We had a lazy start to our day, planning some stops of interest, then running a few errands to refill the propane cylinder and pick up a few supplies. We eventually left Cranbrook at noon, driving towards a heavy overcast sky descending on the mountain tops.
We purposely planned a short drive to avoid having to overnight in the overpriced national park. Highway 93 took us through Fort Steele, Wasa, Skookumchuck, Canal Flats, Dutch Creek, to arrive at Spruce Grove RV Park and Campground, just south of Fairmont Hot Springs.
As usual, Chloe wanted to sit on Susan’s lap and keep an eye out for someone or something to bark at, unfortunately, it must have been a boring drive for her. She struggled to stay awake, and eventually succumbed to sleep.
Shortly after passing through Canal Flats, we stopped alongside Columbia Lake to stretch our legs. A short walk up to a lookout opened up a lovely panorama of the highway, lake and mountains.
The highway has numerous passing lanes and rest areas. While at one of them, I couldn’t resist taking a picture of the rig and Susan.
Was it something I did or said?
At the north end of Columbia Lake, craggy spires rise up and tower over the road. Formed as a result of thousands of years of glaciation, followed by erosion from meltwater and weather, the hoodoos stand as a testament to the grand geologic forces moving far beyond the span of human lifetimes.
Millions of years ago, when the Rocky Mountains were buried under a vast blanket of ice, glaciers carved jagged peaks and deep valleys, eroding the underlying rocks into layers of gravel, sand and salt called “glacial till.” As the glaciers began to melt 10,000 years ago, the Rocky Mountain Trench was filled with large lakes, and glacial till collected on the lake bottoms. The Dutch Creek Hoodoos were formed out of the remnants of this glacial lake bottom.
Over time, rain, wind and frost have worn away the cliffs, creating the ridges and turrets that catch the sun and create giant, warbling shadows. To this day, the hoodoos continue to change form and shape through natural weathering.
We arrived and checked into our campsite, then after a quick lunch, headed out to find a hot spring. The clouds eventually dispersed, and we had a wonderful walk down a short trail to find what we were looking for.
Fairmont Hot Springs are crystal clear, natural and odourless, and the perfect temperature to soak your cares away. The calcium carbonate rich waters have deposited layer upon layer over the millennia. If you stop and look carefully at the rocky bluffs, you can see the old geothermal vents running through the layers of mineral deposits.
After a lovely day, we headed back to the trailer to catch up on blogging and have supper. The clouds came back, bringing rain to wash the dust off the trailer.
Tomorrow, we have a long drive, stopping briefly in Banff, then heading to a campground in Cochrane.