I dont know if I have written about this here in the blog but this is my 40th anniversary of my first trip to the Canadian Rockies. Yes, Douglas Hammerstrom you can take a deep bow this morning in Colorado for arranging a two week excursion in a VW Microbus for 5 guys with a lot of excess testosterone to visit the pictures of Banff you saw in National Geographic. So, wrong in your choices in politics, yet so right in your choices in recreation. Such a life changing inspirational trip that this is my fifth and Marsha's 4th trip back to the area. I could go on here for a while but this post would have to be tagged with the label back-in-the-day and that is really not the point of this.
There is in my mind a difference in how Canada approaches outdoor recreation, especially camping. Here at the Townsite in Waterton Lakes there is a European-International vibe. Some of it is the origin of the park from the railroad days a hundred years ago where you built places like the Prince of Wales Hotel and bent the railroads to bring folks to the resort. The townsite has a little village of shops and small restaurants. Not a lot, but just enough to take a stroll or a bike ride from the campground to have a bite to eat and spend some tourist dollar. It is quaint, baskets of flowers hanging along the streets, lots of benches to stop and sit, bike racks if you rode in.
The campground itself has hot showers (and not quarter showers, just push the button and out it comes). There are kitchen shelters near each of the loops. These are enclosed buildings with long picnic tables, wood stoves and lights. It is like they are saying, " Yeah, sometimes it is going to be bad weather. It can be rainy, windy and cold. You are going to want to be able to hang out in a dry space to cook or eat or just play cards or read a book. You don't have to huddle in your tent."
This morning I was up early so, I grabbed my Kindle and the rest of our electronic resources, and headed for the kitchen shelter with a bag chair. I plugged in the devices for a good charge while I read for and hour (note to family members glued to iDevices. Cold weather, and it was real cold last night , zaps battery life, sleep with you iPhone). Nothing fancy but the shelter got me a charge up a quiet hour or so in a comfortable spot.
I also get 4 hours of free wifi a day in the campground and the downtown village (I could pay for higher or faster usage). There is a laundromat in the village
This in contrast to our recent experience in the US at what arguably is the premier campground in one of the top US National Parks. At Apgar Campground there were no showers, there were no electrical hookups for RV's (meaning that when it was not quiet hours, generators were humming to charge RV batteries or run AC/Heaters). The only wifi was outside the visitors center (and no posted notice of it in the campground). It took two tries before Marsha discovered that the little snack shop in Apgar Village did have hot dogs and buns. There was no restuarant, and West Glacier was a drive out of the park. And let me add we LOVED our time there.
I guess I am trying draw the distinction about the feel of the experience. I know that I will have the same options in Banff and Jasper around the campground services. I have experienced the same in style of campground accommodations at Prince Edward Island. I don't want to get out on a philosophical limb here but it is almost like the US is the stance of the rugged individual. You can pit yourself against the environment, and go CAMPING (as long as you haul your RV/House) with you for comfort. The Canadian experience for me has been, hey, this place is great and beautiful, come and enjoy it it. We love being the outdoors, lets make it easy and relaxing.
I do not know if I am reading too much into it but we do greatly prefer camping in Canada and would choose it over the US anyday. It is looking like pizza downtown for supper, and tomorrow we are going for afternoon tea (after some morning activity and a shower) at the Prince of Wales.
There is in my mind a difference in how Canada approaches outdoor recreation, especially camping. Here at the Townsite in Waterton Lakes there is a European-International vibe. Some of it is the origin of the park from the railroad days a hundred years ago where you built places like the Prince of Wales Hotel and bent the railroads to bring folks to the resort. The townsite has a little village of shops and small restaurants. Not a lot, but just enough to take a stroll or a bike ride from the campground to have a bite to eat and spend some tourist dollar. It is quaint, baskets of flowers hanging along the streets, lots of benches to stop and sit, bike racks if you rode in.
The campground itself has hot showers (and not quarter showers, just push the button and out it comes). There are kitchen shelters near each of the loops. These are enclosed buildings with long picnic tables, wood stoves and lights. It is like they are saying, " Yeah, sometimes it is going to be bad weather. It can be rainy, windy and cold. You are going to want to be able to hang out in a dry space to cook or eat or just play cards or read a book. You don't have to huddle in your tent."
This morning I was up early so, I grabbed my Kindle and the rest of our electronic resources, and headed for the kitchen shelter with a bag chair. I plugged in the devices for a good charge while I read for and hour (note to family members glued to iDevices. Cold weather, and it was real cold last night , zaps battery life, sleep with you iPhone). Nothing fancy but the shelter got me a charge up a quiet hour or so in a comfortable spot.
I also get 4 hours of free wifi a day in the campground and the downtown village (I could pay for higher or faster usage). There is a laundromat in the village
This in contrast to our recent experience in the US at what arguably is the premier campground in one of the top US National Parks. At Apgar Campground there were no showers, there were no electrical hookups for RV's (meaning that when it was not quiet hours, generators were humming to charge RV batteries or run AC/Heaters). The only wifi was outside the visitors center (and no posted notice of it in the campground). It took two tries before Marsha discovered that the little snack shop in Apgar Village did have hot dogs and buns. There was no restuarant, and West Glacier was a drive out of the park. And let me add we LOVED our time there.
I guess I am trying draw the distinction about the feel of the experience. I know that I will have the same options in Banff and Jasper around the campground services. I have experienced the same in style of campground accommodations at Prince Edward Island. I don't want to get out on a philosophical limb here but it is almost like the US is the stance of the rugged individual. You can pit yourself against the environment, and go CAMPING (as long as you haul your RV/House) with you for comfort. The Canadian experience for me has been, hey, this place is great and beautiful, come and enjoy it it. We love being the outdoors, lets make it easy and relaxing.
I do not know if I am reading too much into it but we do greatly prefer camping in Canada and would choose it over the US anyday. It is looking like pizza downtown for supper, and tomorrow we are going for afternoon tea (after some morning activity and a shower) at the Prince of Wales.
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