I'm back!

June 10--Fairmont Hot Springs, BC

It was really great relaxing at home the past few weeks. I ate too much, which is good (sort of). Nell and Puck had mixed results with getting along with their new dog; Puck had no fear, but Nell wanted to kill her. Carly would charge Puck, who might or might not run, but it seemed all in good fun (Puck didn't seem worred after the first day or so). Nell, on the other hand, didn't apprecitate how Carly was treating Puck, and on a couple of occasions offered to kill her through the gate. Hissing and spitting and swatting and general mayhem. Carly wisely stayed out of reach.

I finally decided to leave yesterday, and after loading the RV and checking the tires and whatnot, we got on the road by 9:30. The weather was drab and got worse; the mountain view is lovely, but all I could see was low clouds and the occasional hill (usually with a wind turbine on top--it's nearly always windy here, and turbines work quite well).

People here in Canada really like their golf. I was driving through Crowsnest Pass, and found golfers out on the links. The temperature was 44 degrees and it was raining something fierce, not to mention the wind. But there they were, teeing off. There were also several bicyclists making their way to the top of the pass on the west side, again through the wind and rain and hills. I spotted one poor guy walking his bike up a particularly steep wet slope.

I turned north up the Kootenay valley in British Columbia and the skies began to clear. There were patches of sun here and there, and the rain slacked off. It was still in the 40's, so still cold, but better. The RV does well in rain, so other than slowing down on some of the more hairpin turns, we made good time.

I had decided to stop at Fairmont Hot Springs for a couple of days. It's up a hill in what is probably also a lovely valley (I hope it clears enough tomorrow that I can see it). I decided to splurge and got a Deluxe site with paved spot and cable and close to the path to the hot springs, but the first site they gave me was really long and not level; I could either level the rig (so the refrigerator would work) or have power/cable. I went back and they gave me another site, which is better. It backs up to a cliff (going up to more campsites above me), and I've mostly levelled the rig.

Both cats were glad to be free. Nell had not only vomited a bit of her breakfast (I don't know how, since I fed them almost three hours before we left), she apparently also urinated. So I'm now down one towel. Luckily it was an old towel, but I should stop someplace and get another cheap towel for her to rest on. Puck was fine, if loud.

I walked around to see the place. The pools are HUGE. There's a huge swimming pool, a big diving pool (with a high dive--lawsuits must be less common here) and a large soaking pool. I didn't go in, but I plan to today. I also walked around the rest of the complex. The lodge looks nice, the restaurants are expensive, and the spa prices are astronomical.

I came back and relaxed, and showered around 10:30, because it was still light and I lost track of what time it was. I got to sleep OK, but woke up at 2:30 to worry. Back to sleep by 3:15, and the cats let me sleep in until 6:30 or so. I just fed them, which made them happy; it's cold in the RV (only about 54 degrees), and I think they burn more calories than usual. I'll be sure to give them some treats. I bet I find Nell under the covers in my bed at some point; she's smart enough to know it's warmer there. Puck hasn't quite figured that out, but he does have longer fur.

I plan to spend the day in the hot springs. It's in the low 40's and raining outside, but the hot pool is 102 degrees, and the swimming pool is 88!


Later---

The heat works! Yes, it was cold enough this morning that I tried the heat. It took a while to kick in, but now it's working fine. I was worried about the hair/dust/etc being blown up out of the floor vents, but there wasn't much of a breeze there. They appear now to be intake vents, with most of the heat coming down from the ceiling, like the air conditioning (the same unit does both--maybe the propane heat uses the floor ducts). Which means when I stand up, my head is warm while my feet are cold. But still, it works.

I was lazy this morning, and didn't get over to the hot pool until around 10am. There are three pools (all big): a 10-foot deep diving pool with a low and high board, which is about 85 degrees (which feels damn warm when you've been standing in 45-degree rain), a very large pool (ranging from 18 inches to about 4.5 feet) that's about 87 degrees, and a hot pool (1 to four feet deep) that's about 102. There's also a very small very shallow pool that's about 107 that I stuck my hand in, which was enough.

I swam some laps, jumped off the boards a few times (I don't think I'm streamlined enough to do so now without some pain from my boobs being dragged to my waist and/or up around my ears). I also soaked a bit in the hot tub, enjoying sitting there in the cold rain. There was pretty much no view, unfortunately. I suspect it's spectacular when it's not foggy.

