British Columbia and Alberta, Canada
by Glen Cowley
There are not enough “a’s” in “aaaaaaaaah” to impart the soothing sensation of slow immersion into a mountain hung hot springs pool.
The Kootenay Rockies of British Columbia 800 kilometre Hot Springs Circle Tour affords travelers a week-long, hot-springs-per-day experience. From the luxurious to the rustic are offerings of international acclaim.
Day One
We slipped off the Trans-Canada Highway onto Highway 23, just west of Revelstoke, and were soon at the tiny Shelter Bay ferry terminal for the free, 25 minute jaunt across the Arrow Lakes to Galena Bay. 15 minutes later we were twisting down the drive to Halcyon Hot Springs lodge.
Saddled beside the Arrow lakes, under the shadow of the Monashee Mountains, the new lodge, dated 1998, rises upon the memory of the original; which began life in 1894 under the hand of Captain Sanderson, a river steam boat captain whose remains are buried on site. The rich history of the old lodge, from halcyon days to fiery demise in 1955, are recounted in a book available on loan at the front desk. Few original buildings survived the fire and flooding caused by the damming of the Columbia; save for the poignant presence of the 1945-built chapel where owner Dr. Frederick Burnham buried wife Anna and sister in law, Elizabeth. Dr. Burnham himself perished 10 years later in the lodge’s flaming end.
Present day lodge amenities, from chalets to rooms to fine dining and soothing pools, did not disappoint. A serene wilderness surrounds this warm luxury like a single heavenly star. Heavens, free of city glare, as clear as nature created them.
A dip in the 100 degree warm pool contrasted sharply with the steamy intensity of the hot pool at 107 degrees. A quick 55 degree cold pool plunge had me thinking Vienna Boys Choir. We settled in the warm pool, lazing at length and drinking in the mountain-lake vista. Above us restaurant patrons dined at the Kingfisher restaurant, soft music perfumed the air and the sun slowly set, lavender hued, behind the Monashees. Patio lights lent calming luster to the three upper pools.
Day Two
After a quick morning dip we regained the highway for the short drive to Nakusp, passing the gravel road to St. Leon Hot Springs; a rather daunting wild hot springs side trip for more daring souls.
Nakusp’s community-owned pools nestle within a secluded, wooded river valley 12 paved miles off the highway just north of town. Accommodations include six chalets and campsites strung close by a circular pool complex surrounded by steamed plexiglas walls. Services include a small novelty store and basic restaurant facilities. If less imposing than Halcyon it is no less charming and friendly. The circular pool has an apportioned hot pool cooking at 105 degrees and soothing warm pool at 98 degrees.
Day Three
The journey to Ainsworth wound through narrow valleys which brought us to historic mining town New Denver and its well kept edifices recalling heady days near the turn of the 20th century. We grabbed a quick picnic near the shores of Slocan Lake under the towering Valhalla Mountain Range and close by the local museum housed within the old Bank of Montreal building dating from 1893. Cruising through wooded walls on winding road we passed crumbling ruins of old mining sites on the way to equally historic Kaslo. Here the carefully restored stern wheeler S.S. Moyie sits upon shore as a museum; its last 1957 run but a memory. Immense Kootenay Lake exploded into view; its horizon fading far, far to the south. Like New Denver Kaslo has cherished and cared for its historic buildings and architectural aficionados could easily spend a holiday weekend just exploring the two old towns’ offerings.
Another 20 minutes south landed us in cliff-faced Ainsworth, clocking 2 hours driving time from Nakusp. The Ainsworth Hot Springs Hotel, restaurant and pool dominates the old town; a pale reflection of the busy lake port that began life in 1882 at the start of the Kootenay mining boom. The fine-dining restaurant overlooks the pools and the renowned circular hot pool caves, originally carved out of the rock by early miners. They are a unique attraction complimenting the large warm pool, comfy hot pool and the bone chilling cold dip pool. Busy year round, the pools are within reach of nearby Nelson and reflect popularity with a broad demographic.
The panoramic splendor of mountain and lake dimmed to the warming comfort of night lit pools and a feeling of serenity wafted over us as the evening drew dark. Food and lodging options are limited at Ainsworth but Kaslo, Balfour and even Nelson are close enough to consider their facilities.
