Alaska -- Day 15

Thursday was my 69th birthday. To celebrate, we toured Waterton Lakes National Park, the Canadian park just north of Glacier National Park in Montana. The scenery was spectacular: Snow-capped mountains, rushing streams, waterfalls. Waterton Lakes has 195 square miles of the Canadian Rockies with beautiful glacier-carved lakes. This was our view as we approached the park.



The rocky outcrops are impressive.





We drove the Akamina Parkway, which follows Cameron Creek to Cameron Lake. The melting snow created several beautiful waterfalls.





Those waterfalls made for a rushing stream.



Cameron Lake was still mostly covered with ice and the snow drifts were taller than I am.



It would have been difficult to launch a boat yesterday.



We ate lunch at the Lakeside Chop House on Upper Waterton Lake. The small town of Waterton Lake reminds us of the small town of Grand Lake on the west side of Rocky Mountain National Park. We lived near Grand Lake for several years.



The Canadian Pacific built this beautiful Prince of Wales Hotel on a hill overlooking the lake . Unfortunately, it wasn’t yet open for the summer.



This wind farm is one of 24 operational wind farms in Alberta, and more are planned.



This old, old truck was parked next to the road we took back to our campground.


It was a great way to spend my birthday and this trip is a wonderful way to begin a new year of my life.