Back to the heat in Kelowna
Another early morning rise and pack up and we were off to Kelowna. As we descended out of the mountains, the temperature quickly rose from the 1 degC we experienced at Lake Louise at 8 am to 28 degC in Kelowna. As our A/C had decided to break down before Banff and we had not had an opportunity to get it fixed, we succumbed to the heat and had to take a quick break and pop into a restaurant to cool off. A bit of a cool fix and we were on our way again, windows rolled down, slushies in hand.. we made our way to Okanagan Lake Provincial Park, just between the towns of Peachland and Summerland. Those town names don’t sound real do they?
With wildfires ravaging BC this summer, we were a little concerned and had been checking reports daily on whether or not our destinations were affected. The only impact we could tell were the evacuation signs posted here and there and a haze in the air the first day we arrived.
Okanagan Lake Provincial Park
The campground is tucked under Hwy 97 along the western edge of Okanagan Lake. A tiny wedge of land below the Hwy, the campground is more like urban camping. Close knit sites are wedged into the small property but access to the lake is plentiful and there are washrooms at either end of the campground.
At first glance, I was groaning and the thought of vault toilets but lo and behold, there was a recent renovation and the toilets were flush and the bathroom was very very very clean! No lighting though so at night, you need to bring your own flashlight. The central comfort station included outdoor dishwashing stations!.. and nice ones I may add with hot water to boot!.. what a luxury!
No heating water over the fire to get warm water and only washing one basin at a time. The showers were allocated inside the women’s and men’s bathrooms 4 shower stalls each and only 2 bathroom stalls in each. Not sure if that was wise as it was the main bathroom was were most people went and when the entire campground is full, it seems like there was often a line up. The main bathrooms were also renovated and clean and such a delightful change of pace compared to some of the bathrooms we experienced.
The playground… well this was like none other at a provincial park. It was very new and entertained our kids for a long long while.
The next day we met up with a family member who flew out to join us briefly on our journey. A quick stop at the airport and off we went to start our adventure. We stopped by a lakeside park and enjoyed some playtime in the playground and an appropriate lunch considering we were in the Kelowna area. Cheese, meat, grapes and bread…. Just missing a bottle of vino…. But quickly corrected as we made 2 stops at nearby wineries: Inspired and Gray Monk. 
Both wineries were staffed by knowledgeable and friendly staff and had tasty offerings. Bottles in hand, we made our way to a mid afternoon snack at the Jammery. Waffles, freshly baked scones, ice cream, Devonshire cream and jam and lots of it! Tasty! My favorite was the scone.. warm, delicate, light and buttery and the most generous portion of Devonshire cream. My waistline was forever stretched I fear…
Myra Canyon Trail
Rejuvenated by our ‘snack’ we headed towards Myra Canyon Train Trestles, located high up in the mountains above Kelowna. Before we reached the top of the mountain where you can pick up the trailhead, we encountered a bear! Luckily for us, we were in our car and not too close for comfort.
The Myra Canyon trail follows the old Train route that used to run through it as the only and fastest means to get across the mountains back in the day. With gorgeous vistas and nerve wracking drops, it was almost a sensory overload. Even the silence in the air was almost deafening. For me, the train trestles took a bit of getting used to. The middle portion of the trestle along the length was solid floorboards but the edges still had gaps to allow you to see down and see how far up you were. Even quick glimpses were enough to keep me reminded not to look down.
We rode as far as we could in an hour knowing that our journey would have us retracing our steps as we would need to return to our car. Bike rentals were very convenient at the start of the trail through Myra Canyon Bike Rentals. While we did bring our bikes with us on the journey, we couldn’t transport all our bikes to the top of the mountain so we rented the adult bikes with the hopes of just having our kids ride their own. Unfortunately, we weren’t allowed to use our gator bar on the rentals so we had to rent a tag along for our daughter. Glad we did the ride, it was definitely an experience to remember.
Other adventures
The next morning saw us up and early.. yet again…… this ‘vacation’ is by no stretch of the imagination a relaxing one… we are constantly waking early, sleeping late… but we wouldn’t change it at all.. This is a once in a lifetime journey….
We were up early as we had to get to Kelowna Nissan by 7:10 in the morning which meant leaving at 6 am but lo and behold… we’re LOCKED in… A ridiculous rule of the campground that the gates are literally locked with a chain and padlock between 11 pm and 7 am. We tried knocking at the host’s gate and the staff area… but to no avail. My thoughts on this are that I agree with closing the campground … but there should be a way to leave the campground. What if we had an emergency!?.. Other campgrounds allow you to leave through automatic gate or pass code… BC parks should rethink the LOCKING in of patrons. As it so happens, my son also had a severe reaction to some bug bite so we were trying to get to the walk-in clinic early so that we would be seen in a reasonable amount of time. In the end we had to wait for someone to unlock the gate and we made our way to Kelowna, just in time to get in line for the walk-in clinic and to get our car to the dealership again to have the A/c taken care of.. again.
While in kelowna, another momentous occasion occurred. My son lost yet another tooth.
While we were waiting for the car, we decided to check out City Park in Kelowna. A playground yet again comes to the rescue as the kids were easily entertained while my husband worked. And to top it all off, there was also another playground that caught the attention of our kids. Wibit is a an inflatable water playground. A serious water playground that is really more for the bigger kids, but we braved it with our little guys and I think we all took a plunge into the water except for the smallest one. I had to resort to my pride to get my butt back onto the playground after falling off.. It didn’t hurt that a young kid asked if I needed help… my pride took over and I hauled my big butt up onto the platform like a beached whale all the while knowing the beachfront crowd was watching.. terrific….
A long day at the beach/playground and we headed back to our campsite, car in hand, a/c working again… phew…. Kelowna was a full eventful visit with lots to remember and enjoy.