Brian

Day 9-Canada
We went to Waterton for an early lunch and decided on the Taco Bar, but discovered that it only took cash and we had no Canadian money as we had been using cards everywhere. Scott went to an ATM and got some cash and we had a yummy lunch with cash left over. Part of each bill was transparent plastic and I thought that was interesting and different.

Remember how I wrote in the last post about Scott and I trying to hike to Bertha Falls and not finding the trail, then finding it and getting rained out? Well, today we went directly to Start, did not pass Go, and got to the parking lot with Brian and Jack in tow. We got all ready with water bottles but no insect repellent. Are we stupid or what? Bugs galore on this trail and many bites. Grrr. Anyway, the trail is narrow with high vegetation and we were just stepping on to it when a beautiful red fox stopped on the trail in front of us. There were other hikers coming down so the fox was getting boxed in and nervous. We watched it for a bit then got out of the way and let it come out of the maze and run off through the yard of the home right by the trailhead and parking lot.

The first part of the Lakeshore Trail goes high along the ridge above the lake shore and there were some wonderful views of the lake from up there.



We took the cut off to Bertha Falls and it was not a difficult hike with many lovely vistas. We got up to the falls and they were beautiful with slanted rocks that allowed the water to careen off and funnel down into a channel. We mountain-goated it around the overlook to get a better view and I wanted to stay there for a long time. The guys got bored and headed downstream to get in the water. The freezing cold water. We joined them and watched for a while then headed down, slashing at bugs all the way. A very nice hike with a lovely falls.

We got cleaned up and went to the dinner theatre where the summer cast performed in a cabaret-style atmosphere while we had some yummy food. Here the guys are performing “Walk Like a Man from “Jersey Boys”.
Then we moved over to the main theatre to see “Annie”. Brian had features in the Bert Healey scene and the cabinet scene and was so funny, he had people rolling on the floor. He played the ventriloquist’s dummy in the radio show segment so his head was above a stuffed dummy body that sat on the table while he stood behind. Jack was the ventriloquist controlling him. Brian was so good at moving his head like a wooden dummy and delivering his lines, it was hilarious. He was Harold Ickes in the cabinet scene so he was the grumpy one that doesn’t think the sun will come out and then changes his mind. He went down on one knee crying at the hopefulness of it all and it was hilarious. He also had a dance break in NYC. The theatre had put on the show earlier in the year and the cast was mostly the same with the summer full-time cast filling out the ensemble and taking small roles. It was fun to see them doing lots of stage business in the background.

After the show we had to try Canadian slurpees because we had been told by multiple people how much better they are than in the States. There are all sorts of flavors and they are “ice, not foam” according to the connoisseurs. I’m not really a good judge since I haven’t had one in approximately 25 years, but I’ll take their word on the comparison. I did think it was tasty, however. And that was our last night in Canada.

Day 7-Canada
Brian and Jack took us to Lethbridge, the closest big city to Cardston and about 45 minutes away. We felt right at home because of all the American chain stores and restaurants, but were surprised to see so many in Canada. It was like driving up to Sandy without the mountains. The main attraction was Moxie’s, which is a Canadian chain, with some swanky decor and tasty food. We had a yummy lunch, then did some grocery shopping while in the big city. They wanted to go to the Wal-Mart and while there we saw some sister missionaries from Utah, then met some elders. Obviously it was P-day. We were leaving the store when a different set of sisters ran up to us and one said to Brian, “Were you in a play in Montana last year?” We all looked at each other rather dumbfounded, then Brian replied that he had been in shows at West Yellowstone and how do she know that? Turns out she saw them because another cast member was a good friend of hers and she just recognized Brian. We walked out laughing about the randomness of that encounter. Yes, Scott and I do hang with celebrities.

Back in Cardston early afternoon for a rehearsal so Scott and I had some time on our own. We went to the Ora Charles Card cabin by the theatre.
It belonged to the founder of the town who came from Cache Valley, Utah with a group of settlers. The cabin is owned by the town and very nice inside with many artifacts donated by the family and other early settlers. Very interesting. I did some shopping along the main street while Scott did laundry at a laundromat. While there, a police officer burst in looking for someone reported as intoxicated and questioned Scott. That was exciting.

