Glacier National Park Day 5
Glacier National Park
Day 5 - September 11, 2006 - Lethbridge, Alberta & Head Smashed-In Buffalo Jump
We woke up to a sunny day in Lethbridge. We are staying here a second night so we had the luxury of a leisurely breakfast and we did not have to pack the car this morning. At 8:45 we went out to get into the car and found the temperature a little brisk for shorts and no jacket. Back into the room and a quick change and we were better suited for the day exploring this area of southwestern Alberta.
After checking the oil and the tires we were on our way to find an auto store that sold Mobil 1 10W30 oil. It seems that most stores sell a lighter weight oil for this cold weather and it was difficult to find the right one for the S2000. We passed a good old Wal-Mart and decided to take a chance; of course, they had exactly what I was looking for. We also purchased a synthetic chamois to dry the car. Have to keep the S2000 looking sharp!
After this short delay, we were on our way heading north through the city to meet the Crowsnest Highway #3 and then back west to the small town of Fort MacLeod, only 34 miles from Lethbridge. Our destination this morning was the Head Smashed-In Buffalo Jump. This has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is one of the oldest, largest, and best preserved buffalo jumps in North America. The interpretive center documents the buffalo hunting culture of the Plains People from ancient times to the arrival of the Europeans with their horses and guns.
We spent three hours at the site, a very excellent five-story museum dedicated to over 3000 years of buffalo hunting by the native North Americans of this area. Because we had adequate time, it was great to be able to read all of the displays, watch the world heritage site documentary films, and hike to the bottom of the jump where thousands of buffalo met their end.
At 12:45, we left the center and drove back to Fort Macleod. It was 77° and I wish I had worn my shorts and T-shirt! On the way back through Fort Macleod, we stopped at an old fashioned A & W Root Beer stand. We had burgers, fries, onion rings, and root beer in frosty mugs. This tasted so great but it was more fast food that we had had in the past year!
In Lethbridge, we stopped at their Costco, one of our favorite stores, to see what the Canadians in this area buy. The store was brimming with insulated socks, lined jeans, quilted shirts, snowsuits, heavy hooded jackets, boots, as well as an array of hockey sticks and Calgary Flames fan ware! I guess we know what kind of winter they have in these parts! We also visited the Wal-Mart and took some time just to look around.
We went back to our hotel, freshened up from our hot hike through the Head Smashed-In site. I worked on the pictures for today and Gennie started to plan our way back to Colorado. We seemed to have attracted a lot more bugs and butterflies in our short trip today so I went to wash the car and get gas for tomorrow at the Safeway gas store.
At 7:00 PM we left the Comfort Inn and walked next door to Douros. Tonight Gennie had a small fillet and I had a pizza. We shared so we had the best of both. It was superb again. We asked for our previous waitress Jody and she filled us in on the more subtle aspects of life here in Lethbridge, people's attitudes on social, political, and religious issues.
We walked next door to the Safeway Liquor Store and were astounded by the prices, double the cost of everything in Colorado. Glad they have free medical, because they sure cannot drink much. We then walked over to the Safeway store and just looked at their food selection. It was pretty similar to the US with more oriental but less Mexican. They had scones in the bakery!
At 9 PM we returned to our room, where we called it a night and got ready for our long ride to Billings, MT tomorrow. We will have to go through customs and immigration at the U.S. Border with Canada, so we are planning on that taking some time.
| Miles Traveled | Gallons | Avg. Price | MPG |
| 183 | 6.40 | $2.989 Prem | 28.70 |
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