This is where three friends (Anne B, Janet and Shirley) and I went the last two days, 11 and 12 June 2018. Part of Monday was spent travelling south to Waterton Lakes National Park, stopping at several places en route, including Lundbreck Falls. With no stops, it takes roughly three hours to get there. We stayed on Monday night at the Bear Mountain Motel in Waterton town, that you can see part of in this photo. I'm not sure, but our motel might be just off the photo on the right. Tuesday morning, we drove around the Waterton area, hoping to maybe see more bears, and then made out way back north, reaching Calgary late afternoon/early evening. As it was, we were so lucky to see a gorgeous Cinnamon Black Bear, at first from a great distance and then unexpectedly close. Also spotted a Black Bear in among the blackened, burned trees that were at the edge of the road. It was very difficult to see and impossiible to find an open spot through which to take photos - but it was our second bear.
One of my favourite mountains in Waterton is the jagged row of pinnacles that can be seen slightly right of the centre of this image. These are the Citadel Peaks pinnacles, seen from near the Prince of Wales Hotel, high up on the cliff overlooking Upper Waterton Lake. The wind was SO strong for the whole of our stay (which is why I did not stand closer to the edge!) and it is amazing that any of my photos taken on these two days came out at all. A real challenge for any camera Image Stabilization system!
I had been hoping to someday get a chance to get down to Waterton, especially to see how it looked after the devastating Kenow wildfire that damaged or destroyed so much of the park in 2017. Most of the park is still closed, but the whole town site and Chief Mountain Parkway and area are open. To me, the park looked beautiful, with enough green areas to contrast with the dead trees on the mountain sides. Firefighters did such a brilliant job last year of saving the whole town, and a team of firefighters form Calgary had been given the task of doing all they could to save the historic Prince of Wales Hotel, seen in my next image. There it still stands, untouched. One can see how close to the town and iconic Hotel the fire had come - right up to the very edge, where a sprinkler system had been set up before the fire got close. Wild animals, plants and birds were seen. There were plenty of wildflowers, though I suspect we may have been just a little early for many species. I was so pleased to spot a small patch of what I thought might be Mariposa Lilies near the edge of the road that we were driving on. We stopped for me to check and, sure enough, my friends were able to see these unusual flowers for the first time. Chipmunk, Golden-mantled Ground Squirrels, Colombian Ground Squirrels and deer were seen. Not a huge variety of birds, but we were only able to look in such a limited space. It was great, though, to see two distant Sandhill Cranes and a distant Common Loon on her nest.
"With its merging landforms, connected ecoregions and its mild, moist, windy climate, Waterton Lakes National Park is an amazing meeting place for an abundant and diverse collection of vegetation.
Despite it's small size (505 sq km) Waterton is graced with over 1000 species of vascular plants . Over half of Alberta's plant species are found in this tiny place. The park's four ecoregions - foothills parkland, montane, subalpine and alpine - embrace forty-five vegetation communities. Sixteen of these are considered significant because they are rare or fragile and threatened.
Waterton also has an unusually high number of rare plants - over 175 are provincially rare (e.g. mountain lady's-slipper, pygmy poppy, mountain hollyhock), and over twenty of these are found only in the Waterton area (e.g. western wakerobin, Lewis' mock-orange, white-veined wintergreen). Over 50 species are rare in Canada (e.g. Bolander's quillwort, Lyall's scorpionweed, Brewer's monkeyflower.)" From Parks Canada website.
www.pc.gc.ca/eng/pn-np/ab/waterton/natcul/natcul1/f.aspx
Apart from the wind, we were very lucky with the weather for our two days. No rain, thank goodness. The morning was chilly and so was the night. Yesterday, Tuesday, the temperature got up to 20C on our way home.
Tags: Alberta Canada southern Alberta near Canada-US border Waterton Lakes National Park S of Calgary Calgary to Waterton 264 km, 159 miles driving time roughly 3 hrs Upper Waterton Lake seen from Prince of Wales Hotel nature scenery landscape view scenic mountains peaks mountain side mountain slope lake water trees forest town building recreation clouds sky outdoor spring 12 June 2018 FZ200 FZ200#4 annkelliott Anne Elliott © Anne Elliott 2018 © All Rights Reserved
© All Rights Reserved
Waterton Lakes National Park is where three friends (Anne B, Janet and Shirley) and I went the last two days, 11 and 12 June 2018. Part of Monday was spent travelling south to Waterton Lakes National Park, stopping at several places en route, including Lundbreck Falls. With no stops, it takes roughly three hours to get there. We stayed on Monday night at the Bear Mountain Motel in Waterton town. Tuesday morning, we drove around the Waterton area, hoping to maybe see more bears, and then made out way back north, reaching Calgary late afternoon/early evening. As it was, we were so lucky to see a gorgeous Cinnamon Black Bear, at first from a great distance and then unexpectedly close. Also spotted a Black Bear in among the blackened, burned trees that were near the edge of the road. It was very difficult to see and impossible to find an open spot through which to take photos - but it was our second bear.
