from Kaslo to Sandon (ghost town)

After not reaching Kokanee Glacier Provincial Park we decided to drive to Kaslo, located on the west shore of Kootenay Lake. There we visited the SS Moyie another National Historic Site of Canada. She's a paddle steamer sternwheeler that worked on Kootenay Lake from 1898 until 1957. We also watched someone who curiously towed his house across the lake (?). On our way to Slocan Lake we discovered a ghost town called Sandon which was once the unofficial capital of the mining region. There is a museum in the old mercantile building ran by the Sandon Historical Society. We had a really fascinating and stirring lecture by the local guide that allowed us to undergo the history of Sandon. The city was incorporated on January 1, 1898 and for a few years had more than 5,000 residents, brothels and a booming economy. Even two different railways raced to reach the town. Like the other silver towns of the era, Sandon faded with the silver prices and in 1955 a massive flood destroyed most of the remaining buildings (the main street of Sandon was built over the creek). That's - in short - the story of Sandon. On the access road we saw our second bear that day - again a black one. Afterwards we did a coffee break at nearby New Denver and headed forward to the Upper Arrow Lake which we crossed by ferry. As the weather conditions were bad we tried to reach Revelstoke.