That evening we saw “All Shook Up” and it was outstanding. The entire cast did a great job and it was high-energy with great dancing and singing. Jack and Brian were the male leads and both were great. Jack played an Elvis character with lots of hip-rolling and attitude who rolls into town on his motorcycle and sets the town on its head.
Brian was the brainy guy in town with a secret love. He had a great sense of comic timing that allowed Dennis to be human and not a caricature and he got tons of laughs. His solo was awesome.
The show is based on Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night” so there are lots of love mix-ups with Elvis songs as the backdrop. We loved the whole show and were very proud of Brian’s performance.

He was also hired as the music director for the show and did a fabulous job at that, as the singing was really consistently wonderful. So fun.

Day 5-Canada
We went to the single’s branch with Brian and some cast members and Brian played a viola solo for the special musical number. Then we took a quick drive into Waterton Lakes National Park and saw Cameron Falls, which is a beautiful falls right in the Waterton townsite.

It’s at the end of a street on a road leading to campgrounds and hiking trails.

It pours tons of water over and has diagonal slashes of rock that give the water a nice pattern.

Scott, Brian, and Jack took a short trail to the top that looks over the falls and I got some photos of them at the top.

We sat on the shore of Upper Waterton Lake at the townsite, listened to the waves lap on the shore and skipped some rocks.

Then we drove up to the parking lot of the famous Prince of Wales hotel which sits on a promontory overlooking Middle and Upper Waterton Lakes.

It is very windy on top but has a great view of the lakes and the townsite. So far, Waterton is gorgeous!

Day 4-Montana & Canada
We went to First People’s Buffalo Jump State Park and it was more developed than Madison. There was a new visitor’s center with really nice displays and stuff for kids. We were treated to a personal introductory talk by one of the rangers, who explained about jumps and how they were used. They had three taxidermied bison, one of which you could touch and she reassured us that none of them were wild but all from ranches. They also had a wolf skin that kids were allowed to put on for photos. I offered to take a pix of Scott with it on but he declined.
There was a walking trail to the top along the front face or a driving road around the side that went to the top of the bluff. I was getting tired so to conserve some energy for later, we opted for the road. At the top were some displays and a ginormous prairie dog town, much larger in area than the state park we had been to the previous day. It turns out that bison and prairie dogs live together well because the bison graze and trample the short grass making it easier for the dogs to see farther for predators and they also like to take dust baths in the mounds to protect themselves from bugs. The prairie dogs eat annual plants, thus encouraging the growth of perennials like buffalo grass and blue grama that the bison like to eat. Who knew? I thought the bison would just break their legs stepping in burrow holes, but apparently they are smarter than me.
During the “dog days” before the tribes had horses, this jump was used for harvesting buffalo by stampeding them to the edge so they fell over a cliff before they had time to realize and stop. Several herds of 75-100 animals grazed on top of this huge bluff and the buffalo runner focused on one herd. He was a teenage boy dressed in a calf skin who spent a couple days with the herd to identify the lead cow. If he could draw her towards the edge, the others would follow and his two teen mates in wolf skins lurked in the back of the herd to keep them moving to the edge. He dived over the cliff to a prearranged safe ledge or crevice where he hid as the herd thundered over to their deaths. Adult warriors also hid along the drive route to ensure the entire herd went over. Warriors at the bottom killed any animals still living and the women and children immediately began processing the animals’ meat, hide, bones, hooves, and organs, as the entire animal was used. The young buffalo runner became a man at once for his daring deed to help the tribe.
We loved the immense view from the top. We could see in all directions for miles and miles. I guess that’s why they call it Big Sky Country.

We left there and drove to the border where I got to use my very first passport as we entered Canada. We stopped to take pictures of Waterton in the distance.

Our destination was Cardston, in Southern Alberta, to visit Brian who is appearing for the summer at the Carriage House Theatre. We met him at the theatre for a quick behind-the-scenes tour, grabbed dinner during his call time, then saw the first show. It was called “Encore” and is performed three times during the summer by the full-time summer cast. They performed some group numbers from the summer plays and did some solo and small-group numbers in a showcase-type format, interspersed with short video clips of funny interviews of the cast members. Brian accompanied several numbers on the piano, including a Disney mash-up that he arranged that gave solo moments to each cast member, as well as three intermingled duets that included him singing while playing. It was awesome! The whole show was great with some fantastic talent and very fun to see.