I got out around 11:30 to find some lunch. I had a craving for a big burger with fries, and I went to the lodge restaurant. Which was all healthy stuff, except for the pub, which didn't open until 2 (and offers a "hamburger" with all sorts of crap that has a knife stuck through it to keep it together--thanks, but no). I finally went to the snack bar at the pool, where I got exactly what I wanted: a big juicy burger (on a kaiser role!) with thick fries and a Pepsi! For $6.75! Absolutely wonderful--oh, me of little faith! I went back to the pool afterwards to soak for another hour or so (I'd bought an all-day pass), and then I went back to the RV to watch some TV and nap with the cats. It's strange to nap to Mythbusters and a cat sleeping on your chest; somewhat disconcerting to wake up and wonder what the hell is going on.

It stopped raining around 4--well, probably it stopped a bit before, but I was napping. I went out to walk around the place. It's big, and includes original bathhouses up the hill, which are small concrete rooms with rough bathtub-sized bits that some hot water still trickles into and out of. I stuck my hand it, and it's warm, but I prefer the big pool. It did have a great view of the valley, and I can almost see mountains!

I walked around the rest of the RV spots, which look really nice. One RV is apparently here until October! I hope they got a good deal. I've also been watching a lot of the RVs come in; lots of rentals. CruiseAmerica and CruiseCanada are very big here--heck, one just pulled in next to me. Plus some very very big RVs, complete with towed cars and everything including the kitchen sink. I like my little RV, thanks! It lets me park anywhere.

I got back from the walk (and found that I had a Missoula channel on the cable! I'm very glad I got this cable) just in time for it to begin raining again. So I fed the cats and ate and got caught up here and read about where I'm going to go and enjoyed the sound of the rain on the roof with the sun still shining.

I plan a bit later to go hop in the pool one more time. Lots of kids show up when school is out for the day, and I'd rather avoid the place being overrun. I figure I'll swim and shower and go to bed a bit earlier; it's moving day tomorrow!

Oh--and I don't need to buy more towels after all. I was digging under my couch in my linen cache for a swim towel, and found I had brought several extras. So Nell should be cushioned when we travel. Hopefully, this one will last a bit longer.


June 11--Canyon Hot Springs, BC

Note a pattern? There are several hot springs in this area, all fairly close to one another, and I'm going to visit most of them. I should be quite water-wrinkled by the end!

I woke up this morning and found that the rooftop heater only works if the temperature isn't that cold. There's a propane heater I can use, but I didn't want to crawl under the rig to turn the propane on in the cold and wet (yes, it's still raining). So we all bundled up on the couch until it warmed up a bit.

I dumped the tanks, loaded everything, put everyone in their place, and headed out. There were fewer clouds, and the rain soon stopped (for the moment). I got to see some of the mountains, but there were still puffy clouds obscuring some of the peaks. I had decided not to stay at Radium Hot Springs, because I heard that the pools were crowded and over-chlorinated, and it was the right decision. The campground I was going to stay at was in a deep valley, and there was just about no way I'd be able to get to the hot springs from there without driving, which would be a pain. So I kept going down the Columbia River valley. Yes, that Columbia.

I was still worried about my right rear tire, even after the tire guy in Panama City told me it was normal--it just wasn't. So I stopped in Golden, before I went over the mountains, to have them look at it. Not only was it not normal, it had a screw and a piece of wire in it that were causing the problems. The wonderful guys at Kal-Tire fixed it and checked out the rest of the tires (all look fine), all for free! Apparently it's a service they're reimbursed for as a public good, or something. It's also possible they saw how freaked-out I was and took pity on a woman travelling alone so far from home. Either way, thanks, guys! Elated, I stopped at a Subway for lunch and then headed up the mountain.

Canada has a Glacier National Park too, which might just have more glaciers than Montana's. Not that I could tell, because the rain came back. This is not unusual; the best joke I heard was "It only rains twice a week in Glacier: once for three days, and once for four." It was one of the rainy days. Two lane road (although with copious passing lanes), quite a lot of traffic, at least half of it RVs or trucks. The road was also steep and had construction, so it was rather a triple whammy. Still, we plugged along, although I did wish on several occasions that this rig had a manual transmission; I wanted to shift down when I wanted to, not when the transmission thought I should. Still, we made it without incident through the rain and several snow sheds; the railroad originally went through the pass, but it kept being taken out by avalanches with great loss of life, so they DUG A NINE-MILE TUNNEL THROUGH THE MIDDLE OF THE MOUNTAIN to bypass it. In the 1910's. They must've been desperate.

