[photo credit: Ryan]
A while ago now Ryan, Bobby and I decided to rent a car and take a mini road trip in our further exploration of BC. Scanning a map we decided on Harrison Hot Springs for our brief sojourn. “Hurrah!” we thought as we packed our swim attire. “Soothing natural spring waters in the great outdoors!” we mused as we drove the 90 minutes to get there. “Why is the place even called Harrison Hot Springs?!?” we derided on the way back shortly thereafter.
You see, Harrison Hot Springs is a town that might sound like somewhere you would go looking to enjoy a natural outdoor spring but you would be sorely disappointed unless you had already booked yourself into the frankly exorbitantly priced local “Resort & Spa.” You see the only public access hot spring is INSIDE a dumpy building in the centre of town. So much for being at one with nature.
After a quick walk around town – local gems included the above spa motel and a beach shop named, for some reason, “Beach Potato” – we got in our mid-level sedan and headed back to town. Which is not to say that our day ended there. With our swim wear already in tow we made a bee-line – well, actually we drove all over the lower mainland as Ryan was navigating – for Hilcrest Pool which was absolutely brilliant owing mainly to the presence of a “swirl pool.” We swirled around in a circle on pool noodles for hours. Literally. It was fabulous. And much closer to home.
So much for Harrison Hot Springs.
