Okanagan

After three days of climbing we were ready for a break so we took a day off to tour around. We had breakfast at The Bench, one of our regular coffee stops in Pentiction.



I had fun trying to take photos of the sparrows flitting around the patio.



Then we headed south with our first stop at Vaseux Lake Bird Sanctuary. There were more mosquitos than birds, but I did manage a few shots of an osprey. (Although it was too far away so they're not as sharp as I'd like.)



No tripod, so I was doing my best to brace the long lens. (I handed my other camera to Shelley to hold and she took advantage of the opportunity to get a photo of me taking photos :-)



Next we stopped at the Osoyoos Desert Center. We missed the tour, but we'd been on it before so we just walked around the boardwalk on our own. Most of the animals are nocturnal but it's nice to see the plants and the scenery. We surprised a tiny spotted fawn that was hiding under the boardwalk. Unfortunately it ran into the bushes and I couldn't get a photo. The staff told us there were twin fawns and that the mother would have left them to go and feed.

The information in the center helped me identify these flowers (that we'd also seen at Skaha Bluffs) as Sagebrush Mariposa Lilies. Pretty flowers.



Last time we were here there was a Kildeer nesting right close to the center. This time we saw one by the water.



We went to the nearby Miradoro restaurant at Tinhorn Creek Winery for lunch. It has fantastic views (not to mention great food).







We also visited Le Vieux Pin, one of our winery favorites. And we finished up with afternoon coffee and gelato at Medicis Gelateria in Oliver (in a former church).

To finish the day, a friend took us to the new Bad Tattoo Brewing Company, for great pizza and beer.

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8 out of 10 ain't bad

We've climbed 8 out of the last 10 days. (Missed one day due to rain and one day to driving.) It's been great but I'm beat! My hands hurt, my feet hurt, not to mention my collection of bumps, scrapes, and bruises. Could also have something to do with age :-) On the positive side, we're climbing as well as we ever have, not that that is saying much relative to current standards! Doesn't hurt to get in more time on the rock than when we were both working full time.

Time to go back to work and recover!

Skaha Wildlife

To most people, "Skaha" is the lake south of Penticton, but to climbers it's the Skaha Bluffs Provincial Park. It's a great climbing area, but it's also a beautiful place to hike and see the wildlife. We were busy climbing so I didn't spend much time on photography, but I still managed to grab a few shots. The chipmunks are common and the young ones are always entertaining, chasing each other over the rocks and up the bushes. The trick is to catch them when they're actually sitting still for a few seconds.



There were lots of big swallowtail butterflies flying around but they seldom landed. I had just told Shelley that I was giving up on photographing them when one of them stopped to feed on some thistles right in front of me. It even continued to feed as I got closer, allowing me to get some good shots of it. I think it's a Two-tailed Swallowtail.



Sometimes when you're climbing you run into frogs. It can be disconcerting when you stick your hand in a crack and you feel something moving, especially since there can also be rattlesnakes in the cracks. We found this one frog on a boulder beside the cliff. I think it's a Pacific Tree/Chorus Frog. They vary in color from grey to bright green and can change color - this one had perfect camouflage for the rocks it was on.



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Okanagan Wineries

After the one rainy day the weather improved and we were back to climbing. On Wed. we took a break from camping and splurged with a night at Burrowing Owl Winery near Oliver. Pretty fancy, but at least they are quite environmentally conscious. We had a great dinner at their restaurant. We didn't actually take a break from climbing though since we climbed both Wed. and Thurs. with only slightly shorter days so we had a little time to enjoy Burrowing Owl. Shelley claims she knows how to relax, but she doesn't like to overdo it :-)



I usually leave the food photos to Penny, but I couldn't resist this one.



Beautiful views as we ate dinner in the late evening sun.


After dinner walk through the vineyards with Shelley proving she has more than just climbing clothes!



In the morning the bees were busy on the flowers.



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Penticton Rainbow

Despite the clouds, the rain held off for two days of climbing around Kelowna. But sitting in the Hooded Merganser restaurant we watched the clouds rolling around the lake and the rain alternate with sunshine (sometimes both at once). Driving back to the campground after supper there was a fantastic rainbow. By the time we arrived it had faded a bit but we still managed a few photos.







We awoke to steady rain this morning - no climbing today. We hung out at The Bench for most of the morning. (Didn't want to start tasting wine till at least after noon!) Lunch was at Hillside Winery & Bistro and afternoon coffee at Cafe Nevermatters in Naramata. It's finally stopped raining and the sun is even trying to shine so maybe we'll get in some climbing tomorrow.

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Kelowna Japanese Gardens

Before leaving Kelowna we stopped at the Japanese Gardens. It's small but nice - worth a visit if you're nearby.



There were sparrows flitting about catching insects, probably for their nestlings.



bees on the rhododendrons



turtles in the pond



A lot of the flowers were already past their peak but there were still a few nice ones left



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Kelowna

Pouring rain in Canmore so we headed for the Okanagan. There was rain forecast there too, but we figured it probably wouldn't be as bad, and at least it would be warmer. It wasn't raining when we arrived in Kelowna so we set up camp at Willow Creek campground (right in town). We went up to the Summerhill winery bistro for supper and by the time we got there it was socked in and pouring rain. Not much to see of the normally wonderful view across the lake but that didn't stop us from having a great meal.

