Kootenay Tour -- Kaslo and Nelson, Day Three

Man.

This is the best time of year to be in the Kootenays. But don't just take my word for it...











Let me say this -- Kaslo is one beautiful place.

This is the view I got when I woke up...


Not bad, eh?

I stayed at a very funky B&B -- the Beach Gables, in the Victorian Room, (which lived up to its name).

I think I need to show you the chandelier above my bed...

Funkedelic. And not the last of the chandeliers on this trip, as you will see.

I woke up early, so I spent an hour touring the village. They are currently restoring the Kaslo Hotel, which was one of the locations where Japanese Canadians were interred after the bombing of Pearl Harbour. A sad and remarkable place. Kaslo is also the resting place of the original SS Moyie, a stern-wheeler who plied the waters of Kootenay Lake for nearly 50 years. It's replica chugs around the Glenmore Reservoir in Calgary, but the real thing is here as a museum on the lake.






After my tour I headed off to meet the kids from Kaslo School at the town library. It's in the basement of the town firehall, which also happens to be ...

the old jail.





It was an ideal spot, nice and cosy and the kids had some great questions. A lot of fun!










The library itself looks pretty conventional, but if you peek in the back, things look more like they used to.

Here's a picture of the librarian, Eva Kelemen, in the 'dark cell'.

A very medieval sort of place, if you ask me...





Thanks to the teachers, librarians and kids of Kaslo for making me feel so welcome.

After Kaslo it was on to Nelson, another funky (though slightly larger) Kootenay town. Here I spoke to the kids at Trafalgar School -- a great group.

Big thanks to Nelson librarian Joanne Harris for the escort to the school -- on her day off!














After Nelson, I hit the road to Trail, BC, home of the Cominco smelter, and site of my first Wednesday appearance.

More on that tomorrow.

~kc