I mentioned yesterday that we were having bad weather and we were and still are; rain, cool weather and all around us at the higher elevations, snow. Yesterday we opted to stay in (administration duties call) and had intermittent internet and satellite TV service due to the rain and heavy cloud coverage. It was a good day to get some things caught up and stay warm and cozy while watching the deer meander around the RV park.

Today the weather is much the same, still cold and damp, with thick low lying clouds but the rain has let up (for now) a bit. We went for a 16 km. drive to Cameron Lake, here in the park, to see if we might come across some wild animals and to go for a hike. Of course, right away we came upon a mother deer and her twin fawns as they crossed the road as well as a dozen (or more) magpies. Magpies are nuisance birds here, as plentiful as seagulls and crows, constantly scavenging for scraps of food as well as stealing eggs from other birds nests in the spring. A little farther along the road we came across four young big-horned sheep just casually trotting along the middle of the road oblivious to our presence. I could easily have patted them on their heads as they strolled right beside the car!

Cameron Lake is a sub-alpine lake surrounded by the Akamina Mountains, part of the Kootenay range and a known grizzly location. If it wasn’t so cold (and wet snow wasn’t falling!), we might have considered launching our kayak to venture to the south end of the lake where the grizzlies are often seen on the slopes. Interestingly, the southern tip of the lake is in the Glacier National Park in the US! Though it is supposed to drop to -3C (26.5F) overnight, according to the forecast, tomorrow is supposed to warm up and dry out a little, with even better weather on its heels. Let’s hope the forecast is right!