Beautiful Bountiful British Columbia

“I think Canada has a great story, and I’m glad to tell it.” - Justin Trudeau

While there was sunshine and laughter in my heart and in our group, we did have a lot of cloudy overcast days and a smattering of rain all along the way. I was reminded of my colleague warning me that the sunshine filled week I had enjoyed on my first trip was a total fluke and an unexpected treasure.

David, you’ll be happy to know I have now seen British Columbia just like you used to describe it to me, I guess you did know your homeland better than a first-time visitor.

As we left Alberta behind in our rear-view mirror, we began to see lakes and fields full of fruits and vegetables. Our first stop of the day was at a dairy farm for ice-cream and cheese. I was disappointed that they did not do cheese and ice-cream flights like I had just experienced in the Finger Lakes, but the ice-cream was delicious, and the one scoop was generously equal to two.

The Cheese was a bit too much for one person, so I brought it along when we went wine tasting and shared it with the group. The cherries from the fruit stand in Kelowna so fresh and delicious, yum.

Then the honey farm, where we got an education on bees and tasted the many varieties of honey as well as a flight of mead or honey wine.

As we drove through the farming communities of British Columbia, it was interesting to learn that most of the farms were owned and operated by Sikhs from India. The fruit stands so uniquely different from everywhere I’ve been included samosas and tikka masala.

@Ritagujral just mentioned how much this area reminded her of our recent trip to the Finger Lakes. As we drove along the various highways, we passed multiple lakes that populate this part of British Columbia. All beautiful under the moody sky.

A stop in the town of Vernon where we met up with a local guide who knew the children and grandchildren of the pioneers who established this town.

The history of the town is told in the form of colorful murals that decorate the walls of the buildings.

The Indian Motorcycle which once competed with the Harley Davidson. While the motorcycles were manufactured in the US, this mural is dedicated to the Megaw family and their dealership and the motorcycles they sold.

Unfortunately, the dealership went out of business and the Indian motorcycles also lost their prominence.

Okanagan Lake where we went in search of the Ogopogo but like the Loch Ness monster in Scotland, this one too proved to be elusive. We did sail around the lake viewing the million-dollar homes on the shores of the lake and see how close last year’s fires came.

The rain had no discernable dampening effect on the Canada Day celebrations in the town of Kelowna. Bands were going strong on both sides of our hotel and people were dancing and celebrating. There were even fireworks late at night which I missed since I was tucked up snug in bed after wandering in the rain.

So woefully ignorant of the British Columbian wine country. I was familiar with ice wine but did not realize that Canada produces some fantastic Whites and even some Reds.

Summer Hill winery where we ended up for wine tasting and a wine tour was a beautiful location and we got to taste some superb whites and even a couple of reds.

The winery is also known as the pyramid winery since the owner uses this pyramid as a part of the wine making process, something he learned in the Champagne region of France.

The pyramid is constructed using the same geometric calculations as the pyramids in Egypt all be it a scaled down version. We actually got to visit inside and experience a meditative moment. A first in a wine tasting wine tour experience.

British Columbia’s version of the Hollywood Walk of Fame except this was along the side of the Tim Hortons in a little town we stopped at for a coffee break and these are hockey stars.

Another town, another stop, this time for lunch, a town famous for axe carving competitions and a display of beautiful carvings all around the town.

The First Nation’s people’s greeting. Hello! we come in peace. Welcome to Vancouver which we will explore next week.

I am so glad we got to drive through this part of British Columbia and learn more about this fertile land that serves as the breadbasket for Canada.