2006.08.09
Okanagan Getaway
Since moving into the condo, much of my weekend time has been consumed by small projects dealing with the condo, shopping for furniture, and similar activities. It was time for a break.
I spent the Heritage Day long weekend at a friend’s cottage on Okanagan Lake in B.C. The weather was hot (above 30°C every day) and sunny, the water was warm, and I had an absolute blast.
Things kicked off early Saturday morning – I picked up my friend Billy at 6:00am, and we got the heck out of the city as fast as possible (obeying local speed limits, of course). The CD player in my car is busted, and we were travelling through the mountains for most of the trip, so the radio options are very limited. We were left with conversation as a source of entertainment. Billy and I had a blast, though. We were about 10km from Field when I realized that we had already passed Lake Louise. I saw the exit and a lot of cars taking it, but didn’t realize it was the Lake Louise exit at the time. We were really enjoying the trip.
After the requisite bio breaks in Golden and Sicamous, we headed South to Vernon to stock up on provisions for the weekend. We had packed a cooler and a bunch of other food, but decided that our junk food ratio was a little low, so the Vernon Superstore filled the bill without being too far out of the way.
Then we backtracked to Hwy 97, and turned south on to Westside Road. Note to self – if you think you’ve gone too far down Westside road, you’re wrong. It’s a long ways south to the turn onto Fintry Delta Road. The scenery was beautiful, though, and we managed to arrive at the cottage just before 12:00 despite missing the turn the first time around.
The balance of Saturday was spent out on the boat, swimming in the lake, playing Bocce, cooking up some skewers for supper, and relaxing in the sun.
Sunday was a busy day of hiking, swimming, floating on the lake, and similar activities. Supper was a greek affair, and the group of us consumed several bottles of wine which pretty much wiped me out. Another early night for the group of us – We were in bed before midnight for the second day running.
Monday was another early morning – things got hot early. It was over 25°C before 10:00am. So we hit the lake early to cool off. I tried kayaking for the first time, and really enjoyed it once I got the hang of it. The lake was calm, so it was great for learning the ropes. After kayaking, there was more floating and swimming since things kept getting hotter.
Billy and I headed out around 3:00pm, though neither of us really wanted to leave. We both had to work Tuesday, so we had no choice. The 7 hour drive back seemed to take longer than the drive out, and traffic was a lot heavier. Still, once we got past the predictable crunches near Golden, things moved pretty quick. By the time I got home around 11:00, I was definitely tired, but I had a smile on my face.
It was a great weekend, and just what I needed as a break from things.
Subscriptions