The ducks were enjoying the puddles in the campground:



This morning it was still very cloudy, but not actually raining so we headed up to climb. There was a good chance of rain forecast for the afternoon, but it ended up clearing and turning sunny, and we had a good day at the local crags.

Waiting for Shelley to rappel down from a climb I took some photos of the flowering bush beside me:



There was a marmot in the rocks near where we were climbing. It ran away when it saw me, but its curiosity got the best of it and it poked its head up to check me out.



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Northern Flicker

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A loud chattering cry outside the washroom at our campground in Penticton made me search the trees for the caller. It turned out to be this bird. There were two of them but I only got photos of this male. I had a little trouble identifying it as a Northern Flicker (a type of woodpecker) because the photos in my guide (the iBird Pro app) were showing the eastern yellow-shafted form, and this was the western red-shafted. The call was their territorial one so perhaps they had a nest nearby.

Another Rainy Day

Another day of no climbing due to rain. If it doesn't improve soon, we'll bail. We visited a couple more wineries, a couple of coffee shops, and I managed to take a few photos between rain showers ...

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Rain Day

It rained off and on all day today so we didn't try to climb and headed to the Nk'mip Desert Cultural Center instead. It's a fancy facility, along with the winery, golf course, resort, etc. but I think I liked the low key Osoyoos Desert Center better. The nature trail was nice though, and I got some good shots of the resident osprey. We also stopped at La Stella, the sister winery to Le Vieux Pin that we visited the other day.

The locals keep telling us it hardly ever rains in the Okanagan. Hopefully this will be more true in the next few days!

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Laying Low for the Long Weekend

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The May long weekend is crazy crowded at Skaha Bluffs and we were ready for a break anyway.

Friday afternoon we drove down to Osoyoos heading for the Nk'mip Desert Cultural Center but came across the Osoyoos Desert Center first. It's run by the Osoyoos Desert Society and much less commercial. There's not a lot to see - mostly sagebrush and antelope bush. But our friendly young lady tour guide gave us lots of information about all the things we couldn't see, like the snakes, mice, badgers, spadefoot toads, coyotes, etc. The most activity was in the little garden next to the visitor center. There were several kinds of hummingbirds at the feeders, a rabbit browsing, and a killdeer nesting.

On the way we stopped in Oliver at Medici's Gelateria for delicious gelato. If you're in the area it's a nice spot to for coffee or ice cream.

We ran out of time to go to the Nk'mip center, but we did find time to stop at another of Penny's winery suggestions - Le Vieux Pin near Oliver. It's a smaller winery that makes wine in French styles. We enjoyed our tasting there - great wine.

Our friend Ellen in Summerland generously offered us a place to stay for the weekend. Her house has a great view over the lake and we had some nice rainbows from the torrential rainstorm that evening.

On Saturday we went for a hike with a group of Ellen's friends up to Divide Lake in Okanagan Mountain Provincial Park. The day started out cloudy with slight drizzle, but it cleared up later. The hike went through the area that burned ten years ago and it was interesting to see the regeneration.

More Skaha

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We woke up this morning and looked out the tent door to find a family of Canada geese camped right in front of our tent. Unfortunately, we didn't have a camera in the tent. Predictably, when we got out they moved away, but I pulled on my pants and grabbed my camera and managed to get a few shots of them before they swam away.

Last night we had a great dinner at the Vanilla Pod restaurant at the Poplar Grove winery. We had been to Vanilla Pod a couple of times when they were in Summerland and really enjoyed it, but this was definitely a more scenic location looking down on Penticton and the lake. The sunset was lovely and we watched the colors develop and then fade. I didn't have my camera but Shelley took a few shots with her iPhone.

After two days of solid climbing we were a little stiff this morning. Nevertheless, we did some harder climbs that left our fingertips sore from the small edges. We climbed till noon and took the afternoon off to relax and visit a couple of wineries (Blue Mountain and Noble Ridge). Both were excellent. We decided to sit and enjoy a glass of wine and a cheese platter on Noble Ridge's deck with a wonderful view of the mountains and lake.

Skaha Details

First day of climbing at Skaha Bluffs. We got to the bottom of the climbs and discovered Shelley forgot her climbing shoes in the car. That was partly my fault since I'd organized all the climbing gear, but I wasn't sure which of her shoes she wanted so I hadn't pulled out any. While Shelley jogged back to the car I pulled out my camera to take a few random shots in the morning light.

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We had a great day climbing. Climbed 9 routes, from 5.7 to 5.10a. It always takes a few climbs to get used to the rock again. The temperature didn't get that high - only about 18c - but the sun was plenty hot. It sprinkled a little rain later in the afternoon but it didn't amount to anything.

Had a good supper at the Sage and Vines Bistro. And through the wonders of Facebook, we had a quick visit with an old friend (Jesse) that we hadn't known was in Penticton.