Second Chances

The perfect spot to relax!

Last year, on our way home from the LTV rally in Winkler MB, we wanted to stop at Waterton Lakes National Park in southwest Alberta. At the time, the campground was full, so we continued on our way towards home, and didn’t even bother to drive through the park. 

 

This year, D booked a night at the park. The drive there from Fernie BC was WINDY! We had wind gusts of over 60km, which made for a difficult drive, and the RV made terrible rattling noises that concerned us very much (we later figured out it was likely just the screen on the roof vent rattling in the crosswind – phew!). After such a stressful drive, we decided to stay two nights so we could recuperate from the experience. And we were glad we did!

Waterton Lakes NP is on the edge of the Rockies, where the steep mountain ranges meet the rolling prairies. There are three lakes – Upper, Middle, and Lower Waterton Lakes. Upper Waterton Lake actually straddles the Canada/US border and if you want to travel up the lake, or hike in the backcountry surrounding it, you need your passport and you must report to US Customs online before you go. 

On our walk around the village of Waterton, we visited the Prince of Wales Hotel on the hill with lovely views overlooking the lake, the mountains, and the village. Built in the 1930’s, the hotel still has all the tradition, charm and feel of the era. They still serve afternoon tea in the Windsor Lounge, and the hotel and restaurant staff are dressed in tartan scarves and kilts. 

The view from the lobby of the hotel

Deer everywhere, and not at all afraid of humans!

Later that evening, we participated in a ‘cooking’ class that was quite a different experience for us - a pemmican making workshop. Charlie, a member of the local Black Foot tribe, spoke of the history of his people in the area, and the history of pemmican making. Did you know, that when properly made, pemmican can be stored for over 30 years?! Pemmican is made with only three ingredients: dried meat (traditionally buffalo, but we used dried beef), berries (the First Nations people traditionally used saskatoon berries or choke cherries) and rendered fat (tallow). We used a rock to pound the dried beef to a powder, and then added the fat and the berries. It was hard work to make only a small amount (about 100g of dried beef), but Charlie told us his ancestors would typically make pemmican from the meat of many bison. Each bison can yield up to 400 pounds of meat! 

We haven't been brave enough to try our pemmican!

Before leaving Waterton Lakes on our final day, we diverted off the main road to drive through the scenic Blakiston Valley to Red Rock Canyon (named for the beds of argillite rock in the canyon). The walk along the river trail was fascinating and beautiful – I highly recommend the 30km round-trip detour if you ever make it to the park.