"The cinnamon bear (Ursus americanus cinnamomum) is a color phase of the American black bear, native to Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, Idaho, Montana, Washington, Wyoming, Alberta, and British Columbia. The most striking difference between a cinnamon bear and any other black bear is its brown or red-brown fur, reminiscent of cinnamon, from which the name is derived.
Cubs weigh approximately 230 grams (8 oz) at birth, with adults weighing between 92.1 and 270 kilograms (203 and 595 lb). The life span for this bear is a maximum of 30 years.
Cinnamon bears are excellent climbers, good runners, and powerful swimmers. They are mostly nocturnal, though sometimes active during daylight hours. The cinnamon and brown bears of this country are simply color phases of the black bear, the blondes and brunettes of the family. The various colors are frequently intermixed in the same family; hence it is a common occurrence to see a black bear female with brown cubs, a brown and a black cub, or even all three colors. The bears hibernate during the winter months, usually from late October or November to March or April depending upon the weather conditions. Their scat resembles that of domestic dogs." From Wikipedia.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cinnamon_bear
I had been hoping to someday get a chance to get down to Waterton, especially to see how it looked after the devastating Kenow wildfire that damaged or destroyed so much of the park in 2017. Most of the park is still closed, but the whole town site and Chief Mountain Parkway and area are open. To me, the park looked beautiful, with enough green areas to contrast with the dead trees on the mountain sides. Firefighters did such a brilliant job last year of saving the whole town, and a team of firefighters form Calgary had been given the task of doing all they could to save the historic Prince of Wales Hotel. There it still stands, untouched. One can see how close to the town and iconic Hotel the fire had come - right up to the very edge, where a sprinkler system had been set up before the fire got close.
This absolutely gorgeous adult Cinnamon Black Bear was first spotted when it was little more than a very distant speck in the meadow on the far side of a lake in Waterton Lakes National Park. We watched as it ambled along in the grass near the edge of the water, and then it climbed down into the water and started swimming. The sunlight on its fur made the cinnamon colour glow. It looked such a healthy animal. As it got that much nearer, we decided to drive further along the road and park and sit and wait. It eventually suddenly appeared, climbing over a concrete barrier on the far side of the road and, to our amazement (shock?), it calmly crossed the road at an angle, passing in between our car that had pulled over and another car. It never gave us a glance, just focusing on what it wanted to do. I didn't think I got a photo, and was surprised to find that I had pressed the shutter button. A poor photo, that I will post another time, but unexpectedly close. I was probably well zoomed in, just in case I could get a distant shot. Of course, these wonderful, wild animals are used to people, as Waterton is such a delightful and popular place to visit. However, people need to keep their distance, respect these creatures, and not do anything foolish. There is always the chance that any wildlife could be unpredictable. No photo is worth the risk of being attacked - and it is almost always the animal who ends up paying the price dearly.
Wild animals, plants and birds were seen. There were plenty of wildflowers, though I suspect we may have been just a little early for many species. I was so pleased to spot a small patch of what I thought might be Mariposa Lilies near the edge of the road that we were driving on. We stopped for me to check and, sure enough, my friends were able to see these unusual flowers for the first time. Chipmunk, Golden-mantled Ground Squirrels, Columbian Ground Squirrels and deer were seen. Not a huge variety of birds, but we were only able to look in such a limited space. It was great, though, to see two distant Sandhill Cranes and a distant Common Loon on her nest.
Apart from the most unpleasant, very strong wind all day both days, we were very lucky with the weather for our two days. No rain, thank goodness. The morning was chilly and so was the night. Yesterday, Tuesday, the temperature got up to 20C on our way home.
Tags: Alberta Canada southern Alberta near Canada-US border Waterton Lakes National Park S of Calgary Calgary to Waterton 264 km, 159 miles driving time roughly 3 hrs nature wildlife animal wild wild animal bear Black Bear Cinnamon Black Bear Ursus americanus cinnamomum adult swimming side view water lake grass native omnivore outdoor spring 11 June 2018 Canon SX60 Canon SX60 annkelliott Anne Elliott © Anne Elliott 2018 © All Rights Reserved
© All Rights Reserved
Waterton Lakes National Park is where three friends (Anne B, Janet and Shirley) and I went the last two days, 11 and 12 June 2018. Part of Monday was spent travelling south to Waterton Lakes National Park, stopping at several places en route, including Lundbreck Falls. With no stops, it takes roughly three hours to get there. We stayed on Monday night at the Bear Mountain Motel in Waterton town. Tuesday morning, we drove around the Waterton area, hoping to maybe see more bears, and then made our way back north, reaching Calgary late afternoon/early evening. As it was, we were so lucky to see a gorgeous Cinnamon Black Bear, at first from a great distance and then unexpectedly close. Also spotted a Black Bear in among the blackened, burned trees that were near the edge of the road. It was very difficult to see and impossible to find an open spot through which to take photos - but it was our second bear.
