This year our destination was the Okanagan area of B.C. So many of our local friends don't know where this is! We just tell them it is a lot like Lake Chelan. Much bigger, though. We stayed two nights in Kelowna, two nights in Penticton, and one night in Bellingham, WA, on our way home. We could have just driven home but I wanted to extend our vacation and explore Bellingham.
We had an awful time arranging accommodation for this trip. Our original destination was Calgary but there was terrible flooding there in June. I wanted to show off my hometown to my kids but not when it is torn up and muddy. Plan B was Sandpoint, Idaho but our favourite vacation rental condo was all booked up. We were thankful to find anything at all in Kelowna/Penticton since we were making arrangements at the last minute, it is high season, and a very popular destination, for Canadians, that is. Next year, we'll plan our vacation at least two months in advance, right Sweetie??? :)
Day One. We drove north on I-5 and stopped for lunch in Lynden at the Dutch Bakery. They make an amazing raspberry pie! We also picked up some delicious fresh banana bread for snacking. We drove straight north and crossed the border into BC at Sumas/Aldergrove which had a short wait time.
Our next stop was Harrison Lake which is near Chilliwack, BC. We had hoped to soak in the hot springs but found the options for that were very limited. There is an expensive hotel where registered guests get the most authentic hot springs experience OR an indoor public pool that wasn't very appealing on a hot sunny day.
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| Harrison Lake |
We noticed the gorgeous lake with hardly any boats on it and a place to rent jet skis. We splurged and rented one for an hour. My hubby took our oldest son out for about 30 minutes and then I took our youngest son out. I wish I had rented a wet suit! I got splashed a lot and got cold quickly. I was happy that the boys enjoyed the experience. They have gotten so much braver.
We had supper in Hope. There wasn't much hope for a good meal there. The drive from Mission to Kelowna was so boring and there were no places to stop at all!
We were pleasantly surprised to find that our hotel in Kelowna had a big waterslide.
In the morning, we all took turns on the slide but the pool water was a little too chilly for me. It was great to just relax by the pool while the boys spent a long time enjoying the waterslide. Yesterday my friend asked the boys what was their highlight of vacation and they said the waterslide at the hotel. :)
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| Hot tub |
Our plan for Kelowna was to walk along the Myra Canyon trail. This trail has such an interesting history. The
Myra Canyon was traversed by the Kettle Valley Railway which opened in 1916 and contained 18 trestles and two tunnels blasted through rock. The railway was abandoned in 1978. The right of way became popular for hiking and biking so decking and railings were eventually built for safety and later it became a provincial park. In 2003, there was a huge wildfire that destroyed 12 of the trestles. The Myra Canyon Restoration society rebuilt the trestles and the park was reopened in 2008.
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| This photo reminds me of model railroads. |
In this next photo you can see (if you squint) another huge trestle in the distance. We didn't get that far.
We went over 7 of the 18 trestles and went through one tunnel. It was pretty hot. If it was a cooler cloudier day, we would've walked farther. I was pleased to see many other walkers on the trail even thought it is promoted as a bike trail.
Our hotel in Penticton (50 minutes south of Kelowna) was very conveniently located next to the River Channel and one of the beaches. Penticton is located in between two lakes which both have beaches. For those of you not familiar with the area, here's a photo (not mine) of the Penticton airport.
Our main activity for Penticton was floating down the river channel. It is the blue ribbon in the middle of the photo above. It is about 4 miles long. You get in with your floating device (tube/boat/etc) at the beginning and at the end of the channel there is a bus that takes you back to the start. Normally it would've been $20 for the bus ride for the 4 of us, but it was customer appreciation day and it was free! I don't have any photos of this activity since I didn't want to take my camera on the water. J and the boys were in our inflatable boat while I was on a lounger. I was wondering if it would be crowded with people but it was just fine. There is a highway that goes right next to it and some truckers honked their horns as they went by. I think they were pretty jealous of us!
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