Blogs from Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada, North America
Rocky Mountains Day 1 & 2
Published: August 15th 2011North America » Canada » British Columbia » Kelowna » Big White
August 14th 2011
Today we started our trip towards and through the Rockies. We set off with Shaun ( Dave's nephew) and Carol his wife in a beautiful Chrysler "people mover". It was like driving in a jumbo jet. Switches open doors automatically, reading lights for all passanges, and TV screens for back passangers, very comfortable. We spent most of the day driving from Vancouver to Kelowna with stops along the way. We visited the site of a moutain side collapse in 1965, but could not see the mountain as it was our first overcast day since arrival. We drove through beautiful scenery of green forests and green and blue water lakes. We then experienced a huge thunder and lightning storm, the likes of which we had not seen since we left SA. We have discovered Tim Hortens, which ... read more
July 9th 2011
Not sure why I didn’t start this earlier but with Fall quickly approaching now is better than never. Let me give you a quick run down. I travel for The University of British Columbia located in Vancouver and Kelowna, British Columbia. I am an International Recruiter and Advisor and I help prospective students navigate the sometimes-confusing application process to UBC. The bulk of my travel takes me to the northeast of the United States but the nature of my job is that I could get sent anywhere at any given time. So this is going to be a running log of some of the locations I have been to before and will be heading to for the first time. This first entry is going to be a little strange though. Just this past week I was ... read more
Bearing Up - All the way to Kelowna
Published: July 4th 2011North America » Canada » British Columbia » Kelowna » Big White
June 18th 2011
Next day was colder, but still dry. Another delicious FREE breakfast in our log cabin hotel to start. Then off to see the most spectacular sights in the rockies. We left the Bow River behind for the Kicking Horse River, sighting an Osprey's nest in the process. Near Castle Mountain, we alighted from the bus to walk up a ravine to some waterfalls. I struck out on my own to get up to the furthest waterfall in the short time available, whistling to ward off any bears in the vicinity. ( We met some canoeists walking up the path alongside the raging river! They planned to canoe down the river. Over the waterfalls?) Later, we stopped for lunch at a Ski Resort where we found lots of Ground Squirrels, standing erect outside their dens and chorusing ... read more
May 4th 2011
So, we have been away for a week now and we have seen so much and I can't believe we still have another 6 weeks to go! The sites we have seen in a week is what I would normally expect to see in an entire holiday! Up early this morning to pack and hit the road again towards the States but first we have to stop off in Kelowna, (what a cool name!) for a halfway break 'cos on thursday it's going to be another 9 hour drive to the border...OH DEAR!! NOT AGAIN!!! Let's hope they don't find us suspicious looking this time! Well, atleast we will have mother hen nearby incase we get stuck! So today we passed the most gorgeous lakes, yip they were the emerald blue ones and silly naa-naaa me ... read more
Start of my next adventure
Published: April 21st 2011North America » Canada » British Columbia » Kelowna
April 21st 2011
Mijn vlucht Co0178 naar Houston zou vertrekken Maandag 11 april om 9 uur s ochtends. Na alles te hebben ingecheckt wat ook weer is ingewikkeld was kon ik dan door de beveiliging nadat ik Brian had uitgezwaaid. Till next time waren de laatste worden. Volgende keer wordt augustus dus jaar dus het valt mee. Om iets voor half 9 werden de befaamde woorden bij de gate ten gehore gebracht. Flight Co0178 is ready for boarding. Pls proceed boarding starting row 30 and up. Aangezien ik dit keer daartoe behoorde kon ik snel instappen en mijn plekje vinden. Al snel werd duidelijk dat dit weer zo’n heerlijke vlucht zou worden met echt een kut kind naast me. (Gelukkig duurde deze vlucht maar 2.5 uur en kon ik daarna snel het vliegtuig uit.)Hij was irritant en zijn moeder ... read more
Last visit to kelowna before the epic journey
Published: April 17th 2011North America » Canada » British Columbia » Kelowna
April 17th 2011
Hello All So this is my first blog before my big trip begins I drove back to Kelowna with my car loaded to the brim on Friday morning after a bit of a late start. Loading my car turned out to be a little bit of a bigger task than I had expected and I didn't end up leaving Richmond until shortly after 9. The drive home took just over four and a half hours. During my drive I saw a mama bear and her cub, unfortunately it went so fast, I had no time to get a picture. Other than that it was a fairly uneventful drive and would have put me to sleep, had it not been for my large Tim Hortons coffee. While in Kelowna I was able to spend some time with ... read more
Sue & Rusty's Harley Trip June/July 2010
Published: June 25th 2010North America » Canada » British Columbia » Kelowna
June 25th 2010
So, this is the plan. We are hoping to leave on Saturday, June 28 and head down Hwy 97 through Central Washington, central Oregon, and hit Lake Tahoe within a couple days. Then, depending on weather, we will either head west to Paso Robles and do a little wind touring, or head east through Nevada on Hwy 50 "The Lonliest Highway". We have until July 9 to have all our adventures and get home in time for E.J.'s birthday party on July 10. June is staying with James so fingers crossed that he behaves and doesn't drive her to distraction. Will update every evening - hope you will check in and find out what we have been up to! Sue & Rusty!... read more
Myra Canyon Trail riding in the rain
Published: June 11th 2010North America » Canada » British Columbia » Kelowna
June 11th 2010
Trans Canada Trail (TCT)- Myra Canyon hiking and cycling trail “Just south of Kelowna is Myra Canyon, a lovingly restored section of the Kettle Valley Railway Trail. It weighs in at 12 miles (24 km) round trip, but there are no steep climbs or hairball singletracks - just some fun, casual riding. What makes the Myra Canyon section special are the 18 trestles and two tunnels you'll pass over and through.” - In 2003, a month long fire destroyed part of this trail, the Kettle Valley Rail trail. 12 of 18 Railroad trestles were destroyed. By 2008, they had restored the trestles and reopened this section of trail. On the 29th of May 2010, 4 friends and I took our bikes to Myra Canyon in the Okanagan Valley of BC. The trail we rode is situated ... read more
June 6th 2010
Coming off the cruise and back into backpacking world was a bit of a shock. We lived in luxury for 10 days, and though we were in Europe, we were kind of in the U.S too. Everything was in USD, and everyone spoke English. Nothing was lost in translation at the dinner table, my bed was made for me every day, and I could have almost anything I wanted with a snap of my finger. On the one hand, cruises are great experiences, particularly if you want to be pampered. On the other hand, a Mediterranean cruise won't show you real Europe, because it keeps you in a bit a of a North American bubble. If you want to really experience Europe, you need to get out of your comfort zone. Arriving back in Rome gave ... read more
6th Week in Canada (photos)
Published: May 21st 2010North America » Canada » British Columbia » Kelowna
May 21st 2010
Here are the photo's to go with our 6th week. And just a correction on the blog - no it doesn't get dark at 9:30am, meant to be 9:30pm. We had a little trouble transferring portrait photos including the waterfall - but hope other shots make up for it. Enjoy! ... read more
