Kelowna

We landed in Kelowna at around 11:30 a.m., after a relatively uneventful flight. I say relatively because there was one brief period of turbulence. It lasted only about a minute, but in that minute we had one sudden drop in which the plane dropped - who knows how much - I've said 20 feet, but it could have been 200. It was sudden, it was sharp, and it sent drinks flying, along with anything else that wasn't strapped down. Thankfully we all had our seatbelts fastened!

Laolao and Laoye were waiting for us, and it was a happy reunion. We spent about an hour getting our rental car for the week (so we wouldn't have to drive the bus around everywhere). Then headed off for lunch, only to find that a big wind and thunderstorm had knocked power out in the area and businesses were closed. So we headed back to the airport and ate lunch there.

After lunch we drove to our place of lodging - some good friends of Laolao and Laoye who have a lovely house on the lake. They're right by the lake, but given the steep hills around Okanagan Lake, it takes 83 steps to get from their yard to the shore. (And another 17 steps to get to their yard from the main living level!)

View from the road overlooking E&A's house and Okanagan Lake.
We spent about five days in Kelowna. One day we headed out to an orchard - the region is famous for its fruit. We did a tour on a tractor-drawn wagon, learning about the different kinds of apples they grow, and other fruit like cherries and apricots. Most things were rather behind, owing to a cool spring, and hail had destroyed a good chunk of the cherry crop. But we enjoyed some cherries and apricots from the little orchard gift shop. They also had some petting goats and goat-enclosure, complete with walkway so the goats could get some exercise. As the goats were in the field, the kids enjoyed the goat walkway!

Button got a chance to drive (steer) the tractor on our tour! (Under the operator's watchful eye, of course!)
Another day, we went on a hike in the Myra Canyon. This is a section of the Kettle Valley Railway, originally built in 1910-1916 to connect the Okanagan to the coast. This particular section is a very picturesque one, where the railroad had to wind along the steep-sided canyon with some very tight curves. To enable the train to pass, the builders constructed 16 trestles, 2 steel bridges and 2 tunnels - in just 8 km! A real engineering feat for those days! We walked over six of the trestles (and if we'd gone just a bit further we would have reached one of the tunnels - which we discovered only after returning to the car). We also met some friendly chipmunks along the route when we stopped for a break.

This is the area that was affected by the huge fires in 2003. Twelve of the wooden tresles were destroyed and 2 steel ones were badly damaged. However, an effort was made to rebuild beginning in the fall of 2004, and by March of this year, all the trestles had been rebuilt and repaired. Many of the trestles we crossed were obviously new construction, but much of the forest had already undergone rejuvenation and new growth, though we could see burned trunks in large parts of the valley.

In the nearby town of Peachland, we visited a parrot rescue operation called Parrot Island (nothing islandish about it, but there you go). This is a sanctuary for abandoned and abused parrots and other exotic birds. Many parrots can live for 50, 60, 70 years and more, so it is a lifetime commitment to own a parrot. Especially as parrots mate for life. When you buy a parrot, you essentially become its mate - the other being it bonds to and looks to for companionship and affection. Your parrot doesn't understand when you disappear for a week or two's holidays. And it will get lonely if you're gone all day.

So the message of this organization is simple: don't buy parrots. Once a bird enters their doors, they do not sell it. They are committed to providing a home for the rest of its life. Currently they have about 80 parrots in the sanctuary, from across Canada (and even some brought from the States), taken in when the owners died or abandoned their birds as "too much work."

They also had a few rescued ponies.