Bears, a Temple and an Andre Rieu Concert

This was a most memorable day with a roller-coaster bike ride, an encounter with a mother bear and her cub, a visit to the Cardston temple and a wonderful Andre Rieu concert in Calgary,

We knew it would be great when we saw the sunrise from the Prince of Wales hotel,

The setting of the Prince of Wales is truly spectacular -- on the prominent ridge overlooking one of the most beautiful lakes in the world with steep rugged mountains that jut straight up.

Here's the view Saturday morning as the sun came up The town of Waterton is on the right. The lake has the appearance of an infinity pool doesn't it? The mountains are layered in such a way that it gives it an endless mystical look.

The first rays of sun hit the majestic Prince of Wales hotel.  Rosie came here as
a child and it was my anniversary gift to bring her back to stay here! 

To begin the day we hopped on our bikes and rode into town-- stopping at this beautiful waterfall just off the main street.

After exploring the small downtown area we went back to the picturesque and wonderful bike trail that leads into town. Rosie is bundled up to stay warm on a cool morning. The Prince of Wales hotel can be seen on the ridge in the middle of the photo.

This is the best bike path I have ever been on.

I encountered a mother bear and her cub as I rode along the path.  They were only 20 feet away when I rode by them and it put a bit of fear in me.  While I wanted to stop and take a photo with my iphone (the only camera I had)  I knew that would not be wise at such a close distance.  So I doubled back along the road above the bike path to take a photo. When the mother bear saw me at about 25 feet away she gave me the "stink eye" and I got on my bike and sprinted in the opposite direction. Once I was far enough away to feel safe I pulled out the camera to take a photo.  The mother was lumbering across the road. If you look closely you can see her right in front of the truck.  The cub ran across the road a couple of minutes later.

Cardston, Canada is a small town (4,000 people) some 25 miles east of Waterton National Park. Its proximity to the incredible beauty of Waterton is not an indication of the terrain around this flat and dry town that is the home of the sixth temple of the Mormon church.  It was dedicated in 1923 and stands on a prominent hill in town.  It is 88,000 square feet and is beautiful inside with exquisite hardwoods used throughout the temple.   Cardston is the place where Grandma Miller was born.

We drove to Calgary to attend the Andre Rieu concert.  Rieu is the Dutch violinist, conductor, showman and musician who is  Billboard's sixth largest selling musical performer around the world. Over the last year we have fallen in love with his performances on DVD that blend classical, opera, Broadway, spiritual, marches and popular music into a moving and inspiring experience. Most of the stuffy classical critics abhor the way he gets the audience involved in his music but that is part of what we love (especially the dancing!).  His music has brought great joy to us and seeing him in person was everything we had anticipated.  We left the concert uplifted and floating on air.