Days 15 and 16, July 31, and Aug. 1, Rest Days, Waterton National Park, Waterton Village, AB

Days 15 and 16, July 31, and Aug. 1, Rest Days, Waterton National Park, Waterton Village, AB

First off, I want to confess to my 1 or 2 readers, I am no longer in the campground. After searching all over Waterton for a wifi place I became frustrated and checked on the cost of getting a motel room. I bounced the idea off Mike who agreed instantly.

We are in Waterton for 3 nights and two days. I am writing this on our second rest day.

Yesterday, Frank, Mike, Jay, Herb and Geno went on a hike to a lake about 1800 feet up. Bob and I had a leisurely morning. A latte and a breakfast bagel followed by a bike ride up to the Prince of Wales Hotel defined most of our day. I worked on my last blog in the lobby. We had lunch with a window view of the lake. My seat was right in the sun, which was intense, so I had the shade let down a bit to relieve the intensity. While eating lunch I inquired if they had wifi. "No they don't, but down in the village there are some places that do." Most of the businesses do not have wifi. A few do and one in particular is generous with usage. The signal only travels outside of the business a few feet so you can't be on the other side of town and expect to get online.

So I procured a room for Mike and I to share. It sleeps three, a queen and two singles, but no one else wanted to pack up their tent and move in. We are watching the Olympics laying on nice soft beds. I can post my blog entries as the Bear Mountain Motel has a decent wifi signal. 

This morning we went for a for a boat ride on the M.V. International. The boat ride took us to the other end of Waterton Lake where hikers can off load their packs and head into the wilderness. The other end of the lake is called Goat Harbor. Seven park rangers reside there during the tourist season. Also because the boat ride begins in Canada and crosses the border custom agents ride along on the first cruise of the day to admit hikers into the USA. I assume they stay the whole day and ride back on the last cruise of the day which would put them back in Waterton around 9 PM. 

I witnessed the custom agents turn back a German family for the following reason. They were turned back because they had never been officially admitted into the USA. The border agents can only readmit them. So the family sailed back to Waterton with us. They looked as if they only planned on a day hike.

Below are the pictures I took on the boat trip.

The marina in the foreground.

 

The only exotic wildlife we saw all trip.

 

International boundary marker.

 

"Old Sawtooth"

 

"Old Sawtooth" and Boundary Creek in foreground.

 

Longfellow Mountain

 

Craggy mountains interest me.

Looking north from Goat Haunt.

M.V. International tied up at Goat Haunt dock.

Prince of Wales Hotel. It gets very windy on that exposed point.

After the boat trip we had hot dogs for lunch at a local provender. After I went back to the motel and took a nap.

Tomorrow is a 48 mile ride to St. Mary's, Montana where we will stay in a house preparing for our assault on Logan Pass, Friday. The pass is the high point on the Road To The Sun. Problem is there is a 11 AM to 4 PM bicycle prohibition. We have called trying to get clarity, but have received mixed messages. One park rep said traveling east to west, our direction, there was no restriction. We called a second time to check on consistency, but got more confusion as the rep said it was totally dependent on which ranger pulled you over. We will get up early and ride our bikes up the pass and see what happens.