After a busy morning getting our van cleaned, filled and dumped we did a last walk through the Fairmont Hot Springs Resort with its beautiful scenery.

The pool area was already nicely occupied and reminded us of our swim yesterday.

We headed south again, this time taking a slightly different route so that we could visit the town of Kimberley. We’re glad we did! First up was lunch at The Shed, a BBQ joint with brisket, pulled pork, cornbread and beans. We had a fabulous lunch for around $40.

After some browsing through the shops in town we briefly visited the visitors centre where we learned that the last tour of the day of Kimberley’s Underground Mining Railway was leaving in about 30 minutes. Fortunately for us, it was just around the corner. It was a real highlight of our trip so far and one of the best mine tours we’ve ever done.

The 2 hour tour starts at the station and gradually winds itself up the side of a hill where we got to see quite a number of deer.

Bill, an old miner, gave us so much insight into how mining is done and lots of new terms. Muck is the correct term for the ore that is being removed. We got demonstrations on how some of the equipment was used – boy is it noisy.

After leaving the mining tour we were looking for a place to spend the night when we saw a new wildfire that had just started today so we thought it best to put a bit of distance between us and it.

We’re in Creston, BC, a small town with lots of fruit trees and vineyards. The local Husky gas station also sold propane and had a couple of large bays with pressure washers so we gave the van a well deserved hosing down.

Scottie’s RV Park and Campground was just down the road and it is a great family run cosy place to spend the night.

We had a deluxe breakfast outside on the picnic table at our campsite today with scrambled eggs, bagels and cream cheese, apples and coffee or tea.

Creston is a vine and fruit growing region in a valley between the mountains. We had passed a number of fruit stands on our way in yesterday and today we bought some cherries, apricots and blueberries at a fruit farm close to our campground.

Next up was Nelson, BC. A friend of Martin’s had suggested we visit there and we found a slightly 1960s hippie culture town. Lots of grey beards with ponytails and pot shops.

Ruth was inspired to check out the flower power dresses outside one of the shops.

A mural in the city showed the outdoor mountain culture.

After having a long lunch at Tandoori Indian Grill in town, we set off in search of an alpaca farm. Alas, this was not to be, as the alpacas seem to have left their farm.

Driving through the mountain passes for hours is pretty strenuous on the vehicle, the drivers, and the people behind us who were stuck with us slowpokes. Our van did a really good job in trailer mode which uses the engine to slow down and thus spares the brakes from burning up on the downhills.

Christina Lake is beautiful and gave us a little bit of rest.

Tonight we are in Boundary Creek Provincial Park which is just off the highway and beside a small creek which is very soothing, unless a truck happens to be driving by.

After a great sleep we drove through rocky mountain areas that gradually became desert-like. After quite some time we arrived at the top of a hill overlooking a large lake and the town of Osoyoos. It was extremely hot and dry and walking through the town exhausted us somewhat. We visited a small gallery with air-conditioning and had a great conversation with a couple that were exhibiting artists there. Lunch was at Smitty’s and consisted of waffles with local peaches. Yummy!

This area is known for its wines so we stopped at one of the vineyards and picked up two bottles of red wine.

The town of Hedley is a pretty neat place. Hedley is a former gold mining town that mined $47,000,000 in gold between 1904 and 1955 when it closed after the orebody was exhausted. At today’s gold prices, those 2,417,405 oz of gold mined would be worth $4.7 billion dollars!

The town has a variety of interesting sights, including deluxe outhouses from competitions over the years, colourfully painted houses as well as some more historical buildings.

Hwy 3 in this area has a number of steeper hills with some sharp turns. One beer truck didn’t quite make it….

We stayed at the Sunshine Valley RV Resort & Cabins where we were warned that there was cougar in the area. We went for a swim in their outdoor, indoor, and hot tubs. It felt really luxurious which was good since it cost $87 for the night!

The morning came really early with the alarm waking us up at 6AM so that we could get to the ferry terminal for our trip the Vancouver Island. No coffee or breakfast! Although we didn’t have any reservations we didn’t have to wait too long before we could get onto the ferry.

The weather was fantastic and provided beautiful colours for photographing the water and the islands we passed on the way.

Our dear friends and former neighbours moved out to North Sannich about 2 years ago so we visited them at the new house. It was a long overdue reunion and it was also great to see them and their two dogs again. We drove to Sidney and walked around the market with fruit, vegetables, clothing, jewelry and entertainment.

Dinner was at Pier Bistro across from the fish market.