Running Away with Doug and Nancy: Still going strong in August (Part 2)

Remember - I have done three blog posts today!! Go back!!

Sat Aug 8th - We stayed on at Riverhaven through Saturday. We drove into the really little hamlet of Hedley (about 10 minutes east of the park) and had a bite to eat and wandered around. We love looking at all the old buildings. We also visited the museum. That was fun.

Union Cafe. Great food

Margaret, the amazing 82 year old museum docent.

What a firecracker she is and FULL of information.

A tiny peak at one of the openings.

A bit of information:

Nickel Plate Mine: Discovered in 1898 and initially operated by the Daly Reduction Company and later Kelowna Exploration, it yielded massive amounts of gold, silver, and copper before closing in 1955. It later reopened for open-pit operations between 1985 and 1996.

Mascot Gold Mine: Perched high on a sheer cliff of Nickel Plate Mountain, the mine started operations in 1936 and operated until 1949. It relied on a steep aerial tramway system to move ore down to the valley.

Combined operations on Nickel Plate Mountain produced over 2.7 million ounces (roughly 77 tons) of gold, alongside significant silver and copper, over their active lifespans.

Local Hedley store. One of those places that you can pretty much find anything. Including booze!

Sun Aug 9th - We left Riverhaven in the morning and headed to Kokanee Creek Provincial Park. Yahoo! Teagan and Rudy - here we come!

Rudy - he's just the best!!

Rudy and Grandpa hooking up his bike so we can head back to the park where he can ride around.

At least, that WAS the plan...

So, we arrived at the park on Sunday. Teagan works during the week so we hang out with Rudy during the work day, normally going out to the park daily. Remember that smoke situation? Well, Nelson got some of the worst of it. On the Monday the IQAir reading was up at nearly 200. No taking a young pair of lungs out in that so we stayed in. Did a bit of messing around in the kitchen. Still had fun...

The next day the IQAir reading was 352+!! This actually put Nelson in the "Gas Mask" warning. Not just a face mask (which was on Monday) but a full-on wartime era style gas mask if you wanted to go out. That day it was listed as the worst air in the ENTIRE WORLD!!!! Well, that became a shut the windows and definitely stay indoors kind of day.

The week continued to roll on like that. Crappy air quality. The bike came off the back of the Jeep. Eventually, the air cleared a bit. By Thursday it poured rain, all day!! UGH!!! (Yes, it was needed for the wildfires and smoke situation)

Friday - It was like a miracle. It was a beautiful day. We quickly devised a plan to roadtrip out to Kaslo (about 1 hr east) and have some fun there.

No trip to Kaslo is complete without a tour of the SS Moyie. A paddlewheeler that spent it's life going up and down Kootenay Lake delivering people, goods and supplies.

You can wander through the cargo area of the boat and then go up and go all through the dining salons, ladies salon and men's salon (yes they were separated) etc. So much history.

"SS Moyie is a paddle steamer sternwheeler that operated on Kootenay Lake in British Columbia, Canada from 1898 until 1957. After her nearly sixty years of service, she was sold to the town of Kaslo and restored. She is a National Historic Site of Canada and the world's oldest intact passenger sternwheeler."

Our time here ALWAYS goes too fast. Soon we were on our way to Medicine Hat. It's always interesting taking the free Kootenay Lakes ferry across from Balfour to Crawford Bay, then it's a twisty (glad Doug was driving) road down to Creston.

We made an overnight stop in Cranbrook to see one of my dearest friends, Bobbi Jo. She and I worked together for about 15 years in the freight brokerage business. Sometimes work friends turn into life-long friends. She is one of them. We shared SO many laughs.

Beautiful part of the drive from Cranbrook

through Fernie BC

Finally some wildlife!!

We arrived at Ross Creek Campground in Medicine Hat for a few days. They were kind enough to secure us a lovely spot. Thanks Warren and Pam!

Doug's niece, Dionne, has been in town from Australia so she and I headed out to the Medalta Pottery factory. See info below:

Medalta Potteries in Medicine Hat, Alberta, is a historic ceramics manufacturer that operated from 1912 to 1954. Established in 1912, the first pottery operation on the site failed by 1914 due to financial and operational struggles. Medicine Hat offered abundant local clay deposits and cheap, plentiful natural gas used to fire the beehive kilns, alongside major railway access via the Canadian Pacific Railway. Local entrepreneurs acquired the defunct assets in December 1915, restarting production of essential household utility goods like crocks, jugs, and churns. In 1921, Medalta made history by shipping the West’s first non-agricultural manufactured goods east of Ontario, eventually producing roughly 65% to 75% of Canadian stoneware by the 1920s. Changing markets, increased competition, and modern refrigeration led to financial difficulties, causing the original factory to declare bankruptcy and close in 1954.Today, the site operates as the Medalta Potteries National Historic Site, functioning as an industrial museum, art gallery, and contemporary ceramic arts facility.

Really beautifully displayed articles

Very interesting as you walk through the old production area. Lots of guide notes so you know what you are looking at. I'm sure pretty every relative in southern Alberta of Doug's had some of this pottery in their homes.

A bit more visitng and then one extra day home for transit and we were parked in our driveway at home!!

Then ZOINKS...more camping!! Labour Day long week. For us it's nearly a full week of camping. We get home in time for the kids to go to school, which is the next day on Sept 8th!