My parent’s 60th wedding anniversary was in early August. The family wanted to do something together. However Catalina was under quarantine at that time, so we delayed it to last week. To celebrate, we met in Salmon Arm for a short while.
So once again, I did the drive east from Vancouver. Last time we met my parent’s there, they took quite awhile to make the commute. Since I figured we had time, I thought we should experiment with the route and try going through the Okanagon valley to see what that is like. At the very least, they should have great fruit stands.
On the whole though, I was disappointed. The towns of Kelowna and Vernon did not look like what I expected. They looked like pretty average towns. I think I was expecting something more touristy, but they were just places to live and work. It seems a shame for the valley which is supposedly Canada’s orchard.
The fruit stand we did stop in was literally called “Kelowna Fruit Stand” and it seemed rather commercial. That said, I impulse purchased a box of cherry juice that has been fantastic. I should look to see if I can get it locally.
My parents actually arrived at Salmon Arm far earlier than last year. Their excuse was that it was because they didn’t have to take care of the dog; Dallas was staying in a kennel for the trip.
This year the weather was better in Salmon Arm, but that isn’t saying much. Last year it was raining a lot every day. So we were able to go to the beach, but we didn’t stay long; it was still cloudy. The lake was pretty cold; probably filled with glacier water. Still, I had my manliness to prove so I went swimming. (I couldn’t let my sister be the only one in the water.) We went out to a floating platform and I jumped off a couple of times.
Really, the reason we went was to spend time with the family. That was mission accomplished.
I did splurge for the family and rented a speedboat for a couple of hours. It was a lovely afternoon and the marina had a boat available for us. We did get to watch a houseboat arrive to pick up supplies; it was filled with young people. In fact, on the roof there was the spectacle of beer with a tube and tunnel contraption. They did not look like the most responsible of people, but they were friendly on the dock when they passed us.
We took the boat out after getting training. Eventually we figured out that if we went in certain directions we could bounce on the waves. My father had the biggest smile on his face when we did that. My mother and sister, not so much. After a bit of time, we went back to the rental place, dropped them off, and went back out. We continued to have a great time until our two hours were up.
The biggest issue with the boat was that to enter and leave the marina, you have to go between a green buoy and a red buoy. When we returned the first time, we had trouble finding the buoys. It didn’t help that there was a sailboat with a bright red sail trolling about the area. Eventually you learn that the buoys are much closer to the marina than you would think from out in the lake. The second time we returned, the earlier houseboat was going on the wrong side of the buoys. That was a bad example for another speedboat that followed them.
The speedboat renter did compliment me on what they saw of my driving, and that I did go the correct way.
While I was in Salmon Arm I continued my daily running. Since I didn’t know good running trails, I continued with my habit of trying to run every street. I now have covered 18% of the town. The good/bad part is that there is no competition for anyone else trying to do the same; I’m the top runner in Salmon Arm.