The mountains were amazing--at least, what I could see of them. They literally go straight up from the valley, and at times the valley doesn't seem wide enough for both the creek, the railroad, and the road. I can see why avalanches were/are a problem. I can't think of a place in Glacier that has such straight up on both sides; no real cliffs on this drive, so not as scenic as Going-to-the-sun, particularly for the driver.

I stopped at Rogers Pass--and yes, Montana has one of those too. There's a lodge and a visitor's center and some big parking lots, and that's it (there's a sign in Golden that says "Next Services 140 km", and they weren't kidding). I stopped to see the visitor's center (and cool my nerves a bit), and looked at some of the displays, which included a small stuffed cougar sprawled on an end table like a big house cat. By the way, the cats rode fine today; no excretions, although Puck wasn't happy with me and kept giving me the eye. The actual pass was a bit down the road; I stopped and took a picture of the weird monument there--it's like a square suspended inthe air from arches, with information on it. Weird. This may have been the last part of the Trans-Canada completed, in 1962, if I was reading it correctly.

Down the hill we went. The rain mostly stopped by this time, which was good, because going down the hill is scary enough without rain. It was no time at all until we reached the hot springs.

Canyon Hot Springs is located between Glacier National Park and Mt. Revelstoke National Park; I suspect we can see Mt. Revelstoke from the hot pool, as there's a huge glaciated peak at about the right spot. We're actually surrounded by glaciated/snowcapped peaks, pretty much in all directions. Very beautiful, if a bit noisy: both the TransCanada and the railroad are nearby (the railroad close enough to see), and neither is quiet. Oh well, noise never bothered me. It does seem to bother Puck; at least the trains going downhill do, with the screecy brakes. He's been hiding a lot as they come by, but I think he's better now. At least I know if there's ever a tornado (which is supposed to sound like a train) he'll go hide!

I stopped at the office, which required some driving up steep hills to reach. This place is spread out over 200 acres, and it's like a rabbit warren with campsites carved out of everywhere. The RV sites are in the open, while the non-serviced sites (RV's can stay there, but they don't get water or electricity, or the one cable channel (sports) I can get--no radio stations either, and no WiFi, alas). I've got a truly level site (yay, I stuck my leveller back on the window!) backing up to a creek, which is very nice. It's in the sun, which will warm up the rig nicely (hopefully not too warm, as it's supposed to be 25 tomorrow; somehow I doubt we'll reach, that, what with the wind coming off the snowfields and all).

The pools are nice, if not as big as Fairmont's. I spent much of the afternoon in the swimming pool, which is 87 degrees F and quite comfy. There are a few hummingbird feeders, and I spent much of the time watching up to eight (!) hummingbirds fighting over the food. I don't think I've seen eight hummingbirds in my life to date, and there was a damn swarm of them here. The hot pool is really freaking hot. It says 104 degrees, but I think it's lying. I can only be in it for a few minutes before I have to get out. I do think I'll appreciate it in the morning though; I'm sure it gets cold here, what with the altitude and the snow.


June 12

It was very cold this morning; 49 inside, 40 outside. Unfortunately, my electric heat isn't that robust and won't try to warm the place up that much, and the propane heat would require me to crawl under the rig in the cold, so we huddled under blankets until the sun warmed things up enough for the delicate heater to kick in. I did go and get in the hot hot tub at 9, when it opened; it actually felt really good for a while, although my feet were so cold that it burned.

The place was pretty full this morning, and had nearly cleared out by afternoon. I guess most people (like I am most of the time) are of the "stay here a day and move on" variety. The weather was great for moving: sunny, almost no clouds, and it got into the 70's. After swimming for a bit I walked around (between the reading and eating and napping, which rather goes without saying on rest days). There is very little here, other than the campground: a house or two (one neat-looking house by the railroad tracks is for sale, but I suspect it's only a summer house). The trains go right around the campground, and so there's either lots of noise from the engines trying to get up the hill, or lots of noise from the brakes slowing them down the hill. I did get a picture of a train coming through--action shot!

Late this afternoon a convoy of RVs arrived. There are at least 15-20, mostly huge and towing cars, all headed to Alaska. I talked to one, and in the conversation asked her if she was going to the hot springs. She said no, they're going to Laird Hot Springs. Well, that's about a week away in northern BC, and I still don't understand how that would prevent them from walking up the hill about five minutes and going to the springs here. The mind boggles.

