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Okanagan Camping

Go to Slide Show Smaller Images Another fall camping trip


Camping at Okanagan North
There used to be a day (when I was a kid) that you could just drive to a camp site and camp.  A few years ago, I did a trip into the Okanagan including some camping near Oliver.  We looked to stay at a camp site with showers but they were all booked up.  The following year, I noticed the camp site appeared to be booked all summer, even early in the summer.  Turns out, if you want a camp site in Okanagan North, you really have to reserve it the day it becomes available to book, 90 days in advance.  Good to know.  This year I booked three camp sites 3 months before the date and we went camping!

Campsite

Fall camping trips are actually a long standing tradition in our group.  This is our 7th fall camping trip.  Last year we went to Manning Park and we were a group of 11 people.  This year because of a number of coincident events on the same weekend we were a mere 8 people.  I can tell you that 8 people is much easier to cook for than 11 - I suspect we will plan future trips to be around 8 people.

Cooking On CampfireNu Turning Bananas

Every year has it's camping successes.  This year it has to be "smores" and banores.   Option A (classic) is graham crackers, marshmallows and chocolate wrapped in tinfoil, heated on the fire.  Option 2 (ban'ores) is a banana cut open and stuffed with chocolate and marshmallows before wrapping and heating.  Both options were excellent.

Bananas On The Grill

We have had "camp friends" before but this year we have a winner to the most tame.  There was a crow (we named Bob) who was so tame he could have been a house pet.  Absolutely no fear of people.  I was impressed with his tenacity trying to get into things.  The funniest part was the crow hiding food bits under Mark's tent.  Almost made us sad to go.

Campground CrowCrows Opening Tent

Penticton Farmers Market
Last summer Helen and I had a long weekend so we booked a B&B in the Naramata area.  On Saturday we visited the markets and I was quite impressed by the variety of stalls and the frantic nature of the customers - several of the stalls sold out early so if you wanted the best selection, you were there at opening.

Van Under Tree
I had some basic grocery items I needed for dinner, but otherwise we were just here to have fun.  This market draws farmers from the surrounding area, but it isn't overwhelmed by fruit stands.

Bin Full Of PeppersMini Orange Peppers

Guitar PlayerGrapes In MarketFruit Baskets

Tasting at Elephant Island
Most of the camping trips I've done in the past were centered around life at camp and hiking (some people called them death marches).  This trip we had another daytime activity - Wine tasting!   While several of us have been to wineries before, this is the first time the group of us have done it together.

Elephant Island Wine GlassMark Looking Through WineAndrea Checking Out Wine


Tasting with friends is quite civilized.  You get to understand how much your palette is different that anthers and how even start to guess which wines your friends will like.

Lunch at Hillside 

Deck At Hillside
In our traditional camping trips, most of our lunches are eaten at camp or while out hiking.  Not so on this trip - we had wineries to see lunch wasn't going to slow us down!  I've been to Hillside Wineries lunch before and it hit the spot well.

Lunch At Hillside

Gabi And Eric Looking Poetic
Naramata has a number of smaller wineries so we poked around.  Lang is a favorite because of the grand views of Okanagan lake.

All Of Us At Lang

McCullough Trestle
I found it impossible to do a camping trip with no walking at all. so we had to do a least a few hundred meters.  We parked at the side of the road nearest McCullough trestle (on the Kettle Valley Railway line) and walked down to the bridge.  This is a modern bridge, but I still appreciate the place.

Standing On Trestle BridgeOrchards Down To Lake

Mission Hill (aka Disneyland)
There are a few "mega" wineries in the Okanagan.  Of the ones I've visited (Sumac Ridge, Quails Gate, Jackson Triggs, Burrowing Owl) Mission Hill is most over the top.  It has the classic tasting room doors (dialed to 11), a tasting room that feels like an store on an airport concourse and large grounds for "exploring". 

Door At Mission HillMission Hill DoorWine Racked At Tasting
Jeremy Tasting Mark And Helen Purchasing

We liked some of the wine, but it certainly isn't boutique.  After tasting (and this was only our third tasting of the day - honest!) we went out and played on the lawn.  The view is very nice and the lawns are taken care of better than some golf courses I've seen.

Lying In The AmphitheaterGang Of Us With TowerJeremy Loves Havinghis Photo Taken


There were some well behaved kids going for a roll down the amphetre.  Eric figured if the activity is rated E for everybody, then maybe he should try it.

Eric Rolling Down Hill StartEric Rolling Down Hill WhoaEric Rolling Down Hill Running Away

One of these days I will learn to worry less about grass stains.

Love those grapes
On my previous trips (always earlier in the year) the grapes have always been little nubs.  This year we arrived a few weeks before harvest so the grapes were almost full. 

