Day 18 Wednesday September 28th

From Pincher Creek to Medicine Hat

A last chance to see the Rockies. We are glad to leave the motel which became very cold during the night when a strong wind almost blew the roof off and the draught through the doors and windows cooled down the temperature considerably. There were no extra blankets, so I had to live with it.

Stardust Motel

Breakfast in an Inn next door warmed us a bit and we set off facing the Rockies. The skies are very big. It is hard to capture the open space and the liberating vastness of it all in photos. The land here is cowboy land, with free roaming cattle and horses. Grass is all there is, and the undulating, yellow hills form a beautiful contrast against the backdrop of the blue mountains in the distance. Old wooden sheds, sagging and often in bad repair, give some idea of distance and perspective. Cows in the fields look minute, like children’s toys.

Views from Pincher Creek towards Waterton

We are heading for our last National Park in this area, Waterton Lakes on the border of the USA and Canada. In fact it is one with Glacier National Park in the USA, but we don't cross the border and stay on the Canadian side. The lakes are hidden deep down in the valley. On top of a hill, a Victorian type of hotel is looking out over the lakes. It is in a fantastic position, but I would prefer to stay in one of the more cozy cabins down on the shores of the lake.

Waterton

Deer walk through the village, grazing in gardens and on stretches of grass. It is very quiet and serene, probably because we are in between seasons. There are some very attractive shops, souvenirs shops with coffee corners and restaurants. One shop sells the most beautiful and unusual Christmas figures, blue and gold. They are expensive, but worth it. I can’t take them home though, so regretfully have to leave them behind.

We go to see Cameron Falls at the end of the village, which is not very spectacular except for the view from the top. We turn around and drive up to Cameron Lake, high up in the mountains. The drive is interesting as the road is winding and offers different views round each bend. We pass a historic landmark, the spot where the first oil well in Western Canada was drilled. No oil is found here now. It was a short lived adventure. But Alberta is full of oil and we see many pumps ("jaknikkers" as they are called in Dutch) along our route.The lake itself is very clear and the snow topped mountains reflect in the water. It is bear country again, but not for us this time. On the way back we get spectacular views of the lower lakes and the Disneyland motel.

A road near the exit of the park leads us up into the mountains again, at first through rolling hills, golden in colour, dotted with dark spruces.  At the end of the road we reach what we have come to see, the Red Canyon. Not very deep or very high, but the stone here is a very distinct red, with white layers. We have seen red rocks on our way to the canyon, but they were just outcrops and here in the canyon the rocks are bare and so show themselves in all their glory. We take the obligatory hike around the canyon, which is no hardship.

Red Canyon

When we leave the Park we head for Cardston. We are dying for a coffee, but it s a Mormon town and so no coffee shop in sight! Mormons don’t drink coffee. The big Mormon Temple is here. But the town looks dreadfully unattractive, most shops are closed, so we buy some provisions in a supermarket and have a picnic in a small park along the river: bread, cheese, salami, apples and some juice. This whole area is Mormon country. It is amazing that towns in Western Canada, and perhaps all over Canada, are still so dominated by ethnic groups or religious groups.

Waterton area map

We are not sorry to leave Cardston, and follow highway 5, via Raymond and Stirling south of Lethbridge, then the 24 and the 33 to Taber and via de 114 on to Medicine Hat. En route we see many dilapidated homesteads, old grain elevators and new ones along railway tracks. Traveling east the grasslands become flatter and grass is replaced by grain. No more cowboy country with corals and horses and cows. This is an area where many Dutch farmers have settled, as well as the Mormons. As we have taken a back road, we miss the hotel strip west of Medicine Hat and have difficulty finding a place to stay. In the end, after some wrong moves, we are directed to the business strip on the East side and a Super 8 which offers a nice hotel unit, next to a delicious fish restaurant. It couldn’t be better, except for the fact that the hot tub is not in the bathroom, but in the living room opposite the TV and next to the settee which is my bed for the night. Peculiar arrangement! But the fish is super!

Waterton