Views to Remember

It was a shorter journey to the Okanagan Valley area, only 125 miles, which meant we arrived at the first winery at lunchtime. The drive to West Kelowna, our base for the night, went through lush green ranching country and then on a long winding road alongside the eastern side of Okanagan Lake. This was a gentler, less dramatic landscape than the previous two days but still beautiful.

Lunch was taken at the Volcanic Hills winery at their bistro overlooking the lake - a pretty much perfect spot and it was sunny and hot.

Tasty lunch at the Volcanic Hills winery

The temperature had hit 31 degrees. A short stroll after lunch took us to the Mount Boucherie winery for a tasting which led to the purchase of a bottle. On the way we passed a fruit stand. Mrs B saw punnets of plump cherries and we parted with a couple of dollars and walked away with a generous helping. The Okanagan region is not only known for excellent vineyards but also grows plenty of fruit - apples, peaches, cherries are especially abundant. I can confirm that the cherries were delicious and the wine was opened that evening - so is now a distant memory.

Our B&B for the night was called 'A View To Remember' and was pretty much perfect. Set on the hill overlooking the lake and vineyards, it had a beautiful terrace and on arrival we were welcomed by the owners Dann and Sue who treated us to a cool drink and gave us some ideas on where to eat. As we had had a substantial lunch we fancied a picnic and our room included picnic plates etc. and Sue said we were welcome to picnic on the terrace. A quick trip to the local deli for salad and cheeses provided all we needed for a simple meal, with the finest dining spot in town. There was time to visit a third and final winery - Little Straw, walking distance from the B&B,  where another tasting was had - and another bottle added to the collection.

A happy customer

As we ate al fresco ,sampling the first of my wine purchases, I spotted a Californian Quail and chicks on the lawn below. It is an unusual looking bird with a distinctive quiff - quite comical looking. We also got to meet Sue's three Pembrokeshire Corgis - delightful dogs with soft fluffy coats.

A Californian Quail

In the morning Sue served a sublime breakfast on the terrace. Lightly cooked omelette filled with veggies and a little ham, soufflé light, and fresh from the oven, fruit scones, made with peaches from her garden.  

Chatting to Sue led to a change of plan for the day. We needed to get to Revelstoke and our original route would have involved around 120 miles of driving through pleasant scenery. Sue suggested a longer, quieter route that crossed two lakes using two free ferry services. After breakfast we set off following the route suggested (230 miles) driving along the side of Okanagan Lake, crossing to the opposite shore and then heading to empty roads. As the journey progressed the road went through thick forest and followed rivers until arriving at the Needles Ferry - the first of the day - that crossed the Lower Arrow Valley Lake.

Crossing the Needles - Lower Arrow Valley Lake

Originally two lakes that have now been joined together as part of a reservoir and dam project, this lake is now 140 miles long. We were to travel along its shoreline for mile after mile with the Selkirk mountain range dominating the western skyline and the views were outstanding. There were no settlements - and hardly any homes and the area felt very isolated. The only town of note was Nakusp where we stopped for lunch. It was a quirky one street sort of town, with a lakeside promenade and the oldest hotel in British Columbia, the Leland. We lunched there and walking inside was like stepping back in time about 100 years. Mrs B. tried a bowl of poutine. This is a Canadian dish which is a bowl of chips, covered with cheese that's' then covered with hot gravy - to melt the cheese. Not exactly a healthy meal choice! 

After lunch we carried on along a virtually empty road until reaching Galena Bay and the second ferry crossing. We had a while to wait for the ferry but it was a very scenic spot.

Galena Lake - waiting for the ferry

On board the Upper Arrow Lakes ferry 

The last 35 miles brought us closer to some big mountains in Mount Revelstoke National Park, and our overnight stop at the Three Valley Lake Chateau hotel. This was a strange rambling old place, very dated and built with corrugated sheet in cream and red.

Views of the rather unusual Three Valley Lake Chateaux

We spent time getting lost in the maze of corridors that led to all sorts of odd places  including an indoor garden with a stuffed bear. The restaurant food was pretty dire too so despite it being in a beautiful location it isn't a place to recommend. We left early the next morning for breakfast in Revelstoke. The entrance to the town is dominated by bronze statues of grizzly bears, which leads to a pleasant central street where we found the town bakery open and serving excellent strong coffee and delicious pastries and breakfast muffins.

Revelstoke

Before leaving Revelstoke and travelling towards the Rockies we wanted to do one last thing - drive the Mountains in the Sky Parkway. This scenic drives goes almost all the way to the top of Mount Revelstoke but our plans to go all the way were thwarted as the Park Authority was only allowing vehicles halfway due to the risk of lightning strikes and forest fires. Despite this we stopped at various places up to the hallway point ,including a viewpoint called Nels Knickers located at a place where Nels Nelsen broke many world ski jump records in the early 20th century.

Nels Knickers!

The views opened up, looking down on Revelstoke and the mighty Columbia River with Mount Begbie in the background.

Mount Begbie

This section of our journey had indeed given views to remember and a sense of the vast wilderness of British Columbia, but we now were headed towards the Rockies, where higher peaks, glaciers and hiking opportunities awaited.