Waterton Lakes National Park

Monday, November 17, 2014

Well guys, that was Banff. Already can't wait to go back. I couldn't think of a better place to be stranded for a bit because our car broke down.

After dropping Helga off at a shop, we spent a night in Calgary at an Airbnb where we could shower and recharge all our cameras/phones/laptops. We swapped stories with the people who hosted us; they had recently taken a trip along the West Coast and had their old camper van break down in Washington, near our home. It felt good to laugh about it and know that everything was going to be okay in the end.

From Calgary, we took the cowboy trail to Waterton Lakes National Park in Alberta, just across the border from Montana. It was gloomy all day and the scattered ranches along the way were like something out of a movie. The grassy rolling hills stretched in all directions and it was quite the change of scenery from the dramatic mountains in and around Banff. It was foggy and drizzly as we pulled into the park and we were blown away by the first sight of the Prince of Wales Hotel, against the backdrop of one of the most beautiful national parks. We stopped by to see the interior of the gorgeous hotel and decided to stay for high tea, where we felt like royalty sipping tea and eating tiny bites to the sound of a live harp. Quite the contrast from eating chili out of a can warmed over a campfire.

That evening we continued south on our drive, back toward the States. We spotted a fox who posed for quite a few photos, and that was the perfect way to say goodbye to Canada.

- Julia

P.S.
Exciting news—FlipKey by TripAdvisor included us in their recent post "Top 25 Couples Travel Blogs to Follow in 2014"! Neat to see so many couples traveling the world together.





We pulled over to watch these cowboys herd their cows from one beautiful pasture to another, and they waved as we pulled away. Nice people.











High tea in the Prince of Wales Hotel (pictured above). A welcome break from roughing it.

Hot tea, fancy nibbles, live harp music, and the best view of Waterton Lakes.





So happy to see this handsome guy just before leaving Canada!



32 comments :

  1. These photos are unreal! Love the shots of the cowboy. Sounds like quite the adventure, thanks for sharing! <3

    http://www.skinnybelle.com/

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  2. Congrats on being on the TripAdvisor list! Love your images, as always. High tea looks amazing and so does the location!

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  3. Loved your collection of photos. The fog in the pictures really creates a beautiful scenery!

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  4. I love reading your blog. Such beautiful photos and wondrous adventures! Especially like the ones of Waldron Ranch.

    http://itsjpei.wordpress.com/

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  5. I always get excited when I see a new post from you on my blog lovin' feed. You have the best adventures and pictures. Thanks for sharing. www.eatallovertheworld.weebly.com

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    1. EmilyAnne - Awww! Thank you for coming back again and again.

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  6. so lush! what an unreal landscape!!

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  7. Wow, those pictures are amazing! What a beautiful place... and what a delicious high tea!
    xx,
    E.
    www.theslowpace.com

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  8. awesome pictures! beautiful landscape..
    love from germany xx

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  9. I love Waterton and go there two or three times a year, but I don't often go there when the weather is gloomy. However, your pictures are gorgeous with the mist. When the sun is out, it is so much better than Banff. There are fewer people on the trail and you don't have the busy highway. If you ever get a chance, go back in mid-June when all the wildflowers come out.

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    1. It was really nice after a popular place like Banff. One of Canada's best kept secrets! Wish we had more time and better weather to hike around there.

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  10. You're a great photographer and writer!

    http://sincerelyesther.blogspot.nl/

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    1. Esther - Thank you!! Writing does not come naturally to me, so I really appreciate it! Sometimes I wish I could just post the photos without writing, but I know I'll be glad later that I spent some time writing as well.

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  11. It looks so serene, and that hotel is incredible! I adore your outfit Julia...beautiful all around :)

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    1. Thanks Leah! Jumpsuits are super comfy for road trips. :)

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  12. Wow it's amazing! The pictures are just stunning! I grew up in Alaska and we would travel and sightsee in Calgary some and I remember it being so beautiful. I hope to go back someday.

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    1. We were planning to do Alaska this summer but realized we didn't have enough time off so we did this bit of Canada instead. So many beautiful areas up north!

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  13. Really beautiful post. Loved the lsat one as well and am now itching to get to Canada some day.

    rae of love from berlin

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  14. That hotel just looks so whimsical! What a cool structure in such a gorgeous location. Great photos!

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  15. Canada is so breathtakingly beautiful!!
    It's very strange to my eye seeing cows being herded by men on horses, in Australia we all use dogs!

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  16. You've got such a nice style, your pictures are amazingly beautiful, and your post too. I love every post I see in this blog. Thanks for sharing your trips :)

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  17. excellent photos yet again. Been following your blog for some time and your photos and adventures never fail to amaze me.
    May I know what photographic equipment do you use?

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  18. Amazing photos, every post! Love your adventures! :)

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  19. Your lifestyle... wow. So incredibly lucky.
    Beautiful set of photos here. High tea seems awesome!

    Valentina
    Valentina Duracinsky Blog

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  20. these are so beautiful, I can't even! I love love love these photographs, so gorge.
    hugs!
    Han
    h-anecdotes.blogspot.com

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  21. Beautiful photos! High tea looks amazing and that hotel is absolutely amazing!

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