June 6th-10th, 2017
We left Osoyoos for the 2-hour trip (north) through the
Okanagan Valley to see Norm’s family in Kelowna, British Colombia. The Okanagan Valley is the major wine
producing area in Canada and extends south into Washington state. We wonder what this next inner-city
campground will be like. If I remember,
when I booked it there was some question if we would even fit.
Norm and I have gotten pretty accomplished at parking this
monster in some pretty tricky spots, so we weren’t too worried. If he listens and trusts me as I stand
outside and give him directions on the walkie-talkie, we should be alright. “Turn
a little to the left, more, keep coming...” “Now come straight back. Stop.” (to
avoid the many hazards he can’t see).
The leveling jacks that gave us problems last year seem to have
straightened themselves out. I love when that happens!
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| The parking was pretty tight here at Hiawatha RV Park in Kelowna, B.C. We were on the "extra wide" site that allowed us to squeeze the car in, but it was hard to open the doors of rig and car, and forget about a picnic area when we did. Too close for comfort, but most sites were much worse. |
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| Seeing people sandbagging was a common occurrence around the Okanagan Lake. The water levels have risen to a 200 year flood stage. Unfortunately, the water quality has also suffered. People had been advised to boil their water as a precaution. |
Norm’s sister and brother-in-law came over that afternoon
for happy hour and appetizers and mentioned off-handedly about the “boil water”
notice issued due to the flooding of the lake and it’s resulting turbidity (
cloudiness ). What? OMG! The office never mentioned it! The people that had to be cautious were
children and elderly ( over 65 ) or those with weakened immune system. Well, that covered all of us, and 75% of the campground!
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| It was so great to be with family again! |
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| Due to the boil water advisory, I needed to get out my super-duper water filtration set up. The water was filtered to .01 microns ( which filters all dangerous things except for viruses that don't exist in North America anyway ) and I boiled water for washing the dishes. I came prepared for everything! After all, we are "camping"! |
One thing Norm and I really wanted to do while here was to ride the Kettle Valley rail-trail again so we did it the next day while the weather was good.
To get to the trailhead we had to drive an extremely rutted mountainous
road for about 40 minutes which was a bit grueling on both the car and
ourselves, but it was worth it!
It didn’t have the tunnels of the Hiawatha Trail, but we
both felt the scenery was so much better!
The trestles were wooden, the trail a bit narrower, and the views across
the canyons much more dramatic. It seems
even more miraculous if you know the history of this beautiful valley.
Back in August of 2003 ( when Norm and I were newly married
) while visiting, there was a huge Okanagan Mountain fire. It burned nearly 64,000 acres ( 25,900
hectares) and forced the evacuation of 33,000 terrified people. This
beautifully green mountainside was an inferno; destroying 238 homes; most burnt
right to the foundation. Needless to say, our plans to bicycle the rail trail
over the gorgeous trestles did not happen on that trip.  |
| The Okanagan Mountain fires in Kelowna were devastating back in 2003 burning 64,000 acres and destroying 238 homes. 33,000 people were forced to evacuate. Norm and I were visiting at the time and witnessed Nature's fury. |
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| It was so hard to believe that these trestles, built in the early 1900's by hand and very recently lovingly restored by volunteers burnt down in the fire. |
It was heart-wrenching to not only witness people’s homes
being consumed but also watching 12 of the 18 trestles in Myra Canyon, which
were built by hand in the turn of the last century, be destroyed. This unfortunately happened to be the most
scenic section of the Kettle Valley Railway (KVR) and rated as one of the top
50 bike rides in the world. I can’t
imagine how awful it must have been for the people who not only donated funds,
but dedicated countless hours of back braking labor to restore these trestles
to make them safer for the public during the 10 years prior. Just months before the fire this section of the Trans-Canada Trail was designated a National Historic Site!
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| These new trestles so closely resemble the old ones, and the scenery is still beautiful. It's hard to believe, but we found this trail even more grand than the "crown jewel" ( Hiawatha trail in Idaho ) of the U.S.! |
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| This S shaped trestle bridge was an engineering challenge as the curves were needed so the tracks would meet at both ends. |
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| These trestles were reconstructed again with wood. Amazing. It was a combined effort of volunteers, private donations and the government that decided to invest the millions of dollars so everyone can once again enjoy this historical |
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| This multi-model trail was such a beautiful place for locals to walk, bike or hike. The fast flowing river ( perhaps it normally is a brook ) added to its charm. Norm and I found it a little boring after the others we have ridden, but was so conveniently located right next to our campground. |
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| I found this sign hilarious! They are very vigilant about keeping dog poop off the trail. Awesome! |
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| Yes, and it will still stink up our Motorhome! |
This was the second time for us to ride 15 miles of this marvel, ( 7.5 miles in each direction ) and it was great to see the re-growth of the trees and shrubs, although the evidence of nature’s cruelty was still quite noticeable. Regardless, it was gorgeous!
During our 5 days there, we did another 8 mile bike ride
along a river near our campground, Norm went to the driving range while I had
the misfortune of going to one of the busiest Costco’s in Canada. We had dinner with his family each night and
spent a couple of evenings playing cards together.
We had a great visit in a beautiful place!
