Advertisement
Published: August 18th 2007
Spokane
It was a hot day, Anne almost went under..Anne and I enjoyed Spokane, it's a 'BIG' city when compared with Fernie, boasting around 1/2 million people. The town, with it's wide streets and laid back atmosphere was very reminiscent of Bendigo, just add water and replace the Eucalyptus with Pine trees. Anne and I did some shopping, and took advantage of some nice restaurants.
Once back in Fernie we prepared our first camping trip, and headed off to White Swan Lake with our intrepid tour guide, Ian. Not only a lot of fun and an excellent cribbage teacher, Ian's knowledge of places both local and faraway is pretty much boundless. Two nights camping beside a beautiful lake, complete with a natural mineral spring and crystal clear (and cool) river, and an awesome hike to the 'Top of the World' - a stunning piece of the world.
The hike was about 12km, in total, and I reckon Anne beat the pants off both Ian and I. Upon retuning to the car, Both Ian and I had some good blisters to boast about, but Anne didn't look like she had even warmed up. Something agreeable in the air here, I guess...
Fairmont Hot springs is hugely popular and
Moose Lake
Anne on the lake - "That must be swum". relatively close to where we were camping (about an hours drive). It didn't really groove with Anne and I (but jeez, I liked the Jerky!) - it's like a big swimming pool with too many people. So Ian showed us an unadvertised, truly natural hot spring that was only about a stones throw from the campsite. The water was spectacularly hot, complete with that sweet sulfur smell. There is a running river that borders the hot springs. It is cold, and fast - Ian and I froze our asses off after the hot springs, but you forget about the temperature when your sliding down the river, feet first with a strong current. What a trip!
I have been daydreaming about swimming the lengths of some of these massive lakes, so after all of this physical exertion, and with the words "God Hates a Coward" ringing in my ears from Ian, we decided to do just that. It was only about 2km long, but after the hike, we were pretty knackered. I think most people though we were stupid, but hey, things like this are what make indelible memories.
I'm no expert, but when it comes to camping, the
Long Horn Mountain Sheep
Just on the road as we drove on by... Canadians are better at it than anyone else. They slice off a piece of some spectacular forest, conservatively build some campsites with a focus on privacy and scenery for each site, and manage those sites extremely well. No wonder it's so popular here.
We are preparing for another trip now - Monday we leave for Vancouver and the Island for 10 days. The Poor wee doggies will be in the kennel again - however they don't seem any worse for it, and I think they love the owners, and the three walks a day they receive.
Today marked the end of the "TransRockies Challenge". The event is a cross-country bike challenge over 7 days - 600km and 12,000m of climbing, and it all ended in Fernie. It was a sick contrast as I watched these endurance athletes end the race as I limped about town after popping my other Achilles. Tragic.
We had fun at the local pub last night - 'The Fernie' at a friends birthday party. Believe it or not, it's owned by an Australian, and comes complete with Collingwood football guernseys, Victoria Bitter posters, and directions to the 'Dunnies'. We were also graced with
Long Horn Mountain Sheep
Just on the road as we drove on by... a combination of the latest Country and Western music - "RedNeck Girl" by Blake Shelton and Rock -"Beds are Burning" by Midnight Oil. I was terribly confused. :-)
I am thinking about learning a new language. There are x number of Australian's in town now, and apparently in winter, it becomes x squared. A friend of Anne's owns the local bike shop. Under the counter is a sign created with the 10 worst things they hear from customers. At the top of the list is "Hey mate, do ya give a local's discount".
On that note, I'll sign off. Love to everyone and hope to see you soon!
Advertisement
Tot: 0.049s; Tpl: 0.013s; cc: 6; qc: 24; dbt: 0.0282s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1mb
Kem
non-member comment
P.S. :-)
Your landords Missus is a hottie.... has she got any sisters ?...