Winter in the Okanagan

With blustering wind and blowing snow, winter blew into the Okanagan Valley, telling us that even we are not protected from its wrath.  Still, we can be grateful that it is not as cold as other parts of Canada and that, we hope, it will not last as long.

There are some good things that we can be grateful for: the ice wine grapes are picked during these minus temperatures, and soon they will be bottling that sweet liquid gold.  Also the snow pack will help the ski hills, and store up moisture that will be needed come spring.  Ahh, Spring, that is the thought to end on.  I know that now we are getting closer, and January will soon be over. I am sure that for  those people who have to work outside, Spring cannot come soon enough!

Winter's Blast

Penticton in Top 10 Travel Destinations

The top 10 is bragging rights for Penticton.  The Penticton Herald reported on Jan. 6, 2012 that Penticton was named as one of the year-round vacation spots by The Huffington Post (the very name sounds prestigious!)

Those of us who live in the Okanagan know that this area has a lot to offer, but when a survey of 200 million facebook users comes up with a list, it is sure to make an impression!

Penticton Dresses Up For Fall

The other places named in North America were: Portland, Oregon and Charleston, South Carolina.

Ready to Launch

Wineries are appearing so quickly throughout the South Okanagan that the tourism heavyweights are collaborating to move Osoyoos and Oliver onto the world stage. At a business seminar attended by both businesses and the interested public, Jo Knight from Destination Osoyoos introduced volunteers of a 7 member consortium who will work toward that goal. The South Okanagan Chamber of Commerce, Osoyoos Indian Band, Osoyoos/Oliver Developers, Oliver Tourism Association, Osoyoos/Oliver Culture & Arts, and Destination Osoyoos all presented the resources they bring to the table to help inform the community of their services and the mission the organization hopes to achieve.
” We need to communicate that Osoyoos has it all, and that collectively as a consortium we can brand ourselves as a destination and a place where people want to come to,” said Kurt Jansen of Bellstar

Downtown Osoyoos Waterfront

who was speaking for the developers who have invested millions in bringing Osoyoos centre stage.
With drive and passion for the product, these people can promote the accommodations, events, attractions, culture and natural beauty that will make the world sit up and take notice.

I believe, “tell them and they will come”, will hold true in this case. It may not happen overnight, but slowly the world is beginning to notice our little part of the Okanagan. With exceptional wineries like Nk’Mip, events like the Celebrity Wine Festival, and movies like Gunless & The Big Year being filmed on location it may not take very long for the discovery to happen.
Part of me is so proud of what we have here that I want to share in telling the world, but another part of me is torn. This valley is so peaceful and beautiful, that I wish it could stay untouched. We must step carefully so the tourism footprint stays green, then as a community we can happily share our gem with those who appreciate the rare beauty that Osoyoos is.

Panoramic View from Giant’s Head

Exploring places to write about for the local newspaper has provided me with some wonderful photo opportunities.  I have also been learning how to use the stitching program on my computer to capture a wider view.  This valley scene taken from the climb up Giant’s Head in Summerland was my first successful “stitch”, and I am pretty happy with it.  Hope others will enjoy it as well.

Discovering the Forbidden

Delightful stop for travellers of BC Hwy 3 Near Keremeos

Driving BC Highway 3 along the Similkameen River gives one the opportunity to stop at several wineries and I recently came across the forbidden. Forbidden Fruit Winery is between the hamlet of Cawston and Osoyoos, the gem of the south Okanagan.
The wines here are not made from grapes, but rather they are extracted from organic fruit grown on the rich river flats and hillside. Cherries, apples and pears become delightful drinks called Cherysh, Adam’s Apple and Pearsuasion. They taste as wonderful as they sound, and the restful setting calls to the traveller to stop for a moment and sip, relax and enjoy the forbidden fruits of the Similkameen.

Astrophysical Station in OK Falls

Writing a travel column for the local newspaper has given me opportunity to travel to some interesting places very close to home.  One of my favorite places is the Dominion Radio Astrophysical Station about 8 kms along White Lake Road after leaving Hwy 97 near Okanagan Falls, BC.  After driving through Ponderosa Pine, passing a lush golf course, then winding through desert hills you suddenly come upon a surreal landscape.   One telescope towers 25.6 meters  like a giant

Astrophysical Station near Okanagan Falls

mushroom.  The lines of posts (count them if you can – there are 1,700) form a “T” shape with connecting wires that create a radio telescope. From 1964 to 1969 they were used to produce a picture map of radio energy from our galaxy and beyond. Several smaller telescopes are still operational and collect data to record sun and star activity in the cosmos.   It is fun to photograph the landscape, but even more interesting to attend a lecture.  Astronomers host tours on Sundays only during the months of July and August between 2 and 5 pm.

Student Travel

Is Travel Unsafe for Students?

The images of the Japanese triple disaster recently played across the television screens and the world was collectively horrified. If people weren’t crushed by falling buildings during the earthquake and the numerous aftershocks, if they weren’t drowned by the ensuing tsunami that tore buildings from their foundations and tossed cars and boats upon crashing relentless waves, then they may have been forced to flee under the threat of nuclear fallout from the exploding reactors at the Fukushima nuclear power plant. For 43 students from a private school in Toronto who were traveling to Japan for a 10-day excursion, the disaster was more excitement than they had expected on a school field trip. Their plane was in the air prepared to land in Tokyo when the disaster struck. Fortunately for them, time allowed for the plane to be safely diverted to a military base for landing.