The other high point yesterday was the rental RV next to me. When they decided to leave, they forgot to unplug their electric, so when they pulled out the plug (luckily) detached from the outlet and dragged behind them. They stopped almost immediately to retrieve it, which was good, but it's why I always try to walk all around the RV, checking everything, before I pull out. Safer that way. Of course, now that I've found jocularity in their mistake, I'll probably do something equally bone-headed myself. Ah well.


June 13--Halcyon Hot Springs, BC

I discovered how to have heat when it's cold: don't turn the heat off. Yeah, I know, it's not exactly going to win me "Genius of the year" or anything, but when I went to sleep last night I set the heat to 58 and turned it on (it was about 72 at the time inside). This morning around 3am the heat kicked in, and since heat rises the overcab bed was nice and toasty. It was cold on the floor, but that's OK.

I woke up early--5am. I dozed for a while, but finally got up and down into the cold main room. I actually got back in bed for a bit, but the cats let me know they wanted me up.

The convoy began leaving at 6:30am. They must not all drive together, but get together at the end of the day at the same campground or something. To me, that kind of defeats the purpose of travelling in a group: having someone around to help if you have a problem. Then again, with cell phones, they can just call and I'm sure someone would stop. Those were some big-ass rigs there.

I left around 8:30, and got to Revelstoke by 9. Wow--radio stations! Houses! Stores! I stopped at a gas station to fill up the diesel tank as well as my own; I'd been seeing commercials for Tim Horton's, so I got a very tasty sandwich with a tea. Then I headed "downtown" (I don't know if the town actually has a downtown, but I seemed to be on the main drag) to a grocery, to buy a few things (Pepsi, salsa, and Kleenex--I've had a "reverse cold" that began with a sore throat, which went away for the most part before the nose kinda kicked in; I'm still coughing up gunk at times, but it doesn't seem to be in my lungs). Then back to the road. I did not go to the Railway Museum, which was in an old railway station--next trip.

The road south of Revelstoke is virtually void of civilization. Trees, trees, and more trees. A couple of parks, maybe a few homes, a logging road or two (I saw my first confirmed clear cut), and that's it. I had read that the ferry across the columbia/Arrow Lake left on the hour, and I was going to be quite early, so I took my time. And I got passed by people in a real damn hurry. As it turns out, they were in a hurry for a reason: there's also a ferry that runs on the half hour in the summer and on weekends, and I was the last vehicle on it. The RV's (a different manufacturer's version of my rig, as well as a fifth wheel and me) were taking up the two middle lanes (we were in the middle of them), with cars on either side. It was a nice little trip; there was no wind so no waves. The water in fact looked like it had lots of debris in it at first, branches and such. We got to the other side and it was quite a haul up the hill to the road.

Halcyon Hot Springs is only about 8 miles south of the ferry, and it was about 11:30 when I got to the office (i.e. too damn early). The front desk people were nice and gave me a map of the campground with the ones which were to leave marked, so I could pick my spot. It's a very small campground with quite small spots (no big-ass rigs here); I've got an average-sized spot and I fill it completely with my 24' RV. There are some bigger, but not many. No real trees, although I did get one with a bush that shaded part of the rig in the later afternoon. I walked back down after parking and registered, and also gave the front desk a list of who had left and who was still here, which they appreciated.

I sat for a while to air out the vehicle, then closed the larger windows and went to lunch. I had an interesting hamburger (there were marinated onions that were indeed interesting), plus fries (the Coke was flat and I returned it--yay for grocery Pepsi!). The restaurant had a great view of the lake and the hot pools, which are carved out of a rather sheer cliff.

After lunch I went down for a quick dip. The largest pool was about 87 degrees, and quite comfortable to swim in. I suspect it had a diving board at one time, since it had a deep end that went rather abruptly to 9 feet, but no board anymore. There are three other, much smaller pools on the upper level: one warm (100 degrees, which was nice as it had a bit of a current around a center island and you can just float around and around), one 105 degrees (I stuck my feet in, but no more) and a very small cold plunge that's 55 degrees (yikes!). I'm planning on going back, although now it's gone from sunny to sprinkling off and on. Well, it's nicer to swim in a hot tub when it's not 85 degrees out. Besides, I don't think I get a channel that will show the Tony Awards. Oh well. If the Internet begins to work, I can at least get the results tonight.