Being so close to the Canadian border, we could not pass up the opportunity to cross into another country. We decided to go ahead and get passports for all of us so that we would be able to do just that while we were on this vacations. Today was our Canada day. The Canadian border was about an hour and a half away from where we were staying in Glacier so we go up early and headed that way.
As we got to the border, we were worried that we would be searched or not be able to take any food or anything with us across the border. We had asked our friends from Canada what to expect and they were telling us that we couldn't bring certain things with us and we would get questioned about what we were going to do in the country. We packed and prepared according to what they told us and then hoped for the best. When we got to the border though, it was really easy. All they wanted was our passports and then asked us where we were from and how long we planned to stay in the country. They didn't care about our food or anything we were taking in. I think they did ask if we had any guns but that was it. It was really slick. As we drove passed the border guards, we saw this huge sign welcoming us to Alberta, Canada.
We had to get a photo! Then we were on our way into Canada. Our first stop was Cardston, AB. Cardston is where our friends live so we stopped by their house to say hi to them. We were able to chat with Janet for a while but Jim was at work and Sineve was at a school picnic. We were sad to miss them but happy to talk with Janet.
Our next stop was the Cardston Temple. This temple was quite beautiful. We were able to check out the visitor center while the Hughes went inside for a tour of the baptistery. We didn't bring our recommends to go inside but we couldn't take the kids inside anyway. It was just nice to walk around the grounds.
In front of the temple is this cool bench that says "I Love to See the Temple." We just had to get a few pictures by it. The bench was placed perfectly for you to see the temple while sitting on it.
The Cardston temple was the first temple built outside of the United States and is actually the 5th temple built. It was built just after the Salt Lake Temple. Cardston was one of the first towns settled outside of the US by Mormon Missionaries so it is mostly made up of members! Those are some fun facts that I learned on this trip to Canada.
When the Hughes came out of the temple they told us how amazing it was inside. We were wishing we could have gone in too but maybe another time. We all headed to A&W to eat lunch and then plan the rest of the day.
After eating, we headed to the Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park.
This park was really fun for us. Waterton is part of Glacier National Park but in Canada so it is called an international park. Unfortunately there was a huge wildfire here a year ago so most of the trails and scenic roads were closed due to fire damage. That was okay for us though, we still had fun.
The first place we stopped was the Prince of Wales Hotel.
This hotel was beautiful. Just the outside alone was pretty but then when you went inside, it felt like you were in a mansion or castle. We walked around the gift shop in here for a while trying to find some cool Canada souvenirs. We ended up getting some t-shirts, our traditional shot glass, and some real Canada maple syrup. We probably paid way too much for the syrup but it was authentic, right!?
As we walked around the back side of the Prince of Wales Hotel, we were able to this spectacular view of Waterton Lake.
This overlook was seriously phenomenal. Like the waters in Glacier, Waterton Lake was clear and bright blue. It was also so smooth it looked like glass. We stood and enjoyed the view for a minute before we headed back to the truck.
One crazy thing about Canada was that it was so hot! I guess we always imagine Canada as being cold and snowy but this was not the case today. This day in Canada was probably our hottest day of our whole trip. It was probably only 80 degrees but it felt like we were baking in the sun. Janet told us the reason it feels hotter up here is because we are closer to the sun this far north. It must be true because it was warm!
Because of this, the rest of the family was really upset with Canada. They said they were not impressed at all with Waterton and Canada. To tell you the truth, I don't think they even gave it a chance. They went to the Prince of Wales Hotel and then left Canada mad. In fact, Russell and I didn't even know they had left because we were still looking at souvenirs. Oh well we told each other, we were going to have some fun on our own. So that is what we did.
Our next sight to see was the Cameron Falls.
These Falls were right off the road so we didn't have to walk very far. They were quite stunning. While we were checking out the falls, we saw a few people cliff jumping into the water below the Falls. It looked quite dangerous but also very fun. They people jumping said they do this a few times every year and it is a blast. But they warned us that is was really cold too.
One cool and rare thing about the Cameron Falls is that at certain times of the year, like during the rainy season, this waterfall turns pink! The cause of this special water color is a result of heavy rains stirring up a sediment called argolite. When light gets reflected off this mineral, the water turns into a beautiful pinkish-red. Crazy huh! Too bad we were not there at that time of year to see it turn pink. We saw it during a beautiful clear blue day.
Unfortunately the trail near this waterfall and the trail leading to Bertha Falls were closed for maintenance due to the fire damage. So instead of hiking into nature, we walked around the Waterton town.
This little village reminded us of Springdale near Zion National Park. It is just a little tourist town full of souvenir shops and things like that. One place we were told we had to check out was "The Big Scoop" ice cream shop.
This little shop did not disappoint. We each got huge ice cream cones of all different flavors. The best part was that it was not that expensive either. As you can see, we loved every bite. I got a really good flavor called Tiger's Tail. It was orange ice cream with stripes of black licorice. It was so good but I have never seen it anywhere else. The kids got their own favorite flavors like mint chocolate chip, bubble gum, cotton candy, and birthday cake. Russell got a really good chocolate peanut butter something that was yummy! We definitely recommend this place if you are ever in Waterton.
After cooling off with the ice cream, we decided to continue the cool down with a dip in the Waterton Lake so we all got our swimming suits on and jumped in.
The water was FREEZING!!!!! For how hot it was outside, we thought the water would be perfect but no it was ICE! Well that did not deter the kids and Russell for very long, they were there to swim and get wet and have fun whether the water was cold or not. Because of the cold they mostly just splashed at the edge of the water and threw rocks but they did have a good time. Russell and Emily had a competition to see who could dunk under the water the most times. I think they each dunked about 10 times under the ice water before freezing. Then while Russell was taking Logan to the bathroom, Emily dunked 3-4 more times to try and win. When Russell came back, he realized he was behind so he had to make up some dunks quickly. He dunked under the water 5 more times right in a row and then when he came up, he was frozen and said he had a headache. More like a brain freeze from the cold water. That didn't stop him though from trumping Emily but doing a handstand under water (and getting another brain freeze). Emily finally said he won and they both came out of the water to warm up.
Everyone had a good time in the water. Even though it was cold, we did not want to leave. This was another relaxing day for us. We had a great time at Waterton and Canada. I think the others missed out.
Finally we decided we better head back to camp because it was starting to get overcast and looked like a storm was coming. We still had to cross back over the border and travel quite a ways to get back. So we got dried off and changes back into our clothes for the drive home.
On our way out of the Park, we saw this little bear on the side of the road. These are not good pictures because he is covered in grass but he was pretty close to us. He was cool to see. I wish we would have been able to see more bears and other wildlife while on this trip.
Instead of crossing the border where we did this morning, we decided to go to another border station called the Chief Mountain Port of Entry. This was a more scenic route back home through the forests. Once again we were nervous to go through border patrol. This entry though was even easier than before. The guy took our passports, asked us if we had a good time and sent us on our way. So easy!
We had a great time in Canada today. Now our family can say we have been out of the country. We also have our passports which are good for at least 5 years so maybe we will have to check out Mexico some time!
No comments:
Post a Comment