Chocolate was the catalyst that led me to Trout Lake BC for an August weekend. Karina makes the best dark chocolates I have ever eaten, and she has been inviting us to their vacation house in Trout Lake for a couple of years. You know how it is, you want to go but coordinating when you can all go together can be a tricky balancing act. Last weekend worked out to be the girls weekend with Karina, her 6 month old boxer cross, Piper girl, and myself. Quality girl time.
The community of Trout Lake is south east of Revelstoke BC in the West Kootenay district, at the north end of the lake. Trout Lake city was in it's heyday between 1897 to 1907 when it's population exceeded 2000, with a silver mine in full swing. When the mining shut down the population dispersed. Not that many years ago a molybdenum mine was opened; they had too many cave-ins and could not continue the mining. Now Trout Lake is what I would call a transient community. In the summer it is cottages and RV's in the winter it's heli-skiing, with maybe 20 people living there year round. A lot of Albertan's have cottages on the lake.
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| Galena Bay on Arrow Lake, waiting for the Upper Arrow Lakes Ferry, this is a free ferry. Check out the people on the rock, jumping into the water. |
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| Piper "pretty girl" loving the walk break after a long drive to the ferry. |
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| The scene from the ferry. |
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| Forestry buildings just down the street from Karina's place, with the Glacier on Saddle Mountain |
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| The Windsor Hotel, 518 Kellie Street, was built in 1892, these days you can't rent a room or eat in the restaurant or drink in the pub unless you are related or know the owner. The hotel hasn't changed much from the outside. |
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| Trout Lake Marina, use at your own risk. |
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| Piper learning how to swim, the next day you couldn't hold her back she loved it so much. |
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| Beach art to me. |
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| Throw the stick, I'm ready. I couldn't believe how she could catch blue berries when I threw them at her. |
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| The camp grounds. |
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| Wilkie creek. |
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| Kids, dogs, and families so drive slow. |
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| Lots of bears roam the neighbor hood, you can't grow fruit trees, so this cottager has fake fruit hanging in the tree. |
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| The house that Dave built. Check out the carved bear on the post above the porch! Click on the picture for a larger picture. |
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| Many people enjoying the beach sunning, swimming, water skiing, the motor boaters were not respectful to the people on the beach or in the water with their wakes and the quads should not be driving on the beach. |
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| Maxi with Piper trailing behind, trying to take his stick and having the best time. |
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| Fields of wild flowers along the road. |
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| The front door of the house that Dave built. Love this door. |
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| The swing I sat in and read my book "Angela's Ashes" it was like floating, so peaceful. |
I came home a little browner, well rested and with a lot of beautiful rocks, looking forward to my next visit. Thank you Karina and Dave.
