R is for ROAD TRIP

I Recently Read in a magazine that travelling to Europe is passe now, but Road trips are Really IN! We took our first Road trip together this past weekend and drove up to the Okanagan. We lucked out with the weather as it was cool and cloudy but it didn't Rain. Our first glitch, though, was when we were driving through the back roads not far from home in order to avoid the traffic on the freeway because of the Cloverdale Rodeo. All of a sudden, a tractor stopped and took over the entire Road as it maneuvered its way backwards into a farm's driveway. Once we got going again, it was clear sailing, though. We drove through the Fraser Valley area that is a great farming area in BC and headed towards the mountains. There was still quite a bit of snow on the mountains and along the edges of the Coquihalla Highway but the roads were clear all the way. Be sure to click on the photos to enlarge them.

Our destination was the town of Peachland where friends live overlooking Okanagan Lake. When we arrived, all I wanted to do was admire the view. My "chauffeur," on the other hand had been there before and headed for the lounge chair with a beer. I got out the camera and starting clicking away. The lake, home of the legendary lake monster Ogopogo, is the largest lake in the region at 135 km in length and 4 - 5 km in width. At one end of the lake is the town of Penticton and at the other end is Vernon. The lake's deepest area is in Peachland, but I never did get to see the Ogopogo.

The next morning, after Relaxing on the deck drinking tea and eating freshly-baked banana bread, we went into the "downtown" area of Peachland to the annual antique car show. Upon arriving, we were greeted by the "Blues Brothers" who were absolutely fabulous as they entertained the crowd with all the old favourites. Let's face it, most of the visitors were of a "certain age." Here is a sampling of what we saw. Check out the interior hood of one car!

I was quite impressed with Peachland in that it Reminded me of my own little village. It has beautiful beaches, although they are a bit Rocky, but heck that keeps the tourists away! The beaches are also lined with deciduous trees to give shade in the hot summer months. There is a lovely park with gazebo, a town clock, boat moorings, and flower gardens. It was very pleasant to sit down on one of the many park benches to cool off a bit and eat a hot dog barbecued by the Lions Club.

Finally, for my Regular Readers who have been Ragging on me to see a photo of the two of us together, here we are Relaxing lakeside before heading back to the house for barbecued chicken and Fanny Bay oysters.

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