Happy Fourth of July to all our
We took a side trip today, to a smaller less appreciated park just to the southwest of
We started with a hike to the Paint Pots, an interesting area of historic significance. There are three springs that emit water laden with iron and other minerals that when oxidized turn a very strong red color. The whole area is covered with a red mud. The First Nations people came here from mile away to take the red clay and grind it into a red powder used for painting teepees, clothes, and faces. Later, the white man did the same, to create industrial red paint.
After the hike we drove down the beautiful road and reached the
They had a little kiddie slide that Ron climbed up to but then refused to slide down. A few minutes later when he saw Orr doing it without fear, he joined the fun as well. Even Shir got up the courage and tried a few times. Needless to say, I was at the bottom waiting to catch them all before they plunged too deep into the water.
After the kids had enough, we went to soak briefly in the hot pool. It was very hot. We let the kids put just their feet and legs in. Paola soaked all the way. I was happy with lower body only. After the showers, we dressed the kids in clean clothes and bought them ice cream. The clothes were clean for 15 minutes only…
It was getting late in the afternoon. We drove to a nice viewpoint and prepared dinner while the children watched “Curious George†on DVD. After we ate, we got all the children into their jammies and ready for bed. We had another hour drive to this campground so we put them in the car seats. They fell asleep within 10 minutes. Too bad, because they missed a lot of wildlife on the side of the road.
We saw deer several times along the drive, some male with beautiful antlers. We also spotted bears twice. The first time was a small bear cub munching on some grass. The second time, Paola saw one on her side of the road. In both bear sightings we were too fast to stop and there was nowhere to turn around. So no pictures. Sorry.
We are now parked in this campground which seems deserted. It is very pretty, but it feels weird to be the only ones here. Tomorrow early in the morning I plan a nearby hike called Stanley Glacier.
Good Night,
-Hemi