Our mid-week trip to the Great Canadian Barn Dance was a rollicking good time, and one that all agreed we MUST do again!

The Great Canadian Barn Dance venue at Hill Spring

This is the site of the barn dance, near Hill Spring, Alberta, in the shadow of the Rocky Mountains not far from Waterton. The original dance at this 1913 barn was the community celebration of the building of this essential ranch structure. Twenty years ago Lloyd Kunkel bought this property and put in a beautiful hardwood floor made from Porcupine Hills fir. A man-made lake with free canoes, and serviced campground, make for a great spot for a hiking, dancing and country music holiday.

"Summit group" at the Barn Dance campground

Our dancin’ Ramblers group arrived on Wednesday afternoon and enjoyed happy hour before the delicious beef n’ chicken dinner: Caroline, Brian, Tom, Marianne, Marietta, Sharon and coordinator Carl, behind the camera.

Brian and Marietta swingin'

The dance was, as Brian put it, “the genuine article,” meaning a real family barn dance as remembered by those who lived in rural Alberta in earlier days, where everybody from grandparents to babies enjoyed this community activity before TV and city anonymity.

Marianne and Tom cutting a rug

The talented Kunkel family played live dance music of many kinds, including two-step, triple two-step (double shuffle), polka, schotiche, cha-cha, tango, waltz, foxtrot, swing, and even the Macarema and YMCA. Everyone enjoyed the free lessons in two-step and square dance.

Sharon with Grandpa Ed of the Barndance Family

Heading toward storm on Bellevue Priaire

On Bellevue Prairie with Lakeview Ridge beyond

On Thursday we took a nice hike on Bellevue Prairie in Waterton Lakes National Park. We were heading directly for some black clouds, and did get a bit of rain before the clouds cleared, allowing us a nice lunch on a knoll above the Blakiston Brook valley. We saw some unusual “wildlife” in the form of a bright green and a black cricket, and a muskrat and a salamander back at camp. We got back to the cars at 2:15, just before the next thunder shower. Then a quick happy hour and another great Western dinner at the barn, followed by a fabulous “Western legends” country music show put on by the amazing Kunkel family—three generations of very talented musicians. They did a huge variety of music, including the Carter family, Roger Miller, John Denver, the Sons of the Pioneers, and had some fun with “Ghost Chickens in the Sky.” Sharon’s parents, John and Bertha from Medicine Hat, came out to join us for the show.

Chief Mountain rises above Outpost Lake

On Friday morning, after a pancake breakfast, four headed back and the remaining three headed for Police Outpost Provincial Park, where we took a nice hike to the lake, dominated by Chief Mountain in Glacier National Park, Montana, and to a hilltop viewpoint and the border.

On the U.S.A.-Canada border

As we stood at the Canada-U.S.A. border monument, a security helicopter went down the line.

Muskrat in Outpost Lake

At the lake, from a pedestrian bridge to an island, we saw three muskrats busily bringing reeds to their house. We spent the last night at the park campground.