Waterton Lakes National Park

 

We returned last night from a lovely two weeks exploring not too far from home. "Far" might be rather subjective, as we left our Island home and drove across British Columbia into Alberta to spend time in a few provincial and national parks, driving about 3000 kilometres in all.

As we followed our map crossing through the the Rocky Mountains and into golden grasslands, I wondered if and when we would see the mountains of Waterton Lakes National Park. They rose up on the horizon abruptly, jutting into a blue sky somewhat hazy with wildfire smoke. After settling our camping trailer into its spot, we walked around the town of Waterton to get our bearings. 

Tim's brother and his wife joined us for three nights. One place we visited was Red Rock Canyon. The canyon walls, carved out by thousands of years of water erosion, are a gorgeous red colour punctuated by white bands. This is argillite, layers of mud and sediment compressed over time. The red hue is due to the presence of iron oxide. Clear water revealed stones of many colours in the stream bed. 

Along the Red Rock Canyon Parkway we stopped to watch a couple of groups of bears. They are currently feeding up for the soon approach of winter and mostly kept their heads down while munching on berries. I was happy to see this one turn his head towards us for a few moments. One group of bear was a mama with three cubs, one very black and the other two honey brown. What fun to see them. 

Another view of the canyon. I loved the undulating shape of the rock here.

An enormous wildfire burned much of this area in 2017. The skeletons of trees remain, but renewal is happening. Willows and pines along with grasses and shrubs provide habitat and food for wildlife. Eventually, the burned trees will fall and become part of the ground cover. 

Wildfires are devastating and tragic when homes and lives are lost, but a natural part of the forest cycle. The majority of forest fires are caused by lightning. I found hiking through the burned forest quite interesting. It was easy to see through the tree trunks to the view beyond, a view that would be obscured if the trees were alive. 

We watched an American Dipper bobbing his head looking for food and causing ripples in the clear water. Waterton Lakes Park was named for an English naturalist, Charles Waterton, who was an early conservationist. 

The weather was lovely during our trip, with rain falling only on the day we left the park. Today I've been dealing with laundry and seeing what's happening in my garden. I picked 12 pounds of tomatoes and a huge basket of green beans. The pumpkins are fat and orange. There are radishes and beets and carrots to bring in, and lettuce gone to seed that will be fodder for the compost bin. 

It's lovely to go away for two weeks just as school is beginning. As a retired teacher, it makes me feel like I'm skipping class - with no consequences! As nice as it is to go away, coming home is always lovely. I'll be catching up on blogs over the next few days. 

Wishing you lovely early autumn (or spring) days.