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Monday we woke early so we could catch a ferry across Kootenay Lake at a specific time. We knew our travel that day would be slow and we aimed for the 9:50 ferry. We made it without difficulty so we didn’t have to wait until the next one which would have been over an hour later.

The crossing was just over 30 minutes and then we had lots of narrow, twisty and turning roads requiring slower driving. The low clouds stayed with us much of the day, along with cool temperatures. It didn’t get much warmer than 15 degrees C.

As we arrived at our campground for the night in Sparwood, we had a bit of drizzle. However, our campsite was large and we were able to stay hooked up, so there was minimal set up.

We were back at the same campground we stayed at 2 months ago when we arrived in B.C. Many of our campgrounds will be the same as our trip out across Canada.

Tuesday morning we woke to sunshine and promises of warmer temperatures. We also had less than 200 km to drive since we were stopping in Lethbridge for the night to meet some friends for supper. The road was much better and the drive went quickly. We made a stop for fuel and groceries before we arrived at the casino where we are staying in the parking lot for the night. We enjoyed our visit with friends and will head out tomorrow for Saskatchewan.

Thursday, we set out for the Kootenay Lake District. The skies were clearer with less wildfire smoke. We passed by lots of rivers and lakes, as well as some towns. The towns are few and far between and periodically there will be a larger town that supplies the fuel and food for a fairly wide area.

We arrived at Woodbury Resort and Marina where we had our choice of 3 sites. After a review of the sites, we ended up at a waterfront aite. Although we were above lake level, overall we had better views. The park was an older park and sites were close together, but sitting outside, it was a better location than either of the other 2 sites.

On Friday, we took a quick drive north to the town of Kaslo. Located on Kootenay Lake, it has a few little shops as well as a municipal park. It is also a National Historic Site of the S.S. Moyie, the oldest intact passenger sternwheeler in the world, built in 1898. It started as a passenger boat, transitioning to carry freight as well. It came out of service in 1957. Our time didn’t allow us to go inside the display.

Then, we had an early supper so we could get to our last hot spring of the trip – Ainsworth Hot Springs. Open only Wednesday through Sunday, it also has limited hours that it is open to the public. It is unique because there is a cave that is part of the hot spring. We did a walk through the cave, where water temps range from 104-108 degrees F. It is also much like a sauna and not a comfortable place for Joyce.

Saturday, we got up early and headed to the marina for a day on the water. We had reserved a 20’ pontoon boat to see more of the area, this time from the water.

It was sunny and a relatively calm day to be on the water. However, the smoke from the wildfires was back in the air so it wasn’t as clear. After some initial safety instructions, we were on our way. Joyce had bought a one day fishing license since we had heard the Rainbow Trout were biting along with Dolly Vardens, so we had a slow cruise up the shore while she trolled.

Unfortunately Joyce didn’t get any fish during the day. However, later that evening the neighbour brought us a gift of rainbow trout he had caught!

Sunday we woke to significant wind and cooler temps. We were thankful our boat rental was the day before. By afternoon, we had rain that prevented a return to the Hot Spring. Fortunately Paul was able to get things outside put away in preparation for the next morning.

On Monday we start heading back home. Our time in B.C. has gone quickly!