In Canada, even the lakes have personality.
THE DISAPPEARING LAKE
It’s not unusual for a lake to fill in the summer from melting snows or glacier waters and then get lower in the fall and winter as less water flows in, as most lakes are fed and drained by rivers and streams. What makes Medicine Lake in Jasper National Park different is that there appears to be no outlet for draining. Water pours in from the Maligne River, but there is no river leading out. How does the water leave the Medicine Lake? Through the bottom, just like a tub. The water escapes through a cave system of soluble limestone rock and surfaces about 16 kilometers (10 miles) away in Maligne Canyon. This is one of the largest known “sinking rivers” in the Western Hemisphere, and the caves may be the largest inaccessible caverns in the world. Every year as the melting glacier water comes in, the lake fills faster than the sink holes can drain it, and then by winter, the lake disappears, turning into mudflats.
WHOLE GREATER THAN ITS POOLS
The Spotted Lake (Kliluk) is really 365 separate pools of highly concentrated minerals. The First Nations consider this lake near Osoyoos between the Okanagan and Similkameen Valleys in British Columbia to be a sacred medicine spot. Pools rich in magnesium sulfate, calcium and sodium sulfates, and 12 other minerals including traces of silver and titanium are clustered close together to make up this “lake.” Although the waters supposedly have healing powers, a fence surrounding it prevents public access. Visitors can only see it from about 700 meters (about half a mile) away.
SCUBA DIVING IN THE MOUNTAINS
When you take the gondola ride to the summit of Banff’s Sulphur Mountain in Alberta, you might want to pack your scuba gear. At Lake Minnewanka, a summer resort village was established in 1888 with streets, avenues, hotels, restaurants, and cruise boats. In 1941, a dam was built that raised the water level 30 meters (98 feet), submerging the village, which had been there over 50 years. Now scuba divers visit this glacier lake to explore the site of the submerged town, Minnewanka Landing. Lake Minnewanka means “Water of the Spirits” in Nakoda, and divers have reported seeing spirits in the underwater town. Because the lake is high in the Rockies, this is cold water diving—so don’t jump in with just your swim trunks.
Elvis Presley’s favorite female singer was Anne Murray.
YOU CANNOT SINK IN LITTLE MANITOU LAKE
Located in central Saskatchewan, just north of Watrous, this lake gets its name from the Algonquian word meaning “mysterious being.” And indeed, this body of water is mysterious—it’s unusually buoyant due to its dense concentration of salt, magnesium, and potassium. The mineral density is greater than that of the Dead Sea. Some say you can lie on your back in these waters and read a newspaper without getting it wet. However, the water is saltier than the ocean, so keeping it out of your eyes is essential; otherwise, stinging and tearing begin. Those who don’t shower after a dip get an extra-white back from a coating of minerals.
Since the early 19th century, visitors have come to the lake for its curative powers. Local legend has it that medicine men would take their sick to the beach to be cured. The area has been called the Carlsbad spa of Canada, and in the 1920s and 30s, Little Manitou Lake—which covers 13.3 square kilometers (five square miles), with an average depth of 3.8 meters (12 feet), became a very hot attraction for folks living in the prairies. People flocked to the resort town for mineral swimming pools, massage rooms, medical clinics, dance halls, brothels, and bootleg whisky. Tourism declined during the Depression.
During the 1980s, a new spa was built, and the old 1928 Danceland building was restored, making the area a destination for vacations and conventions. As far as any local can tell, no one has ever drowned in the lake.
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TRUE OR FALSE: Most beer produced in Canada is stronger than American beer.
FALSE. Despite the rumors that Canadians make a more potent brew than their neighbors in the States, most Canadian beers have an alcohol content of 4% to 6%, just like American beers. A regular Molson has 5.1% alcohol, and a Budweiser has 5.0% alcohol.
Vancouver bartender Robyn Gray makes a drink with meat-infused cognac and a foie gras-stuffed cherry.