Days 17 & 18
Day 17 was the drive from Vancouver to West Kelowna, so although not a lot to report, the scenery on the drive was amazing.
We drove through some mountainous areas (forest, rock, and snowy caps in the distance). We saw our first bald eagle (since yesterday, we have seen more while in the Kelowna area).
We stopped at a Tim Horton’s for a restroom break and some lunch ..never seen a Timmy’s with this kind of background!
After a 5 hour drive, we arrived at the B&B in West Kelowna (Gala View) where we will be staying for 5 nights. The view from the patio is beautiful as it overlooks Lake Okanogan. Mission Hill Winery is a couple of minutes away to our right and Quail’s Gate Winery is a few minutes away to our left.
This morning, on Day 18, we started our day with a wonderful breakfast from our hosts, Tom and Lynn…melon balls in a honey sauce, coffee, orange juice, back bacon, and a rhubarb bread pudding with lemon sauce and maple syrup. The other couple staying at the B&B for one night is a semi-retired Gynecologist and his wife. They are originally from England, but came to Canada in the 60s. Currently, he travels to rural BC areas to fill in for doctors on vacation. He and his wife also travel all over the country for meetings. They were a very interesting couple to talk to. Their next big vacation is a cruise around Cambodia and Vietnam. As we finished eating, Tom and Lynn gave us a map of the area and some insight into places we may want to visit.
Our touring started with a visit to a goat farm, Carmelis, for goat cheese tastings. We tried 8 different cheeses from spreadable herbed cheese, to Smoked Goat Cheese, to a Goat Gorgonzola. The family came to the area from Israel 12 years ago to begin the goat farm and were greatly affected by the fire of 2003, burnt down 1/2 their buildings on the property, but they have rebuilt and are doing very well. They also sell gelato made from goat’s milk. Todd and I tried the Crème Brule and Pistachio gelato and then bought the three cheeses mentioned above.
Our next stop was Cedar Creek Estate Winery. We sampled four to the Platinum Series wines (a perk with our Visa) and purchased Rosé to drink “soon” and a 2008 Platinum Pinot Noir to cellar. The grounds here are beautiful (although that can be said for all the grounds around here vineyards, gardens, water .). Next stop was Summerhill Pyramid Winery where we did tastings they are renowned for their Sparkling wines ( Champagne, but it can’t be called that outside of Champagne, France). We bought a Brut Sparkling wine and a 2008 Petite Syrah. Wines cellared in the “Pyramid Cellar are said to have better flavours because of the magical powers of the pyramid (??).
We also opted to have lunch here on their patio. We shared a mixed greens salad with nuts, seeds, dried fruit, and goat’s cheese, and a wood-oven baked prime rib pizza with caramelized onions, watercress, and goat cheese (delicious!).
After lunch I realized that I had my camera, but not its leather case
. I asked at the winery if they had one turned in, but they didn’t. We drove back to Cedar Creek
.and there it was (even though, I swear I had it with me when we left
.).
We drove up Knox Mountain on the lookout for bears, but didn’t see any (a sign said if you are walking to be alert, make noise, and carry a bell). In the city, after a short walk on the trail along the Kelowna waterfront (too much sun exposure for me).
We headed back towards the B&B, and decided to make one more stop ..at Quail’s Gate. There we enjoyed a flight of wines with salted walnuts, dark chocolate, and smoked gouda.
Dinner tonight at the B&B with some veggies and dip, and a baguette with some of the goat cheese we bought earlier in the day ..