Arrival in Waterton Lakes National Park - Oh! Canada!

We drove from East Glacier to Waterton Lakes today. We went past St. Mary's where the fire is still active. Did not see fire but there was a lot of smoke coming down the valley. Saw the major staging area fro firefighters and the field that had been turned into a helipad. It is raining in Waterton so hopefully some of that will trickle over the range to help with the fire.

Waterton is exactly how we (and faithful reader Janice Shannon) remember it from some 15 years ago. Beautiful, windy, rainy and cold. We are in the Waterton Townsite camping area, right in the town village area with Prince of Wales hotel overlooking the town and lakes. We get 4 hours of free wifi and then get to start paying. There is a lot to say that will come later but let me get right to the highlight of the day.

Bear!

In the meadow that stretched out in front of the Prince of Wales Hotel (away from the lake) a good sized black bear was out munching on berries and other delights. Just doing his bear thing like I am sure he/she has done many times before. We observed from about 100 yards and were cautioned by the ranger that to be any closer we really should be in a car.

The Prince of Wales Hotel is just stunning in its location, history and grandeur.  Sitting on a hill overlooking the lake and town, the bellhops all wore kilts, and as you sat for afternoon tea with a harpist playing you observed the water and mountains through a wall of glass window. All in a circa 1909 grand hotel, where the central lobby soared three flights and each floor of rooms became an overlooking balcony in wood and timber framing. we are going to try to head there for tea especially if the rainy cold weather holds up. 

We also took an afternoon walk along the shore of Cameron Lake and saw an eagle soaring and then drop like a rock to grab a fish. It clearly was an eagle, it clearly plunged to the water and rose, but it was pretty far away. It was either a juvenile American Bald eagle just coming into adulthood as it was pretty brown but we saw white as it flew, or a golden eagle with the belly of the fish in ts claws flashing white as it flew.  Just too hard to say for sure which it could be. 

Much more to say and more pictures but lets see if the wifi holds out for this post at least.