Waterton Lakes National Park

The prairies meet the Rockies at Waterton National Park in Alberta.

The park the first International Peace Park created as a collaboration between Canada and the USA 

The famous Prince of Wales Hotel was built in 1927...and is a national historic site.

We took a shoreline cruise on Upper Waterton Lake and learned a lot from our friendly tour guide.

We weren't the only ones on the water.

When we passed into Glacier National Park in Montana we saw the cut in the foliage up from the shoreline and over the mountain. No passports required!

The smoke from BC's wildfires blanketed the lake.

Cameron Falls was an easy walk from the town centre.

We drove out to Red Rock Canyon and did the easy loop trail around it.

Quite impressive!

As you can tell, many scrambled down into the canyon.

A popular place, especially on a Saturday!

 

From Red Rock Canyon we hiked the easy trail to Blakeston Falls...

...through forests that were decimated by fire in 2017.

The wild flowers were amazing!

Blakeston Falls.

At the end of our hike we ate our lunch next to the creek.

Once we were back in the town we explored on our e-bikes.

The Prince of Wales Hotel is hotel is open to the public...so we checked it out.

Built by the Great Canadian Railway, it was designed in a Swiss chalet style.

It was a little like stepping back in time.

The original elevator is still working. I took the stairs!

Most of the tourists seemed to be from another country...

except for the lone Mennonite lady who was looking rather lost. 

We camped for two nights just outside the gates to the park at Crooked Creek Campground...

and had cheese fondue. In 1999 went to Alaska with our Swiss friends Pierre and Ute who introduced us to cheese fondue as a camping meal. Once every summer since we have kept up the tradition.

 

Waterton National Park did not disappoint!

July

Canada Day!

We enjoyed a fireworks tailgate party with friends at the back of Dyck's property...

fireworks compliments of Dawson Prosse.

A Sunday afternoon bike ride early in the month...

and we noticed that the sweet corn was heading out.

Chris Popma wanted us to join his Pathways group for a tour of Chilliwack River Honey.

He had hoped we would bring our 'gangster car' but it failed us, so we just showed up and had lunch with them.

On July 9th, we had a wiener roast with the family and celebrated Tim, Jeremy & Lucy's birthdays.

Brynja brought her boyfriend...another Dylan.

Ranen flew to Florida to compete in the Irish Dance Nationals.

Dylan placed first in a national scooter competition...

and has been invited to represent Canada at the world championships in Paraguay this October.

That is a real honour, whether or not he is able to go in the end.

We had a few smoky days early in the month as BC wild fires started up.

Thankfully the west winds cleared the air in time for the wedding.

We were encouraging the corn to be good and tall by July 18th......and it was!

A few days before the wedding, the chapel structure went up.

It was no small feat!

The electrician came to hook up power in 'the field of dreams'...

...the tent arrived on Thursday and Jaden's friends came to hang lights.

So many friends and family chipped in to make it all come together!

The Friday night rehearsal dinner for friends and family was in Jeremy and Broni's back yard

...hosted by Jaden's parents.

Photo of the venue as the sun went down 'the night before'.

The wedding was everything they could have dreamed of!

Mr. and Mrs. Neufeld.

On the wedding weekend...

we left home to allow Emme, her attendants and a few friends have our house to themselves.

We booked a room at the Bridal Falls Motel...

nearby and at the right price.

And it's a place that holds some memories for us!

Fifty-five years ago we stayed there on the last night of our honeymoon. 

When we checked in at the desk the night before the wedding...

we discovered that someone had left an anniversary gift box for us.

Who but Marg would think of that?

So we enjoyed chocolate covered strawberries and a sparkling drink before we turned in.

Early on the morning of the wedding, we hiked up to the falls...

thinking we would be alone there. We weren't!

One week after the wedding, we left on a long road trip to Iowa.

We drove through smoke from Hope, through the Okanagan and into eastern Washington state.

We spent the first night at Ellen and Grieg's in Colville. 

From Spokane, we drove east through Idaho and Montana and south through Wyoming to Highway 80 .

We had no reservations and stopped at rest stops for the night.

It seemed there was a prairie thunder storm every evening.

There were plenty of coal trains...

...and mostly trucks on the I-80. 

We spent our last night before arriving in Iowa at a campsite in Lincoln, Nebraska.

We knew John Wiebe's nephews had a chain of bakeries in the area and decided to have breakfast at a nearby one in the morning.

It was special!

Nebraska and Iowa are all about corn and soy beans.

It was spraying time!

We took the scenic route to Bill's and shared the road with Amish buggies.

We parked our RV at Bill and Jeanne's but spent most of the weekend at Matt and Brittany's.

The cattle are apparently Brittany's.

Baerg Reunion 26 gang on July 31st.

The Baerg siblings.

Fifty-five years to the days after our wedding in East Chilliwack.

So we ended the month in Iowa.

Road trip '26 to be continued in August!