Fifteen years ago, Meriam and I drove along part of the Selkirk Loop, so we decided on this trip to complete the portion we previously missed. The Selkirk Loop, and more specifically, the area around the town of Creston, BC in Canada was a destination point for this trip. As you will recall from a previous post, the town of Creston is a small, but major fruit-growing area of Canada.
My previous comments regarding Creston and its fruit are not meant to minimize the Selkirk Loop. This loop is designated as an All-American Highway, and are pleased we took the time to investigate the area more slowly.
A good portion of the Loop travels along Kootenay Lake (the spelling in the US is “Kootenai”). The drive along the lake is beautiful and the roads are quite hilly, curvy, and a little precarious. We drove the entire portion of this trip with the truck out of overdrive…over 300 miles…but every mile was worth it!
A map of the International Selkirk Loop (the portion highlighted in green). In addition to the Loop, we took a side trip further up north to the town of Nakusp. In Nakusp, we spent days enjoying local fish & chips and soaking in the local hot springs.Early in our drive up the Kootenai, we stopped at this scenic overview. We were intrigued by the wooden pylons in the water (lower left corner). As you will discover in a subsequent posting, these were parts of an old wharf used by the S.S. Moyie, an old wooden stern-wheeled paddle boat. At an elevation of 1745 feet, Kootenai Lake is 65 miles long, 3 miles wide, has a surface area of 145 sq. miles, and a maximum depth of 490 feet.Every small town along the Loop had a park with its own beach. Here is an example of the scenery. Not bad for a city park!There were lots of small, roadside places to investigate, e.g. Fletcher’s Fries.Fletcher’s Fries. Perhaps the best French fries Meriam and I have ever eaten! Extra crispy, breaded in very fine potato flour.A really kool bar along the way! As you can see, guests are encouraged to post where they are from.Another destination stop. Prior to boarding the ferry to continue our trip to Nakusp, we stopped off at the Northern Woven Broom Co.—a really neat place. We actually visited here on our previous trip to the area in 2008. Meriam purchased a handmade Harry Potter-style broom (and she is still using it). This place made the brooms for a number of movies including Harry Potter and Bewitched.The owners said they can hardly keep up with orders. On our return trip from Nakusp, we passed the store at 6:30p and they were still open.The “witch” buys her next broom 🙂Waiting to load the ferry, then a 45-minute boat rider across the lake.We just missed this ferry. It seems they were not able to load the normal complement of vehicles due to the weight of a very large logging truck (you can see the back end of the truck here. It stretches to the front of the ferry).Some scenery along the way.Very calm waters.As we were returning on the ferry from Nakusp, we pass the ferry we took for the trip over.At another stop along the way, we spotted this sign in front of a really neat hardware store.
Bubba HaggardWhat’s the temperature up there?ReplyCancel
HaroldDuring the day it gets up to 90, but the average is probably 85. It drops down to 40-50 at night. We are now headed for higher elevation so hopefully, it will get much cooler.ReplyCancel
CledWhat a great trip… especially loved the broom shop. Thanks, again, for letting us tag along.ReplyCancel
HaroldYes, it is most kool. We were surprised it was still open since the last time we visited (15 years ago.)ReplyCancel
Fran RoundsFascinating! ‘Hoe’ sign reminds me of Meriam’s hotel lobby posting for “Hookers meet here”🤪 FranReplyCancel
HaroldYes, the “hookers” was priceless!ReplyCancel
mao Thanks for stopping at such interesting spots. I love exploring.ReplyCancel
HaroldI give all the credit to Meriam. She spends a great deal of time researching the various places we go.ReplyCancel
Bubba HaggardWhat’s the temperature up there?
HaroldDuring the day it gets up to 90, but the average is probably 85. It drops down to 40-50 at night. We are now headed for higher elevation so hopefully, it will get much cooler.
CledWhat a great trip… especially loved the broom shop. Thanks, again, for letting us tag along.
HaroldYes, it is most kool. We were surprised it was still open since the last time we visited (15 years ago.)
Fran RoundsFascinating! ‘Hoe’ sign reminds me of Meriam’s hotel lobby posting for “Hookers meet here”🤪 Fran
HaroldYes, the “hookers” was priceless!
mao Thanks for stopping at such interesting spots. I love exploring.
HaroldI give all the credit to Meriam. She spends a great deal of time researching the various places we go.
SharonLove the broom shop! 🧹 The scenery is amazing!
HaroldThanks, Sharon, you ain’t seen nothing yet!
Sherry MaskBeautiful scenery and the fries sound delicious 😋
HaroldThe fries were worth the trip 🙂
PeterNice places and good fun!
HaroldIt definitely was!
The BurksLove your photos, you find the most interesting stops! We too enjoyed soaking in Nakusp hot springs. That area is so gorgeous.
HaroldIt’s definitely a trip people should take. Credit MB for finding interesting places. All I do is drive 🙂