I had been hoping to someday get a chance to get down to Waterton, especially to see how it looked after the devastating Kenow wildfire that damaged or destroyed so much of the park in 2017. Most of the park is still closed, but the whole town site and Chief Mountain Parkway and area are open. To me, the park looked beautiful, with enough green areas to contrast with the dead trees on the mountain sides. Firefighters did such a brilliant job last year of saving the whole town, and a team of firefighters form Calgary had been given the task of doing all they could to save the historic Prince of Wales Hotel. There it still stands, untouched. One can see how close to the town and iconic Hotel the fire had come - right up to the very edge, where a sprinkler system had been set up before the fire got close.
"Built in 1926-27 during one of Waterton’s windiest and snowiest winters, the Prince of Wales Hotel is the park's most recognized landmark.
During its construction the extreme weather conditions and poor access created many problems for contractors Douglas Oland and James Scott, from Cardston, Alberta.
On December 10 1926 hurricane-force winds (estimated at 145 km/hr) blew each of the hotel's wings about 7.5 cm off their foundation. The men managed to winch the sections back in line. Three months later winds reached speeds of over 129 km/hr, again pushing the building off its foundation. This time Oland feared structural damage if they tried to pull back the now fully-framed building so he decided to leave it slightly out of plume.
The hotel is named after Edward, Prince of Wales who later became King Edward VIII, and, like its namesake, it has a colourful history. If its Douglas fir pillars could talk they would tell you a tale of American imagination and money, built with Canadian grit and patience.
Today, many people recognize the Prince of Wales as a railway hotel, but few realize it was built by the Great Northern of United States ... and not the Canadian Pacific.
In February 1993 the Historic Sites and Monuments Board approved the Prince of Wales' designation as a National Historic Site, recognizing its architectural style (rustic design tradition, with peaked roofs, gables, balconies and timber-frame interior that give it an appearance of a giant alpine chalet) and its contribution to tourism in the mountains. On July 23 1995 a commemorative plaque ceremony was held at the hotel." From Parks Canada.
www.pc.gc.ca/pn-np/ab/waterton/natcul/natcul4.aspx
Wild animals, plants and birds were seen. There were plenty of wildflowers, though I suspect we may have been just a little early for many species. I was so pleased to spot a small patch of what I thought might be Mariposa Lilies near the edge of the road that we were driving on. We stopped for me to check and, sure enough, my friends were able to see these unusual flowers for the first time. Chipmunk, Golden-mantled Ground Squirrels, Columbian Ground Squirrels and deer were seen. Not a huge variety of birds, but we were only able to look in such a limited space. It was great, though, to see two distant Sandhill Cranes and a distant Common Loon on her nest.
Apart from the most unpleasant, very strong wind all day both days, we were very lucky with the weather for our two days. No rain, thank goodness. The morning was chilly and so was the night. Yesterday, Tuesday, the temperature got up to 20C on our way home.
Tags: Alberta Canada southern Alberta near Canada-US border Waterton Lakes National Park S of Calgary Calgary to Waterton 264 km, 159 miles driving time roughly 3 hrs building architecture hotel Prince of Wales overlooks Upper Waterton Lake near the Canada-United States border constructed between 1926 and 1927 a National Historic Site of Canada all-wood building architectural landmark saved from 2017 Kenow wildfire grass mountains burned trees rock beautiful impressive sky outdoor spring 12 June 2018 FZ200 FZ200#4 annkelliott Anne Elliott © Anne Elliott 2018 © All Rights Reserved
© All Rights Reserved
Waterton Lakes National Park is where three friends (Anne B, Janet and Shirley) and I went for two days, 11 and 12 June 2018. Part of Monday was spent travelling south to Waterton, stopping at several places en route, including Lundbreck Falls. Our first short stop was in Kananaskis, where we enjoyed watching two or three tiny Hummingbirds and a pair of colourful Barn Swallows. We actually got to witness two Hummingbird males fighting, down on the ground - too far for me to get photos, other than one very distant, blurry shot. I am not a fan of taking photos at feeders, but will still do so if it offers me a good view of a bird. Took me a few moments to find this little Rufous in a tree - distant, but a more natural setting.
