We recently returned from a 9-day road trip to the southern interior of the province on a quest for a change of scenery, through the coast mountains, through the Similkimeen valley, ending up (coincidentally?) in the primo wine country of the Okanagan.

It was a fine time!

For about a year now we had been planning a fall trip to Europe (Amsterdam and Rome)  but sometime this summer we realized that neither one of us was stepping up to the plate to actually make any concrete plans and reservations, so it might be time for a change of course. Since we got back here from Asia, 3 years ago now, we have explored Vancouver Island where we live, but hadn’t yet made it to the rest of the province (outside Vancouver) so we booked The Cat Lady to take care of Dennis, threw bags in the trunk, boarded the ferry and away we went. Easy. No airports, no time zones.

We were headed to Osoyoos, a town about a mile from the U.S. border to visit friends who live way up Anarchist Mountain outside of town in a beautiful home with killer views down over the lake and across the mountains to the south. There, we hung out for 3 days walking, talking, winery visiting, lunching, game playing, and gazing endlessly over the always changing skies and landscape. I changed up the header photo on this blog to keep the view with me for a while yet.

IF I had a bucket list of 1000 (or whatever) things to do before I die – which I don’t – and IF driving an ATV was on it – which it isn’t – I could now check it off. The only reason I actually went through with this was because of (unstated) peer pressure. Oy vay, what a ride. Pretty close to terrified. At the end of it my forearms and wrists burned from the effort of keeping the beast and me out of the ditch and my neck and shoulders were so tense I wasn’t sure I’d ever be able to turn my head again. However I made it through in the end, without dissolving into a dribbling, heaving pool of mush, so all was well. I even had a smile on my face, a big one. (Off) Road Warrior.

I can definitely see the attraction of these machines out in the back forty. We went higher and further up the mountain than we could otherwise, ending up in a wide, clear meadow up in the clouds, surrounded by the autumn yellows, once the site of a homestead and now home to grazing cattle, among which was a bull known to chase ATVers out as far as the cattle guard by the fence.

Raging bulls are not the only potential hazard to living in this landscape. Summers are hot and dry and threat from forest fire is common. One year at the foot of the mountain a truck lost its breaks and steered into the “runaway lane” where it hit some rocks (the driver bailed), exploded, sending fire up the banks. Spotting bear and moose is not uncommon and earlier in the year rattlesnakes were in the rocks in the garden on the slope below the pool. While we were there somewhere in the mountain neighborhood a cougar had attacked a horse, injuring it so severely it had to be put down. (Our friends also have a couple of horses).

Leaving a wonderful visit on Anarchist Mountain, we headed north to Penticton where I had found a so-called B&B on the slopes of the Naramata Bench above the vineyards and wineries, again with views over Lake Okanagan and the mountains beyond. I say “so-called” as it was really a huge 2-story fully equipped, beautifully decorated apartment. I hate hotels and hate staying in just one room, so whenever I can I seek out places like this where there is lots of space, privacy, kitchen and views.

It was very definitely off-season in the Okanagan. The wine festivals were over, the waterfront was bare, instead of the summer boaters and frolickers, I saw only one lone sailboat out on the water. The motorboats, seadoos, houseboats and tourists had disappeared. I can well imagine what it’s like in the valley in summer heat, but the fall off-season vibe was nice too.

For me, the star of the trip was the geography – the mountain passes on the way from Vancouver, the drier, sparser landscape of the Similkameen with sights of huge gold and copper mines, the Ponderosa pines, Tamarack trees which look like evergreens but turn blazing yellow and drop their leaves in the fall, the sage brush and rock formations of the lower interior. In a local bookstore I found a great book on the geology of the south Okanagan (written for the layman and a good read) which showed me how to read the land around me. If you look closely at the terrain you see the ancient upheavals, the landslides and the evidence of more recent events. Here is direct evidence of planet earth’s constant movement and change. One afternoon we headed up a back road as far as we could go without all-wheel drive and found the stark display of the aftermath of the 2003 Okanagan mountain fire which had taken out whole neighborhoods by the lake near Kelowna.

Back home after just the right amount of time away, I finished up the garden chores in time for winter’s approach, bringing things into The GreenHouse, draining hoses, sweeping up, clearing up, hanging Christmas lights in the new pergola courtyard. The days are so short now, and in The Bunkie Studio in front of the easel I find myself painting mountains. This week we have had a sneak preview of what is to come as temperatures have plummeted in this moderate coastal climate and for 3 days we have awoken to hard frost on the ground. Last night it fell to minus 6C, the coldest for this time of year since 1978. Thoughts turn to warmer climes…

The other night we were having a glass of wine at our neighbor’s, who was telling us of his Christmas plans to visit Costa Rica. He described what his route will be  to get there – from Vancouver, through Portland, through Houston, all-in 13 hours of travel time. I said, wow, you could get to Bangkok (almost) for that, or New Zealand. Funny how a germ of an idea takes hold. After talking about it for another day or two, and after I was reassured that, indeed, I could get on just one plane and be there, we have now booked a winter trip to New Zealand.

Another change of scenery to come.