives.

Jeff took a picture of me in front of a display of a teepee using his favorite + extremely flattering low angle technique.  NOT!!!!!  All us ladies know low angle = Jabba the Hut!!!

 

We were about to walk off to the next exhibit when a visitor stopped me + said, “Oh wait! Before you walk away, can I get in a picture too?”.  I was flattered but EXTREMELY confused.  That’s when a look of horror crossed her face + she exclaimed, “OH!  You’re not part of the exhibit!”!  BWAHAHAHAH!!!!  Poor thing, she was so embarrassed.  I think muumuus in this region really turns peoples minds around.

Part of the museum that made me unbelievably somber focused on the mass massacre of the buffalo during the mid 1800’s.  Shot for their pelts + for pleasure,  the remainder of their carcasses were strewn along the plains.  Shot for sport from moving trains.  Buffalo at one time were so plentiful + strong, early colonists observed their herds as a massive sea of black.  By 1889, a poplulation of around 75 million buffalo were slaughtered to a scant 540.

Ooooooh, my dear readers it makes me sick just thinking about it.

The museum takes the visitor up through the exhibits + leads towards the outside to view the cliffs of the jumps.

So beautiful are the plains of Canada.  We wound back down through the interior of the museum + back outside to climb back up to get a closer view of the jump.

Hey, y’all!!!

Snuzzly, wuzzly deer nestled among the lupins.

The meadows of Head-Smashed-In.

As we briskly walked our way toward the parking lot, (mosquito savagery) we caught a couple more critters!  Sweetums!  Yes you, my precious pudding pie!  I see you!

And at the parking lot, a Hoary Marmot.

Hey you Hoary Marmot!  You are a majestic creature living among craggy, alpine boulders – not in a storm drain!!!  Anyhoo, hope you enjoyed my Southern Alberta post!!!!  Miss my family + friends in Los Angeles!!!!!!  Love you all!!!!!!!!