Kootenay Tour -- Grand Forks and Castlegar, Day Two

My first view of Grand Forks in the morning -- flowers, banners and tiny gymnast/divers to start my day!




I was met this morning by the wonderful Leanne Strang of the Kootenay Library Foundation. Leanne was the one who pulled all the funding together and then organized this tour for me, so it was great to meet her and thank her in person. We headed off for a presentation at Grand Forks Senior Secondary, and I had a great time.






Here's a view of the school.












Then it was off to Castlegar again, for a meeting with the kids at Stanley Humphries Senior Secondary School.


This visit was overseen by Arlee Venier, Castlegar's librarian. Thanks to Arlee for helping me find my way!


This is a shot of the countryside en route to Castlegar. This part of the world is situated between the Monashee range of mountains and the Selkirks -- beautiful rocky crags, but not the towering monsters of the Rockies just yet. Very close to where skiing Olympian Nancy Greene grew up here in Rossland -- lots of evidence of her around (Nancy Greene Lake, for example).

After my event in Castlegar, I drove the very windy highway up Kootenay Lake to Kaslo. I've never been to Kaslo before, and the views are truly breathtaking.

I'll leave you with a peek of what greeted me outside my very lovely B&B:

More on Kaslo tomorrow. Thanks to all the teachers and librarians who shared my day today -- and to the kids of Grand Forks and Stanley Humphries Senior Secondary Schools.

~kc

Kootenay Tour -- Day One

Flew into Castlegar yesterday afternoon. Truly a surreal final approach -- apparently they only do it in daylight and if the weather is fine. The flight is through a mountain pass, with a tight circle at the end and then the landing -- breath-taking. Someone who lives in Castlegar today told me that she swears she can see the squirrels on the trees as she flies in...

This is a view of the sky as I drove from Castlegar to Grand Forks -- about an hour through a winding pass. Lovely -- though I spent the entire time with my eye glued to the trees for deer.


This is a shot of the road at sunset.

The Kootenays are a rare and beautiful part of the Rockies. I am feeling very priveleged to be invited to speak in this amazing part of the world.

Two (and a half) gigs today -- more on that in tomorrow's post.



~kc
...and have you checked our SiWC blog lately?