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CRESTON |
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Don't stop in CRESTON unless you're a bird-watcher or feel like
hunting down such sightseeing frippery as "Canada's best mural" (the
original, in McDowell's department store, had spawned another nine
pictures around town at last count). The infocentre is in a log cabin (one
of the town's few buildings of interest) on the east side of town at 711
Canyon St (Mon 9am-5pm, Tues-Sat 9am-6pm; tel 428-4342): use it if by
mischance you need accommodation , though with twenty or so motels and
campsites to choose from you probably won't be fighting for a bed. The
cheapest and most central spot is the Hotel Creston , 1418 Canyon St (tel
428-2225; $40-60); motels on the town's fringes offer more salubrious,
if slightly costlier alternatives. As well as Greyhounds passing through
along Hwy 3, Empire Bus Lines runs an early-morning service from here to
Spokane, WA (Mon & Thurs-Sun). If you're passing through, you might want
to pause for the Stone House Museum , 219 Devon St (May-Sept daily
10am-3.30pm, by appointment the rest of the year; tel 428-9262; $2),
known for its replica Kuntenai (Ktunaxa) canoe. Similar canoes, with
their downpointed ends, are only found elsewhere in the world in parts
of eastern Russia, underlining the fact that millennia ago migrations
took place across the Bering Straits into North America.
Probably the best reason to spend time locally is the Creston Valley
Wildlife Management Area , located 10km northwest of town off Hwy 3.
Creston overlooks a broad section of valley and lowlands - relatively
rare commodities in BC, home to the idly meandering Kootenay River. Over
the years the river has repeatedly burst its banks, creating a rich
alluvial plain beloved by farmers, and producing the lush medley of
orchards and verdant fields that fringe Creston. Much of the flood plain
and its wetlands, however - the so-called "Valley of the Swans" - have
been preserved in their original state, creating a haven for birds and
waterfowl. This area has one of the world's largest nesting osprey
populations, while a total of 250 species have been recorded in the
confines of the Creston Management Area (not to mention otters, moose
and other animals). Birds can be seen from several points, but for full
details of the area visit the sanctuary's Wildlife Centre, which
provides telescopes and lookouts, a library and theatre, and a wide
range of guided walks and canoe trips through the area's forest, marsh
and grassland habitats.
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