Bloganagan

Grandma Wears Hiking Boots – Preview

HelloBC.com

Hallelujah! After 10 months of site visits, writing and photography, I've finished my assignments for HelloBC.com. Click on place names to see the results. Vernon, Kelowna, Summerland, Penticton, Naramata, Oliver, Osoyoos, Lumby, Armstrong, Chase, Salmon Arm, Sicamous, Princeton, Greenwood, Grand Forks, Christina Lake, Silver Star Mountain Resort, Big White Ski Resort, Apex Mountain Resort.

Apex Mountain Resort

I've never skied Apex. Amazing, really. The Okanagan has such an embarrassment of wealth when it comes to mountain resorts that many of us get lazy and just stick with the one closest to home. Too bad, because in my research for Tourism BC's HelloBC.com website, and coincidentally, for Okanagan Life magazine's Best of the Okanagan, I discovered that Apex has a ton going for it.

Armstrong, BC

The farmland around Armstrong reminds me of the area where I grew up in Southern Ontario. Take away the mountains framing the valley and it could almost be Oxford County. I make regular pilgrimages - to buy nippy cheddar at The Village Cheese Co; to take in the IPE (awesome fall fair) where I love to watch the draught horses compete and can't resist the mini-donuts; and to head into a farmer's field for a night's entertainment at the Caravan Farm Theatre. 

Lumby, BC

I get to Lumby about once a year, usually in connection with an outdoor adventure story. Twice I've covered paragliding, once as a spectator, the second time as an awestruck tandem rider. One trip was a mushrooming expedition around Mabel Lake. I've cruised the area checking out waterfalls, gold panning and fishing lodges.

Naramata, BC

Naramata is an unusual little community. It has recently been certified by Cittaslow, highlighting the determination of locals to maintain a slower, high quality standard of life. In many ways it exists in a happy time warp, a no-stop-light village with just a couple of shops, cafes and a pub – virtually at the end of the road - set on a spit of land jutting into Okanagan Lake and backed by highland forests.

Princeton, BC

There's a ton of history to explore around Princeton: ochre deposits mined by First Nations people for millennia, ghost towns, historic pack trails, the Trans Canada Trail following the old Kettle Valley Railway line, a very cool museum with a totally surprising rock and fossil collection and, in nearby Hedley, an Aboriginal interpretive centre and a cliff-hanging heritage mine. 

Christina Lake, BC

My next door neighbours used to head off to a family cottage at Christina Lake every summer. I figured this must be some awesome place to draw sane people away from the Okanagan in peak season ... and it is. This is touted as the warmest tree-lined lake in Canada (a little caveat that keeps it from usurping the warmest lake title claimed by the Okanagan's very own Osoyoos Lake). And regardless of the water temperature, I now get the attraction. 

Grand Forks, BC

I've always admired Grand Forks – as I  passed through. This summer was my first chance to pull off Highway 3 and check out the amazing historic court house that snags your attention as you drive by. It's now an art gallery, museum and visitor centre. 

Greenwood, BC

Greenwood is a terminally cute town in the BC Boundary Country - although I shouldn't be calling it a town. This tiny burg with a population of 625 souls is actually Canada's smallest city. Much more interesting than the quibble over titles, though, is the "city's" amazing architectural heritage.