MONTANA CANADA TRIP - Day 17. Hope -> Vernon, British Columbia
Today we left Hope to travel north, then east, to the Okanagan Valley, Canada's wine country. It is Canada's mildest region, and actually forms the northern tip of the Sonora Desert. It is the Okanagan Valley as wine growing region that planted the idea for this trip in the first place.
Three or four years ago we were browsing the Sunday New York Times, and Jonathan came across an article about the Okanagan Valley being the northernmost region (at the time) in the world for growing grapes. He wanted to see this area, and I'm always interested in anything to do with wine. So the idea stuck in the back of our heads until this opportunity came up and we planned a three week trip around this destination.
The Valley is 100 kilometers long and the main feature is the Okanagan Lake. In addition to wineries, people come here for summer recreation, winter recreation, and to retire. People here have a sense for business (some tasteful, some not) and there is plenty of development and enticements for tourists to part with their money.
Our destination was Vernon, at the northern tip of the valley. It is one of the least crowded towns and one where we felt right at home. The hospitality at Castle on the Mountain resort sure helped us plan our time in the Valley. Innkeepers Roy and Liz, a youngish couple from London recently relocated to Vernon, were able to second guess just what would appeal to us for food, wine and recreation, and we were pleased with every one of their suggestions.
We dined the first night at town of Vernon at a white table cloth restaurant in town, whose name I forget. Of course, we sampled local wine. The menu, the service, and the ambiance was wonderful.
We came home well fed, relaxed from the wine and sat on our deck to watch the stars emerge as dusk set over the valley.
No photos of Vernon, but here is from the road from Hope to Vernon.
Accommodations: Castle on the Mountain, Vernon ***** (see my review on Trip Advisor)
More photos
Three or four years ago we were browsing the Sunday New York Times, and Jonathan came across an article about the Okanagan Valley being the northernmost region (at the time) in the world for growing grapes. He wanted to see this area, and I'm always interested in anything to do with wine. So the idea stuck in the back of our heads until this opportunity came up and we planned a three week trip around this destination.
The Valley is 100 kilometers long and the main feature is the Okanagan Lake. In addition to wineries, people come here for summer recreation, winter recreation, and to retire. People here have a sense for business (some tasteful, some not) and there is plenty of development and enticements for tourists to part with their money.
Our destination was Vernon, at the northern tip of the valley. It is one of the least crowded towns and one where we felt right at home. The hospitality at Castle on the Mountain resort sure helped us plan our time in the Valley. Innkeepers Roy and Liz, a youngish couple from London recently relocated to Vernon, were able to second guess just what would appeal to us for food, wine and recreation, and we were pleased with every one of their suggestions.
We dined the first night at town of Vernon at a white table cloth restaurant in town, whose name I forget. Of course, we sampled local wine. The menu, the service, and the ambiance was wonderful.
We came home well fed, relaxed from the wine and sat on our deck to watch the stars emerge as dusk set over the valley.
No photos of Vernon, but here is from the road from Hope to Vernon.
Accommodations: Castle on the Mountain, Vernon ***** (see my review on Trip Advisor)
More photos
Labels: MontanaCanadaTrip Canada BritishColumbia Vernon OkanaganValley HopeBritishColumbia Kamloops
posted by Nancy | 12:21 PM
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