Day Four
A long travel day began well as we caught the 8:30 am ferry, the Osprey 2000, pulling out from Balfour on its 35 minute scenic free ride across Kootenay Lake. The large capacity ferry is equipped with a coffee/snack bar and extensive viewing venues.
From Kootenay Bay we cruised to Creston then west for the headwaters of the Columbia River. This time we we not making for a resort. This time we taking a wee side trip off the beaten track. Lussier Hot Springs is a bumpy 18 kilometres off the main highway just shy of the headwaters of the Columbia River at Columbia Lake. At points the road narrowed along the steep sided valley with the river rushing far below but this is a well traveled route despite its heart fluttering exposure. When we reached the parking lot just inside Top of the World Provincial Park it was a teem with cars, trucks and motor homes.
A winding dirt track led sharply down to the dancing Lussier River where rustic boulder-framed pools were awash with bathers. German and French accents wafted upwards as people of all ages scrambled about and lounged in the gravel-bottomed pools. The hot pool stood around 105 degrees as we eased in. Personal sized nooks and crannies housed singular soakers. Friendly chatter warbled like a flock of song birds. Lussier is unlike its more developed kin, a little harder to get to, a lot closer to the wilderness and thus its unique attraction. A bit of adventure increased its allure.
A short drive got us to Fairmont Hot Springs and a fine B&B. Fairmont provides a host of accommodations and is the ideal setting for a couple nights to take in area hot springs.
Day Five
Fairmont’s hot springs fame has seeped through time with singular acclaim as the Smoking Waters of First Nations legend. On a hill overlooking the pools at the lodge, natural hot waters seep and stream over a calcified knoll, its sulphurous aroma wafting close to the ground and housing a few warm, bathtub-size pools carved within for those inclined to experience a more natural setting. A series of stone rooms with bathtub pools recall the early years of commercial exploitation.
The lodge pools were the biggest of all we had experienced and are enjoyed by people of all ages. This is Alberta’s playground, in particular Calgary’s.
Day Six
Radium Hot Springs hides behind the cloistered red walls of Sinclair Canyon in Kootenay National Park on highway 93 to Alberta. Known to the white man since the days of the fur trade when Hudson Bay Company governor Sir George Simpson enjoyed the waters; its history is ancient and carries an aura of being B.C. hot springs royalty. Long has it been associated with the world famous magnificence of the Rocky Mountain National Parks of Canada.
Its appeal is year round and nearby Radium Hot Springs is chock full of accommodations hinged upon the soothing allure of its waters. Expansive facilities include a large warm pool and small hot pool but also a full sized pool; making this as much a family destination as that of Fairmont. Here you are within the bowels of the mountains. If fortune favours, you may witness deft-footed mountain sheep on the overlooking rock face cavorting indifferent to the human presence below.
Day Seven
This was a long drive day to Golden then on through the rugged Selkirks, but hardly boring. Topping the Rogers Pass under the towering gaze of Mt Tupper and the wrinkled rock face beneath Illicilliwaet Glacier we fell away into insignificance amid the immensity of an alpine world.
Canyon Hot Springs was our last stop and perhaps the least formative of them all. Yet this unassuming resort with a few chalets, campgrounds and its simple hot and warm pools had a comfortable family appeal. Just off the Trans Canada, under the shadow of imposing peaks, it is a soothing break from the busy traffic rush.
As the mountains faded into our rear view mirror the next day we cruised on as relaxed as meditative monks; our senses peacefully assailed amid the powerful beauty of nature.
If You Go:
Hot Rocks – Traveling the shoulder seasons (May/June and September/October) when fewer tourists are sharing the winding roads and scenic settings allows you time and circumstance to leisurely drink in the experience. You can check ferry schedules and road construction using the BC Ministry of Transportation site. Water socks are handy for walking about the rocks at Lussier Hot Springs.
♦ Hot Springs in BC – provides information on all of the Kootenay hot springs in one handy site.
♦ www.th.gov.bc.ca/highwaytravellers.htm – provides updated information on ferry schedules, road construction and conditions.
♦ www.kootenays-bc.com – provides information on accommodations and activities in the Kootenays
♦ www.bcgasprices.com – provides an updated breakdown of best gas prices in B.C.
