BC RVing: 6 nights in West Kelowna
When I last talked to you, on day 17 of the trip (Friday, September 25th), we had just arrived in West Kelowna. In a few hours from now, on day 23 (Thursday, October 1st), I’ll be starting the 2,600 kilometer (1,616 mile) drive home. The days in the Kelowna area have mostly been family time, so I don’t have much touristy stuff to tell you about, and there are only 15 photos.
The West Bay Beach Resort turned out to be a very good choice for us. The sites are fairly large, it’s very quiet, and despite the fact that dogs aren’t allowed on the beach, a large unused field provides decent dog-walking. It’s a short drive to the Gellatly Dog Beach, where we went every day, and from my Dad’s apartment.
If you have dogs, you can’t get one of the lakefront sites, which are quite wonderful.
The dog-walking field I mentioned is about 10 acres, and the Canada geese that hang out there and in adjoining pastures were a bonus for Bella. The resort’s llama and alpaca were only close enough to the fences to be interesting once, but Monty was particularly fascinating by them.
I’d been looking forward for a very long time to getting Bella and my sister’s dog together, and they both certainly got some great exercise during their times together 🙂
Winery tastings are usually a big deal for Cathy and I, but we only went to 2 this time – Little Straw and Beaumont’s – but we added a case of assorted wines from each to take home.
On Sunday night, Cathy had to board an Air North flight to go home and get back to her job while the kids and I continue our solo journey.
I had decided to expand my agricultural-product horizons to include apples, and to try some good ciders while I was down this time.
I started with “I don’t like cider”, but hoping that that was just because I’d never tasted any good ones. That turned out to be true. The first 2 cideries that my sister and I went to, Ward’s and Double Cross, are producing some excellent ones, and I’ve packed some to take home for Cathy. Compared what I’ve had before, these are apple wines – in fact Double Cross makes ice ciders that are like sipping brandy.
One of the things that I needed to buy as insurance that I’ll be able to get the motorhome back to Whitehorse is a set of tire chains. I started at Kal Tire, and the young man I talked to there not only sed to live in Whitehorse, he used to play hockey and almost certainly rode on my bus for some out-of-town games. Small world! Anyway, he phoned Lordco just a few miles away, and they had what I need. Like any insurance, I hope that I don’t need to use them, but it’s a very good $270 “policy”.
Whenever possible during my Kelowna trips, I drive down Highway 97 to Peachland to see a woman who has been a good friend since we met in White Rock in 1967.
The last time we met for lunch, Jean suggested that we try a different place than usual, and the Blind Angler Grill was so good that that’s where we met this time as well. The location, to start with, is superb.
And the view from our table was stunning. Add 22°C air and it became perfect 🙂 Oh yes, the food – we hadn’t seen their breakfast menu before, but my seafood omelette was both unique and excellent.
I spent a few minutes walking along Peachland’s beautiful waterfront before heading back to Dad’s.
Dad lives at the Westwood Retirement Resort, and he’s finally admitted that it’s wonderful 🙂 Among the many great features is the rooftop terrace with a gas firepit and a killer view.
Monty and Bella have had a ball at Gellatly Dog Beach. “Wanna go to the beach?” might just be Monty’s favourite question now. I was confident for quite a while that he’d see the Yukon again, but he’s having some very rough spells the past 3 days, so now I’m mostly just hoping and doing what I can.
Monty’s energetic bursts are very short, but Bella is the Eveready Bunny when there are other dogs to play with. She’s swimming more and more each day, learning from the water dogs she sees and tries to imitate – it’s great fun to watch!
So that’s the Kelowna area. I was going to be spending the next 4 days stopping to visit family and friends between Salmon Arm and Williams Lake, but one cancelled on me a few minutes ago so I have an extra day to spend somewhere rather then trying to re-schedule the others. Once I give it some thought, I’ll probably stay in Kelowna and spend more time with Dad.
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