Five of our group had signed up to take the bus trip to Harrison Hot Springs on the 22ND -Susan, Judi, Linda, my friend Anna, and me Virginia. [Anna is retiring from her job at Kwantlen College in October and plans to continue with our Saturday walking group.
We clambered aboard the Sunshine Coach with 17 other seniors from Britannia, including Barbara, Ed and Bonnie. Our driver was Alan, a Britannia staffer; he took East 1st Avenue off Commercial and followed the main route to Highway One, past Burnaby and New Westminster, over the Port Mann Bridge into North Surrey. The highway passes north of Langley and Fort Langley, then south of Abbotsford. At the town of Chilliwack we took Highway 9 through the peaceful little town of Agassiz under a warm sun with mild breezes and a few clouds. It was a perfect day for an outing. Beyond Agassiz is the road to Harrison Hot Springs.
We arrived at Harrison Lake around 11:45 (a 1.5 hour ride) and were dropped off at the public indoor pool which several people took advantage of. The rest of us went our separate ways, some in pairs, some in small groups, a few on their own, to walk the beach lagoon and check out the little shops and cafes. Susan, Anna, Linda and I ate our bag lunches on a viewing platform which offered a full panorama of beach, lake, island and mountains. After shopping for a jacket for Susan, we strolled around the lagoon where a few visitors were enjoying a swim. We stopped at a motel cafe where we enjoyed coffee and ice cream and met up with Judi who told us about a little market where we could get local cherries, nectarines and cob corn.
We then walked along the western shore of the lake, past restaurants and shops, past the Hot Springs Hotel and tennis courts, into the cool shade of the forest along the beach pathway. About a half kilometer from the hotel, we came upon the original source of the mineral water that supplies five pools in the hotel complex as well as the lagoon.
The hot springs were first discovered in the winter of 1858 by a couple of gold miners on their way back from the Caribou gold fields; the story goes that one of them fell into the lake and got the shock of his life - the water was not cold as he had expected; it was pleasantly warm. So they followed the heated water along the shore until they found the source, a natural mineral hot spring. Apparently, these springs were known to the local First Nations people as "Waum Chuck", a spiritual place of magic and healing. In 1873, Joseph Armstrong investigated and negotiated the purchase of the 40 acres surrounding the springs and, with the aid of a clever engineer, was able to separate the lake water from the naturally hot spring water to create a spa. The raw spring water was recorded at 145 degrees Fahrenheit and had to be blended with the lake water to create a comfortable temperature for the spa. In 1886, the St. Alice Hotel was built at the site and the new spa was a popular tourist destination until it burned down in 1905; it was never rebuilt.
Unfortunately, I did not get any history about the development of the Harrison Hotel and village but the website http://www.harrisonlakebc.com/ is a good source for more information.
We left at 3:00 pm and enjoyed a comfortable nap on the smooth ride back to Britannia Centre. Alan was commended for the ease with which he drove the van and he received gratitude and applause from all passengers.
The next out trip is Tuesday September 1st to White Rock with a stopover at the Buddhist Temple in Richmond. Saturday August 29Th, our regular walks will continue in the Vancouver area. Until then, enjoy the garden and farm harvests that are spilling into the local markets.
Contributor Virginia
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