About the author:
Since 1994 Glen Cowley has parlayed his interest in sports, travel and history into both books and articles. The author of two books on hockey and over fifty published articles (including sports, biographies and travel) he continues to explore perspectives in time and place wherever his travels take him. From the varied landscapes of British Columbia to Eastern Canada and the USA, the British Isles, Germany, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Greece and France he has found ample fodder for features.
See Glen Cowley’s website at: http://www.windandice.shawwebspace.ca
All photos are by Glen Cowley.
When I visited, I headed first to The Museum Center at Five Points, a regional history museum with exhibitions, a store, and programs related to the history of Cleveland, Bradley County, and the Ocoee Region of Tennessee. The museum is located at 200 Inman Street East. The core exhibition uses the theme, River of Time, to trace the history of the area. This theme signifies the importance of the Ocoee, Hiwassee and Tennessee Rivers to the region.
Glass etchings in the lobby depict visual images of living history characters that visitors may watch on videos while walking through the displays. These characters introduce seven time periods, from Coming to the Land (Prehistory-1804) thru Paths to the Future (1979-Present,) while artifacts represent the different times. A real wagon that came to Bradley County with settlers in 1839 can be seen as well as a kayak from the 1996 Olympic Canoe and Kayak Competition on the Ocoee River. There are also hands-on stations throughout for kids to enjoy.
A little hamburger place which first opened in 1937, The Spot was originally known for its unique way of serving hamburgers…by throwing them to customers. They didn’t throw my chili dog to me. The chili was made with the original 1937 recipe and was very good. They also told me they were famous for their “Frosty” malts long before Wendy’s came along. For a more elaborate meal, Cafe Roma, in a historic building at 220 Ocoee Street that housed several successive newspapers from 1854 to 1936, looked like an interesting place for lunch or dinner.
The Cleveland Public Library is housed in a home built in 1883. Originally about two-thirds the size of the present residence, the house was bricked and remodeled in 1940. In 1987, it became the library. A 5000-square-foot expansion began in 2001. Next door is the Carmichael Library Addition, another historic home recently donated to the library.
The land that forms the town was originally part of Spencer County, North Carolina, and then it became part of the state of Franklin, then went back to North Carolina, and finally became part of Hawkins County, Tennessee. During the time Hawkins County was being shifted from one state to the other, it was for a while part of the Territory South of the River Ohio, and in 1791 the first newspaper in the Territory was printed. It was called the Knoxville Gazette and in 1792 was moved to Knoxville, the new capital of the Territory. Rogersville’s Tennessee Newspaper and Printing Museum reflects the area’s long involvement with the printing industry. It is located in the Southern Railway Train Depot. The Depot was built in 1890 and also houses the offices of the Rogersville Heritage Association. A centerpiece of the museum is the last linotype machine to be used to set type for a newspaper in Tennessee. It came from the Rogersville Review where it was used until l982. Many newspapers from Rogersville’s history, some original copies, some photocopies, are also on exhibit. The museum, at the corner of Depot and Broadway, is free but it is currently open limited hours and by appointment (423-272-1961).
The Town Square is the center of downtown Rogersville and each corner of the square is a historic site. The Hawkins County Courthouse, built in 1836, is the oldest original courthouse still in use in the state. Just across from the Courthouse is the Masonic Temple, site of the oldest continually operating lodge in Tennessee, chartered in 1805. Overton Lodge #5 was named for Andrew Jackson’s law partner, John Overton. The building was built in 1839 as the first branch of the Bank of the State of Tennessee, which failed just after the Civil War because all its assets were in Confederate bonds and money. Kyle House and Hale Springs Inn are on the other corners of the square. The Kyle House was built in 1837 as a 22 room mansion for William Simpson. During the Civil War, Confederate officers and soldiers were housed there. Just across Main Street, Union officers and soldier were housed in the Hale Springs Inn.
