This was my first look at the ruin,  it was May 29, 2011, almost 100 years after this Hotel was built which was the fall of 1911. This was just the beginning of my loving obsession with this building and the town it was built in, a quietly beautiful area of the South Okanagan area of British Columbia, Canada.

I grew up in Kelowna, B.C. about 90 kilometers north of Kaleden. My parents used to visit Kaleden on a slow, easy Sunday drive, starting about 25 years ago. So, on this beautiful day in May, 2011, I was driving back home, after spending the day in Oliver, B.C., taking pictures and exploring areas South. I am an amateur photographer, mostly nature shots specializing in Birding.

As I drove down the steep hills of Kaleden to the beach, I spotted this building from the high roads, as pictured in the black and white picture previously posted on this blog. I remember saying to myself, " What is that! " and drove as quickly and safely as I could to get close to it.

Immediately, upon reaching my destination, I felt awestruck. There is something about this building and the area it has resided on for nearly 100 years, that struck me in a profound way. I believe in reincarnation, perhaps I had spent time in this Hotel as a guest or even a worker. Who knows who I was in another life?

I couldn't help but wonder.... had I stayed in this Hotel before? Had I lived in this town at the turn of the Century? These questions may never be answered but I do know that I felt and still feel an unusual connection to this Hotel.......