It is not the first occasion that students have narrowly escaped death on a school trip. In February of 2010, 48 Canadian students expected to learn first hand how to sail a tall ship to an exotic port. Instead they struggled to survive the shipwreck of the Concordia off the coast of Brazil. Rescue did not arrive for nearly two days.

Schools offer travel packages hoping that students can be part of an exciting adventure that broadens their life experience, teaches them about different cultures, expands their knowledge of new places and helps them connect globally. Parents and guardians try to ensure that trips are safe; however, all the careful planning and preliminary precautions cannot guarantee that things won’t change in an instant. The weather can produce a storm powerful enough to sink a tall ship, or nature can unleash an earthquake that kills thousands within the space of a few minutes. Does that mean that schools should never allow students to explore their world? Is travel too unpredictable to trust our children to?

When the television show W5 interviewed the survivors of the Concordia, the producer Gary Dwyer-Joyce said, “As the interviews progressed, Sandie Rinaldo gently led the students through the stories of the worst moments in their lives. Off camera, even with tasks to take care of, the rest of us were mesmerized by the images these students dredged from memory. No pictures, no sound, no recreation could portray it more effectively than the intensity of their words.”


Of course if all things go well, a trip is equated with happy memories, but I believe that travel is constructive even under stressful circumstances. Perhaps a student’s greatest lesson is that life is unpredictable. Strength of character shines the brightest in moments of adversity and people often learn the most about themselves in situations that test their endurance. No one would choose to see young people subjected to the terrors like the tsunami in Japan, or the sinking of the Concordia, but what these students have come away with may be lessons that are more life-changing and valuable than those that any uneventful travel experience could ever teach.

Mar del Plata

If you want to find beaches in Argentina, go to Mar del Plata.  This is the hot spot to hang out.  

We found the least expensive way to travel is by bus from Buenos Aires; there are dozens leaving every day.  The coach buses are very comfortable and a pleasure to travel in, but since the trip is only about 5 hours, you can go economy if you want to save some money.

We wanted to be close to the beach, and found a gem of a hotel in a safe, quiet area that overlooked the beach.  The Amerian was better quality than many of the places we stayed in Argentina, at economical rates.  The room was clean and in good repair and the staff provided excellent service.  They even spoke English!  We were able to walk to the shopping areas and parks, but took a taxi to the casino or to go sightseeing.  The taxi costs very little, and we had a lot of fun with one driver who took it upon himself to point out many of the sights and acted like a tour guide rather than a driver.

We arrived in Mar del Plata in the late November, just before the local crowds, but the ocean was still cool for swimming and the surf was rough.  However, the surfers loved it and we saw lots of young people on boards trying to catch the waves.

As for the food, local fare was good, but be aware that paper napkins are a rarity.  Most often customers will get a small waxy type of tissue which does not have much absorbency if you are eating pizza!

Shopping is fun, especially at the Genoa sweater shops where the beautiful knits are irresistible!  There are also lots of local merchants who set up booths along the busy pedestrian walks or by the parks.

This is a small city (population about .5 million) compared to many tourist spots, so we found it quite easy to find our way around with a good map, and it has many sites that are worth visiting or photographing. This city has lots to offer, and is still a bargain compared to many destination resorts.

Small Town – Big Movie

It is getting closer to the release of the movie “Gunless”, starring Canada’s own Paul Gross as an American gunfighter who finds himself in the Canadian frontier, you guessed it… gunless! What makes this exciting is that it was filmed just outside the small border town of Osoyoos where I live.  The movie has the trailer out on the website: http://www.gunless.ca/ and it looks like an amusing tale of the old west with a definite Canadian twist.

While the movie was being filmed early 2009, the set was closed so I was not able to get any shots of the “stars” but I did get some of the crew who built the very unique buildings on the hot dusty landscape outside town.  It was nice to see the locals getting work on this special project.

Carpentry crew for the Gunless set

Many of the items used on the movie set have been donated to the Osoyoos museum.  Maybe this is the start of a great new industry for our town!  Let’s go to the movies on April 30!

The Unexpected in Trail, BC

I have to admit that Trail, BC was a town I had only passed through.  However, when my husband had to have hip surgery in the hospital in Trail, I had several days to explore the town, and I found the unexpected.

I didn’t expect such a fine B&B as the River’s Edge that offered a wonderful view and a superb breakfast at such reasonable rates.

I didn’t expect such a good restaurant as The Colander where I ate the best spaghetti and meatballs that I have ever tasted.

Trails to follow in Trail, BC

I didn’t expect a beautiful walking trail that allows visitors to photograph the river with it’s magnificent arched bridge.

I didn’t expect the painted murals and the quaint gift and coffee shops.  I didn’t expect to find the artisans’ shop where I could not resist buying some treasures.

I left this town thinking that I had misjudged Trail as an industrial town with not much to offer.  Instead, I left wanting to return to explore it again and I am sure I will!

View from the River's Edge B