Waterton Lakes, about three hours south of Calgary, is one of my favourite national parks. After my skijoring adventure in Calgary, I thought why not visit the park on the same trip? Yes, it was winter and only a few park roads were open and the village was basically shut down, however I could book a room at a cozy lodge with off season pricing, its own restiaurant and fireplace, sign me up - so I did! Two adventures for the price of one! Unexpectedly, I got even more than I bargained for!

On my first day in the park, things started smoothly. No traffic anywhere however, rounding a bend, sheep were on the road. When I applied the brakes, the vehicle seemed to accelerate. I finally stopped - much closer to the sheep than intended. They didn’t look worried, but perhaps they should have been! At one point, I actually wondered if I had imagined the brakes not working as everything seemed fine. I could see the headline - ‘Ontario tourist kills sheep’ however, I just chalked it up to a glitch of some sort.

Once my heart rate settled, I pulled over and focused on photographing a nearby waterfall, creating multiple exposures that ended up being a highlight of the trip, this photo. The quiet time behind the camera helped steady my nerves and gave me space to think through what had just happened.

The next day however, the same thing happened in a parking lot. That confirmed it - I had a problem. The rental company warned that as I hadn’t purchased roadside assistance, I would be responsible for a $1000 tow if the issue couldn’t be replicated. With no public transportation available and not wanting to drive the vehicle on the highway, I agreed. I ended up riding back to Calgary in the tow truck - a fun adventure!!

The best part is that I have found a space for this image in my home and look forward to seeing it on my wall! A reminder that things do work out!