Ainsworth

Well, I'd hoped to have pictures of our trip to Ainsworth Hotsprings, however, the weather was not at all cooperative -- it snowed the whole time. Ainsworth is interesting in that it was built by a mining comany, and one of it's major attractions is a horseshoe-shaped tunnel carved into the hillside of the hotspring. The floor is of varying depths, so the experience is somewhat like sitting neck deep in a hot tub, surrounded by a sauna. From a natural history perspective, it was interesting to see how rapidly the dissolved minerals in the water have formed stalictites and other forms on the roof and walls of the cave, but end precipitously at the water's elevation.

We spent two days jogging between a slightly too warm cave pool at 108 F, and a slightly too cool pool at 94 F. Never did find Baby Bear's pool, which would have been 'just right'. Winter is the best time to enjoy a hot pool, as the comfort of being warm while your hair freezes, and the snow swirls around, is an experience not to be missed, however, we did pass the opportunity to venture into the 36 F plunge pool; we'll wait 'til summer for that experience! Between our lounging in the hot pools, we also lounged in the Lounge, and over ate in the Dining room. Travel to and from the resort included driving a portion of the "International Selkirk Loop", a ferry ride on the Osprey 2000, billed as 'the world's longest free feryride', and views and vistas of a spectacular winter wonderland of snow laden trees, and soaring eagles.

A highly recommended leisure experience.