Taira :: Penticton Beach Weekend

It was a long way to travel to go camping, but the trip was well worth it. I flew into Calgary on August 10 and the next day Raina, Emma and I set out on the 8 hour drive to Penticton, BC.

This is where we set up camp for our first two nights..it was at a Look Out point on Skaha Lake, but the park rangers didn't bother us.

We set up camp in the middle of the night so we didn't get a chance to see where we were until morning. This was the view from our tent.

The town of Penticton to the north.

Another nice view of the lake to the south.

Raina wanted to sleep a bit more.

I missing a few pictures of our adventures our first day and night...but this is us at the end of the night getting ready to go to bed.

The next day we walked around town and shopped some more. We found this apartment growing grapes in the middle of downtown.

Both days we floated down the Penticton River Channel. It flows for 7km south from Okanagan Lake to the beach on Skaha Lake. It was sunny and 30 degrees both days.

The entire canal takes about 2.5 hours to float down.

Of course we met some boys who were floating and drinking beer also. This is one the 'randoms' that we ended up having a BBQ with in Kelowna on Saturday night. I think his name was Dan, lol.

Leaving Penticton for the BBQ. You can barely make out the Penticton sign on Munson Mountain.

More Okanagan Lake...no sighting of Ogopogo though.

The weather is so nice all year that the Okanagan Valley grows alot of fruit and there are tons of wineries. We stopped on our way to dinner to pick up veggies and other good food...like chocolate syrup, yum.

After the BBQ we drove just outside of Sicamous, BC (the houseboat capital of Canada). We camped for the night and had beautiful view of Mara Lake in the morning.

Emma and I were first up again.

View from the tent....I didn't want to come home.

Raina and Emma...we've all been wearing out clothes for days now.

Between Sicamous and Revelstoke is the Enchanted Forest. We didn't do the tour, but it was a neat place to stop all the same.

The Three Valley Lake Chateau in Revelstoke..this place also boasts a Heritage Ghost Town...strange.

We stopped to get some food in Golden, BC. This is the view from the Dairy Queen.

On our way through the mountains we made a pit stop at Takakkaw Falls. It it 13km off the highway and really is in the middle of the mountains.

Takakkaw means 'magnificent' in Cree.

To get up close to the falls you have to cross its glacial river...the colour in this photo doesn't do the river justice..it was a piercing blue colour.

As we got closer the air was getting colder. You could feel the coldness coming off the waterfall.

The falls are over 1200 feet high..you can make out Raina and me at the bottom. We drank the water too...it was so good, I'm a water snob now.

Our whole trip we saw very little wildlife...but chipmunks are cute.

Still at Takakkaw Falls...Raina and Emma with Cathedral Mountain in the background.

Our last pit stop was for some gas in Canmore. It's sad to get to Canmore because you know your trip is over.

On Sunday evening my family in Calgary got together once more before my grandmother and I left. Raina and her boyfriend Jean.

Raina, me, Aunt Marsha, Uncle Terry and Nanny.

Raina and Emma also have a new roomate, Chris, from Anchorage, Alaska....he's in Calgary training for the Olympics. I wish I was that motivated.