We have really enjoyed our time on the Canada side of the International Selkirk Loop. On our way back to the motor home after a full day of sightseeing, we started listing the things we really liked about this part of our visit. Here’s my list:

* Going to Church at the Kootenay Lake Branch. It was a great experience and one that we will remember for a very long time.

* Riding the ferry across from Kootenay Bay to Balfour and back. So far we’ve made three round trips and tomorrow we’ll take the motor home (towing the tracker) across. The ferry is “free” (paid for out of gasoline taxes) which is a good thing as most of the places to go were on the other side of the lake.

* Visiting the Glass House, a house constructed from empty embalming fluid bottles. It was definitely one of the most quirky things we’ve seen in quite a while.

* All the really little villages along the route. We have really enjoyed these little towns and Kaslo is a particular favorite. These little towns have real character and charm.

* The really friendly people. Everywhere we’ve been the people have been friendly and helpful. They also have an accent that’s fun to listen to.

* The waterfalls. Along our drives have been an abundance of waterfalls. There have been so many, in fact, that Nina finally got enough pictures of waterfalls for this part of the trip.

* The mining towns. We’ve stopped at a couple of old mining towns and have learned some of the history of the mining past in this area. I had no idea that there have been so many silver, lead, zinc, and gold mines in this area and many are still operating.

* The rock murals in Salmo. These were very interesting murals and pictures will eventually show up in the picture album from our stop in that town.

* Mars candy bars. For some reason, we don’t have these candy bars in the United States. The Mars Caramel bar is especially good.

* Much cooler temperatures than in Pocatello. The high temperatures here have been in the mid to upper 80’s. In Pocatello they’ve been in the mid to upper 90’s. I like these temperatures better right now, although I suspect in the winter it gets to be bitter cold here.

* The much longer daylight. We’re about four hundred miles north of Pocatello and the sun is up at least an hour longer than at home. That means more time to play before I realize how late it is.

There are probably many more things, but I’m tired and the fireworks are going off not far from here. It’s time to publish this and pay attention to other interesting things.