The location of Hale Springs Inn has been the site of a public house since Daniel Hamblen purchased the lot in 1790 for helping Joseph Rogers lay out the town. On it he built a home which also served the fledgling town as a tavern. In 1824, John A. McKinney purchased the property and built a large brick building designed by John Dameron, also the architect of the Courthouse. The building included both a store and a hotel and became known as McKinney’s Tavern. The Inn changed hands and names several times through the years, and before it closed in 1999 was the oldest continuously run Inn in Tennessee. In 2003, the Rogersville Heritage Association bought the hotel and completely renovated it, keeping the original heart pine floor throughout and furnishing each room with colonial and American empire pieces, some original to the Inn. The inn has three presidential suites all named after presidents which have been previous guests: Andrew Jackson, Andrew Johnson, and James K. Polk. McKinney’s by Troutdale, the Inn’s dining room, serves contemporary southern cuisine and is open to the public for dining Tuesday through Saturday for lunch and dinner and Sunday brunch on holidays.
After lunch, I visited the Local Artists Gallery on Main Street. They have items for sale by local artists and craftsmen and next door is Mountain Star Mall which has primitive country décor, antiques, and gift items. I then drove about five miles northeast of Main Street to Amis Mill Eatery on Bear Hollow Road. I had heard that there was a waterfall across the road from it and knew that it was an on-site re-creation of the original facility built by Captain Thomas Amis. Amis built a fort, mill and dam in 1781 at Big Creek on the Great Indian Warpath Trail (later Old Stage Road) with the assistance of his friend and fellow Scots-Irishman John Carter. He then built a trading post, blacksmith shop, forge, distillery, tannery and eventually his home, which was used not only for his family but also to board and feed settlers and travelers. This was the last roof one could sleep under before heading into the wilderness and on into Kentucky. Daniel Boone frequented Amis while blazing the Cumberland Gap trail. One can see part of the stone foundation of the original Amis Mill beside the creek.
Baffin Island is part of the Canadian territory of Nunavut (formerly Northwest Territories) which is situated in the northeastern Arctic region of Canada. It is the fifth largest island in the world and is one of the least occupied places on earth. It is divided into North Baffin, Central Baffin and South Baffin. My journey includes Pond Inlet in North Baffin, Pangnirtung in Central Baffin and Iqaluit, the capital, in South Baffin. In this journal, my focus will be Pond Inlet, North Baffin.
My first encounter with the Inuit was a telephone conversation with my guide-to-be, Josh. I asked him what the temperature would be. He said, “Not very cold,” but I suspected our definition of “cold” might be quite different. Josh explained that as numbers do not mean much to them, the Inuit tend not to use degrees as a measure of cold. I would later find out from my travel guide book that the temperature in April usually ranges from –25 C to 0 C and that’s what Josh describes as “not very cold!” I then asked if he needed me to bring him anything from “Down South.”
Pond Inlet is the biggest community in North Baffin with population of 900. Its rugged and mountainous coast is deeply carved by picturesque fjords, providing spectacular scenery. Pond Inlet has a school, a clinic, an Anglican church, a RCMP outpost, a co-op store (main grocery store in town) and a historic Hudson’s Bay Company site which serves as a vivid reminder of Canada’s rich fur trading heritage.
My first excursion was a dog-sled ride across the frozen sea to Bylot Island in the north. My Inuit guide, Peter (Josh’s uncle), a very quiet man. Spoke only Inuktitut (the language of the Inuit). We managed to communicate through body languages. Most of the time, we enjoyed each other’s company and the pristine and desolate environment in silence.
During our journey, we got out of the sled to take pictures. Then the huskies would run off on us, pulling the sled and our supplies away. The thought of my mortality hit me hard and I was haunted by the fear of being stranded in the Arctic without any supplies. Peter looked unbelievably calm and completely undisturbed. He gave me a big smile and whistled to his dogs. Enjoying their game, the huskies stopped a little distance away and waited for us to catch up.
Every day I walked around town, chit-chatting with locals, playing with kids on the streets, visiting the co-op store, the school, the church and even the RCMP outpost and most of all, watching the Inuit do their daily chores. At that time, the major task was the repair and packing of sleds for the spring seal and caribou hunt. The caribou remains the most important land animal to the Inuit, providing fresh meat and a hide that insulates against the cold better than any other known material.
While visiting there, I had the privilege of trying several home cooked Inuit dishes. I sampled caribou, arctic char and muktuk (the thick skin of a whale – otherwise known as whale blubber!) – both cooked and raw. It is a daring eating adventure, definitely not for the faint-of-heart – or stomach.
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