A morning walk in Nelson proved worthwhile. Firstly, we walked across this bridge over Kootenay Lake to Lakeside Park (aptly named). The gardens were beautifully maintained, with the walks along the lake shore being very picturesque and lots of interesting surprises, including this totem pole.
We followed the lake north to the hot springs at Ainsworth for about 1/2 hour, founded in 1883. There were three pools of varying temperatures. The main pool (pictured) was probably 35C, the caves pools was 42C and the cold plunge pool was atmospheric temperature (about a 3 on the JK/DZ scale). We were excited when we spotted a black bear cub in a tree a little way up the hill, but soon realised it was a stuffed toy. Good to see someone has a sense of humour! When we arrived and started talking to the manager, he asked if we were Australian and soon all the staff were there listening to our strange accent. (We don't think it's strange).
After our therapeutic dip, we caught the Balfour ferry across the lake to Kootenay Bay. This 35 min ferry trip is the longest free ferry trip in Canada, but obviously still cheaper than a bridge. There was room for about 80 cars, but being North America there were some pretty big motorhomes on board.
To arrive in our North Easterly target for the day, Radium Hot Springs (about 120km as the crow flies), we had to drive north, east, south, then north again (about 360km of driving). The scenery changed rapidly. There had been some heavier falls of snow last night up in the mountain and it was clear to see in numerous places. The rivers have changed to a lighter greenish blue rather than the blackish colour of some of the other lakes because of the glacial run-off.
Seen today: Deer; Hoodoos (eroded cliff faces in the Columbia Valley); A Dodge RAM whose door handles were on a level with Chris' eyes; Teepees (Tipi); Higher mountains than yesterday - even higher than Mt Gravatt!
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