The hills surrounding the lakes of Skaha and Okanagan, appearing to be devoid of life with their only apparent purpose that of sheltering the lakes, in fact actually hides the famous wine country of the Okanagan.
Shortly after our arrival we headed toward these wineries high above the lakes for a wine tasting tour. There are many estates of varying sizes, each with their own tasting rooms. Most will charge for sampling unless you purchase a bottle of their vino, which is what we did in three of the wineries. I chose a Riesling, a Rose and a champagne.
Besides the opportunity of visiting the wine country for a tasting tour is the chance to go down Penticton's famed river channel. Tubes can be rented, which we have done in the past, and a bus will pick you up at the end and bring you and the tubes back to your car. Or you can bring your own floating devices which is what we did this time. As a group of eight, we had a car at each end. We tied our floaters together so we could float down in unison adding further to the experience. Some people had huge floating devices holding as many as eight or so people, however, ours were individual except for one double. Having done it every year for the past fifteen years, it is easy to see that the channel is one of my favourite things to do while in Penticton. From beginning to end, the float down takes about three hours but will depend on how fast the water is running. It is nice that the channel isn't deep and although it is safe for children with lifejackets, on our recent trip, we saw very few. Important to remember though, is to bring plenty of sunscreen and reapply often. The river channel flows into Skaha Lake and some adventurers down the channel continue to float into the lake itself. This isn't advised however because of the currents in this area.
Staying at a motel less than half a block from Skaha Lake, we spent a whole day sitting on its sandy beaches, fortunate to be beneath one of the few trees as the sun shone down upon us. During the summer the beaches are crowded and like any popular resort, the mushroom effect of numerous umbrellas produce a kaleidoscope of colour on the sand for as far as the eye can see. At this lake there is a park with room for tossing a frisbee and there are volley ball nets. It seems to be more of a family beach with children paddling in the water and digging in the sand. Earlier in the year there are fire pits on the beach that people can use in the evenings but with fire conditions being at an all-time high, there was a ban when we were there.
Okanagan Lake is the larger of the two lakes and, because the busy waterfront strip with restaurants, ice cream stores and tourist shops are all located there, so are the young people. Runners and dog walkers also abound. There is a walking path beside the lake, part of it done in a cushioned cork which makes walking very comfortable. Eventually the whole path will be done in this way. As the sun goes down, people are still swimming in the shallow waters. At both lakes, there is a fairly large area where the water is relatively shallow before it drops off into deeper water. In both places, the drop-off areas are well marked.
A visit to Penticton is great for families as well as those travelling without children as there are many things to do. One can bike along the Kettle Valley Railway Trail, hike on the many other trails as well as do some climbing at Skaha Bluffs Provincial Park, go to an Adventure Park, a museum, Apex Mountain, go golfing, take a paddle wheeler cruise on Okanagan Lake, rent pedal cars that will seat four to six people, go on a paddle boat as well as canoes and kayaks and of course, tour the wine country.
Of the many things to do on a visit to Penticton, my favourite is the tranquility of floating down the slow moving river channel with family and/or friends. For many it is a time to relax on the pink sands of the beaches of this town's two beautiful lakes where there is usually a slight breeze to temper the heat. But whatever a person's interests, there is much to do in this southern interior town of Penticton.
No comments:
Post a Comment