Kaslo of Canada's Kootenay Lake

     The Canadian couple I met at Giant Cedars Boardwalk (click here for previous post) told me I'd like Kaslo, a village of earthy folks. So, I meandered in that direction.

Everywhere is picturesque.

     This little dirt road (below photo) through a couple miles of a boggy area to a boat launch was a thick dark confusion of bog-loving plants including the large skunk cabbage. Seems I'm always looking for an excuse to get off the main grid.

     The little village of Kaslo sits on the shoreline of Kootenay Lake which is a long, narrow and deep fjord-like lake. I've paddled the Kootenay River in Montana and walked along the Kootenay River in Canada, traveled on the Kootenay River Scenic Byway, visited Canada's Kootenay National Park, and hiked trails in the Kootenay National Forest in the USA, so why not a visit to Kootenay Lake eh?
     Kootenay Lake in my opinion is one of the most picturesque lakes in North America. It's not a glacial lake (not pretty blue as in Lake Louise), but its 65 miles length and couple-miles width between large mountain ranges definitely has grandeur.

The lakefront is rugged.

      Kaslo has the distinction of being one of few villages along Kootenay Lake's shoreline which offers accessibility to the lake. That's also why Kaslo is touristy. Tourists come here to be on these calm waters with views of mountains.

I parked in front of the Kaslo Hotel and fixed my brunch. I noticed the hotel's pub (street level) is a popular destination among tourists and locals.

Below is the view folks have from the pub and hotel patio.

This is Kaslo's City Hall built in 1898; still in use.

This is the village bandstand.

And this is a village resident.

 I loved walking around this folksy village.

Little cottages here have a certain flair.

A fence made of pieces of driftwood!

Backyard yurt.

Nothing fancy, just folksy.

     Had it not been Canada Day Weekend (July 1, a Saturday, their "Independence Day") with fewer tourists and campground availability, I probably would have stayed awhile longer.