Nelson

Four days & nights in Nelson and I want to live here!  Three of the four days it rained which was miserable, however, today the sun came back and all is well again.https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=9jjiWS__Mp0&autoplay=1 

The town is not like most BC towns in so much that they all seem to be temporary. The buildings are all timber framed and centred along a strip which becomes Main street.  Nelson on the other hand is all over the place mainly stone fronted buildings giving the appearance of some kind of history.

Walking through the town everyone without fail will smile or say hi. 

On the street last night we asked a couple if they knew the whereabouts of the Canadian legion, a good source of cheap food & beer and music. So we ended up in an hotel bar with Tom & Beth from Vancouver, had a drink and a good laugh with them. He is a consultant at some big hospital and she is a nurse. They invited us to spend the weekend at their cottage in New Denver!

The cottage is a five bed mansion in 5 acres on a lake with a family of bear in the grounds.  Unfortunately we are headed in the opposite direction to take advantage of such an offer. 😕

Getting back to Nelson, the main street, Baker street, is awash with coffee bars, beer bars and Lynda type shops........nick nack things you never thought you needed. Always able to turn a boring shopping trip into a good day, I sat at a few bars along the way.  Did I mention the airstrip in the middle of town?

Tomorrow we break camp and begin the trek north to meet up with Archie stopping at a few provincial campsites along the way. Nelson is a municipal site in town which means its cheap ($25 per night) but no open fire pit. Provincial sites are like National Trust, in the woods with fire pits also Biffo the bear lurking about.

Along the way are a couple of natural mineral spring spa jobs which are volcanic water outlets into a pool ranging from 38 to 42c. Heavenly!

So just now Ed comes over and offers popcorn in a bag. He looks like a hells angel, bald head and long goatie. I offer a tin of beer in exchange for the popcorn, he accepts. Turns out he owns three retired Greyhound buses , one converted to live in, one as a mobile movie theatre and the other a project in waiting.     We do the tour of the living one, king sized bed, 50inch plasma, fireplace, bar etc.......he wants 40 grand Canadian for it......slightly tempted.

Almost forgot, just over the lake by ferry we found a small wooden workshop where a couple were hand making wooden broomsticks. Their claim to fame is they made the all the brooms for the Harry Potter movies!  They really have cleaned up!