Grand Forks to OliverJun 10, 2007
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Tuc-al-Nuit Lake at the Desert Lake RV Park
A gorgeous Oliver sunset
I think we could live here
On the road to Oliver today. According to Streets & Trips, it's only a couple of hours down the road and only one mountain pass, Anarchist (a somewhat forbidding name).
First part of the trip was uneventful, passing through the valley with little traffic (it is Sunday morning). After the first 10 kilometers, we started up. BC is a beautiful place, but there is no level ground anywhere! That's an overstatement of course, but there are enough hills that, even if you ARE on level ground, you don't realize it!
We planned to stop at the golf course in Greenwood, but when we saw it, the parking area was so small that we couldn't turn the motor home around; besides, the course itself didn't look too inviting. We agreed to carry on and promised each other to golf in Oliver. Going down to Osoyoos from the Anarchist summit was nerve wracking. In places, an 8% grade with hairpin turns that required 15 kph speed. Then just before the bottom, a deer ran across the road right in front of the motor home! Time for a break; we found a spot to park the bus on the level. After 20 minutes, we resumed the rest of the trip into Oliver and found the Desert Lake RV Park without any difficulty.
We decided to drive downtown and walk around for a bit, to get the feel of the place. Went to Lions Park and visited the local tourist information office. They gave us some good information on local wineries and then we took the dogs for a long walk down the path on each side of the river. After getting Cassie & Tucker good and tired, we dropped them off at the motor home and headed out to the Tin Horn Creek Estate Winery. Tasted a couple of wines, bought a bottle of Gwurtztraminer and had lunch on their deck. Great views and a very civilized way to have lunch. We followed lunch with a tour of grapes, vats and barrels before heading back to town. Returned to the motor home to a rainstorm.
It was cold on Monday night (5 degrees), and only 12 in the motor home on Tuesday morning. However, it's a bright blue sky with no clouds and an expected high of 23! Promised Tucker a swim in the lake later. After spending the morning looking at real estate, we returned to the campground to sunny skies and warm temperatures. C&T were anxious to do things, so after lunch, we took them to the beach for swimming and digging. They got filthy and loved it. Then back to the motor home for a lazy afternoon.