With no stops, it takes roughly three hours to get to Waterton. We stayed on Monday night at the Bear Mountain Motel in Waterton town. Tuesday morning, we drove around the Waterton area, hoping to maybe see more bears, and then made out way back north, reaching Calgary late afternoon/early evening. As it was, we were so lucky to see a gorgeous Cinnamon Black Bear early evening on Monday, at first from a great distance across the lake and then unexpectedly close. Also spotted a Black Bear in among the blackened, burned trees that were near the edge of the road. It was very difficult to see and impossible to see an open spot through which to take photos - but it was our second bear.
I had been hoping to someday get a chance to get down to Waterton, especially to see how it looked after the devastating Kenow wildfire that damaged or destroyed so much of the park in 2017. Most of the park is still closed, but the whole town site and Chief Mountain Parkway and area are open. To me, the park looked beautiful, with enough green areas to contrast with the dead trees on the mountain sides. Firefighters did such a brilliant job last year of saving the whole town, and a team of firefighters form Calgary had been given the task of doing all they could to save the historic Prince of Wales Hotel. There it still stands, untouched. One can see how close to the town and iconic Hotel the fire had come - right up to the very edge, where a sprinkler system had been set up before the fire got close.
Supper on Monday was at Zum's restaurant - an interesting place with walls covered with old vehicle licence plates. Apparently, people send them to the restaurant from so many places, near and far. The food was good and, after a short drive to see what we could find, we returned the next morning for breakfast.
Apart from the wind, we were very lucky with the weather for our two days. No rain, thank goodness. The morning was chilly and so was the night. On Tuesday, the temperature got up to 20C on our way home. Amazing how much one can see in just a couple of days!
Tags: Alberta Canada Kananaskis S of Calgary nature wildlife ornithology avian bird birds Hummingbird Rufous Hummingbird Selasphorus rufus male front/side viewperched tree branch outdoor spring 11 June 2018 Canon SX60 Canon SX60 annkelliott Anne Elliott © Anne Elliott 2018 © All Rights Reserved
© All Rights Reserved
Waterton Lakes National Park is where three friends (Anne B, Janet and Shirley) and I went for two days, 11 and 12 June 2018. Part of Monday was spent travelling south to Waterton, stopping at several places en route, including Lundbreck Falls. Our first short stop was in Kananaskis, where we enjoyed watching two or three tiny Hummingbirds and a pair of colourful Barn Swallows. We actually got to witness two Hummingbird males fighting, down on the ground - too far for me to get photos, other than one very distant, blurry shot. I am not a fan of taking photos at feeders, but will still do so if it offers me a good view of a bird.
With no stops, it takes roughly three hours to get to Waterton. We stayed on Monday night at the Bear Mountain Motel in Waterton town. Tuesday morning, we drove around the Waterton area, hoping to maybe see more bears, and then made out way back north, reaching Calgary late afternoon/early evening. As it was, we were so lucky to see a gorgeous Cinnamon Black Bear early evening on Monday, at first from a great distance across the lake and then unexpectedly close. Also spotted a Black Bear in among the blackened, burned trees that were near the edge of the road. It was very difficult to see and impossible to see an open spot through which to take photos - but it was our second bear.
I had been hoping to someday get a chance to get down to Waterton, especially to see how it looked after the devastating Kenow wildfire that damaged or destroyed so much of the park in 2017. Most of the park is still closed, but the whole town site and Chief Mountain Parkway and area are open. To me, the park looked beautiful, with enough green areas to contrast with the dead trees on the mountain sides. Firefighters did such a brilliant job last year of saving the whole town, and a team of firefighters form Calgary had been given the task of doing all they could to save the historic Prince of Wales Hotel. There it still stands, untouched. One can see how close to the town and iconic Hotel the fire had come - right up to the very edge, where a sprinkler system had been set up before the fire got close.
Supper on Monday was at Zum's restaurant - an interesting place with walls covered with old vehicle licence plates. Apparently, people send them to the restaurant from so many places, near and far. The food was good and, after a short drive to see what we could find, we returned the next morning for breakfast.
Apart from the wind, we were very lucky with the weather for our two days. No rain, thank goodness. The morning was chilly and so was the night. On Tuesday, the temperature got up to 20C on our way home. Amazing how much one can see in just a couple of days!
Tags: Alberta Canada Kananaskis S of Calgary nature wildlife ornithology avian bird birds Hummingbird side view feeder building bokeh outdoor spring 11 June 2018 Canon SX60 Canon SX60 annkelliott Anne Elliott © Anne Elliott 2018 © All Rights Reserved
© All Rights Reserved