The Journey to Cranbrook, BC, Canada
We made it back home! Unfortunately, I forgot I made this post weeks ago and didn't publish it. So here is the last leg of our trip back home! After leaving Cranbrook, we basically booted it back to Ontario so Brent could watch the hockey playoffs with his dad. In the end, the Leafs lost in the first round. They suck! But, I'm sure this household will continue watching them next year.
After leaving Oliver, we continued to drive Highway 3 through the Kootney Mountains to Cranbrook. Is Cranbrook a "destination"? If it isn't, it should be! It offers so many outdoor activities.
Driving through the West Kootenay Mountain range in a mini-van hauling a travel trailer was an interesting experience. What would normally take about 5 and a half hours, took almost 3 hours longer. Those mountains have some wicked long inclines and driving slowly in low gear is the only way to do it. I know Dodge Caravans are not known for great transmissions, but quite honestly, we've never had a problem. We've owned two and we aren't easy on them!
Once in Cranbrook, we stayed at the St. Eugene KOA located near the St. Mary's River surrounded by the Kootenay Rockies. I highly recommend this campground. The views are outstanding and part of the St. Eugene Resort where you can access the hotel, golf and casino. The Resort lies within the traditional territories of the Ktunaxa Nation and the current hotel was once the Kootenay Indian Residential School. It has an incredible history and the transformation from a mission school into a resort complex under the leadership of Chief Sophie Pierre and Elder Mary Paul is an amazing example of what can be done to create positive economic opportunities for a First Nation while continuing to bring an awareness and understanding of its sad history.
The Covid restrictions limited our access to the hotel and spa, but we did get our first golf game in for the season. You can find all the highlights and antics on our YouTube channel Brent & Kelly.
The surrounding area of Cranbrook offers so much for hikers and cyclists. One day, I would love to tackle Fisher Peak. Apparently, it is a wicked all day hike not for the "faint of heart". Safe to say, we avoided this hike and chose to bike along the Northstar Rails to Trails from Cranbrook to Kimberly. I was quite proud of myself as we biked 20 Km with 4 Km of steep incline! Not bad for the first Spring bike ride.
Ron and Grahame, starters at the golf course, recommended making a trip to the town of Kimberly located along the 95A between the Purcell and Rocky Mountains/ The next day we drove up and hiked the Kimberly Nature Park. We didn't get far as we chose to hike up a trail that had a steep incline right from the start. Just when I think we are getting stronger, a trail like this reminds me that we are in our fifties and are physically deteriorating! Two kilometres in and it was already kicking our butts. We decided to walk back down to the trailhead and drive back to town.
Ron recommended checking out the Kimberly Alpine Resort. Apparently, it's a great ski hill for both expert and family runs and offers a variety of other outdoor activities. Got to admit, it was pretty sweet and we've put it on the "return" list! The town itself has a definite ski vibe replicating old Bavaria charm.
It was a great extended stay in the Cranbrook area and I highly recommend coming to the area if you enjoy outdoor activities.
By the way, for my few readers who have signed up for automatic notifications of this blog, the service will be stopped as of July. I'm researching a new platform anyway...maybe a website! I'll let you know.
