Kiki Gets a Scrub at the Hot Spring

September 23rd and 24th (Monday and Tuesday)
On Monday, when we were soaking in the hot springs, we saw a bird fly by that looked like a type of small hawk or harrier. Later we saw a super cute little critter that looked like a mole or a vole. It ran across a rock, then across a pool of water, through the grass, and up under the stairs into the hot tub. It was so small, and so fast!
On both Monday and Tuesday we enjoyed our soaking time with the cool rain and gusty winds. The hot spring pool loses a lot of its heat when it has been raining a lot or if it has been windy, so on Tuesday it was on the cool side. It still felt quite nice when we first got in, but we opened the flow to full and hung out at the edge mixing in the new fresh heat. The pool took a while to regain its heat, but it gradually did. We saw the mom bear and one cub walking along the shoreline across from us as we enjoyed our soak. 

On Monday evening it began to get quite gusty in our anchorage.  It would go from complete calm, to a raging gust, and back to calm. Often a very hard rain shower would accompany the gust and then another slightly lesser gust would come as the rain shower stopped. Sometimes, lying in bed, we could hear the gust approaching before it actually reached us and shook us. The howl could be heard from quite a distance as the wind flew down the mountains and across the water towards us. 

On Tuesday morning the gusts and rainy periods continued, but they slowly became less frequent and less strong through the day. In between cells, the sun would break through for a few minutes here and there, and we had several faint rainbows across the mountains.

September 25th (Wednesday)
It was our third day in a row of steady rain. After our morning routine we suited up in our rain armour, took the outboard off of Kiki, and rowed ashore to the hot springs. We carried Kiki up to the big flat rock where the bathtub is, flipped her over, and started cleaning. 

Although we have cleaned her many times, this was the first time since leaving Vancouver that we had actually flipped her over to do the bottom. Standing in the hot flowing stream in our gumboots our feet stayed nice and toasty warm, which in turn kept our whole bodies nice and warm. Using warm water for scrubbing, our hands stayed warm, and suited up in our rain gear we stayed dry. Overall it was quite pleasant work, and we scrubbed away merrily in the pouring rain. 

Once the bottom was spick and span we flipped her over and did the top and inside. By the time we were done she was shining like the day we got her, and apart from scratches to her bottom, she still looks quite good. We would very much like to put a second layer of PVC onto the back underside of the pontoons for extra protection, because, although we are always careful, she does have a few nasty scratches. Unfortunately, that will probably have to wait until next spring in order to have the appropriate weather and temperatures to apply the material.
When we were finished scrubbing, we stripped out of our layers and hopped in the hot spring pool. What a treat after cleaning in the rain.