Towards the Rockies

 So...the warm weather is over? There's snow on them thar hills. The drive to Nelson on the Kootenay River at the base of the Rockies, took us through a range of spectacular scenery. We saw snow-capped peaks, pine forests, flat farmland of corn and apple orchards, lakes and rivers. The colours are just beginning to change and the temperature has dropped significantly. Those early settlers and miners must have been tough critters! We went through a town called Hope so you can imagine some of the puns which flowed easily (You've just left Hope! Some people live in Hope!).

 At Osoyoos we stopped beside the beautiful lake for a walk and a cuppa. The people here  obviously have a sense of humour as places were called things like Desert Surfside (as the area is High Desert), Sun Beach Motel and the theme park was Rattlesnake Canyon. The Green Gables Beach Resort, pictured below, is probably managed by Anne (although the original is some 5600km to the east on Prince Edward Island).
John had to check the water using the JK/DZ temperature rating. Surprisingly, it only rated a brisk (2 out of 4), given the altitude and season.

 We were held up for about an hour because of a road crash - not us fortunately, as the car involved was quite a mess. The roads generally were in very good condition given the number of trucks, large motorhomes & 5th wheelers out and about.
We've been checking out the animal warning signs, like this one for deer. Others included warnings for elk, bears (with cubs) and badgers.


Seen today: A hog farm (so the sign said); blue spruce, aspen, fir and birch trees; wide shallow rivers running along the base of quite narrow valleys; pumpkins at the ready for Halloween; John driving on the right and some huge SUVs.