Glasses At Quails GateEric And Jer Looking At Grapes

Light Green Grapes
Surprisingly, most vineyards allow you to walk up and down the rows.   Sadly, I have no ideas which varietals are which.

Lighting Coming Through Grapes
 
Row Of Dark Purple GrapesLight Purple GrapesDark Purple GrapesPurple And Green Grapes
 
Giant's Head Mountain

Ponderosa Pine Over Summerland
Second day - almost no hiking.   I looked though my books and found Giant's Head Mountain.  It was a brief hike (we went from the parking lot to the peak in about 3 minutes) and we were taking in the views.  The views were nice (sadly, the lighting was quite flat) but I was happy to see the desert plants that live up here.


  Giants Head Looking South

To call this area dry would be an understatement. 

Lots Of White FlowersSmall Sagebrush

Given that this area is so dry, I was surprised how much of the plant was flowers. 

Light Pink Flower



Frilly White Flowers Wolf LichenYellow Flowers Against Bark
 
 


Deck At Hillside
Tags: lunch, Okanagan
Jeremy Loves Havinghis Photo Taken
Person: Jeremy
Door At Mission Hill
Tags: architectural decoration, door, Okanagan
Ponderosa Pine Over Summerland
Altitude: 842m (2762 feet)
Location: Go To...
Tags: Okanagan, small town, vista
Dark Purple Grapes
Altitude: 463m (1519 feet)
Location: Go To...
Tags: Okanagan, wine
Mini Orange Peppers
Tags: market, Okanagan, peppers, produce
Eric Rolling Down Hill Start
Person: Eric
Grapes In Market
Altitude: 346m (1135 feet)
Location: Go To...
Tags: market, Okanagan, produce
Mark And Helen Purchasing
Eric Rolling Down Hill Whoa
Person: Eric
Bin Full Of Peppers
Tags: market, Okanagan, peppers, produce
Orchards Down To Lake
Altitude: 414m (1358 feet)
Location: Go To...
Tags: farm, lake, Okanagan
Crows Opening Tent
Species: Corvus brachyrhynchos (American Crow)
Tags: BC fauna, bird, tent
Bananas On The Grill
Tags: cooking, fire
Lying In The Amphitheater
Guitar Player
Tags: musical instrument, Okanagan, performance
Campground Crow
Species: Corvus brachyrhynchos (American Crow)
Tags: BC fauna, bird, Okanagan
Light Pink Flower
Altitude: 843m (2765 feet)
Location: Go To...
Tags: flower
Fruit Baskets
Altitude: 342m (1122 feet)
Location: Go To...
Tags: market, Okanagan, produce
Gang Of Us With Tower
Yellow Flowers Against Bark
Species: Euthamia occidentalis (western goldentop, western goldenrod)
Altitude: 840m (2755 feet)
Location: Go To...
Tags: flower
Mark Looking Through Wine
Person: Mark
Altitude: 442m (1450 feet)
Location: Go To...
Tags: Okanagan, wine
Glasses At Quails Gate
Tags: Okanagan, wine
Campsite
Altitude: 358m (1174 feet)
Location: Go To...
Tags: camping, Okanagan, panorama
Gabi And Eric Looking Poetic
Person: Eric, Gabi
Altitude: 476m (1561 feet)
Location: Go To...
Mission Hill Door
Tags: architectural decoration, Okanagan
Wolf Lichen
Species: Letharia vulpina (Wolf Lichen)
Tags: Okanagan, plant
Eric And Jer Looking At Grapes
Person: Eric, Jeremy
Nu Turning Bananas
Tags: cooking, fire, sparks
Frilly White Flowers
Species: Centaurea diffusa (white knapweed, diffuse knapweed)
Altitude: 826m (2709 feet)
Location: Go To...
Tags: flower
Light Purple Grapes
Altitude: 410m (1345 feet)
Location: Go To...
Tags: Okanagan, wine
Lots Of White Flowers
Species: Eriogonum niveum (snow buckwheat)
Altitude: 829m (2719 feet)
Location: Go To...
Tags: flower, Okanagan
Van Under Tree
Tags: market, Okanagan
Andrea Checking Out Wine
Person: Andrea
Tags: Okanagan, wine
Lunch At Hillside
Tags: lunch, Okanagan
Lighting Coming Through Grapes
Altitude: 427m (1400 feet)
Location: Go To...
Tags: Okanagan, wine
Small Sagebrush
Species: Artemisia tridentata (big sagebrush)
Altitude: 837m (2746 feet)
Location: Go To...
Tags: Okanagan, plant
Wine Racked At Tasting
Tags: Okanagan, shopping, wine
Eric Rolling Down Hill Running Away
Person: Eric
Giants Head Looking South
Altitude: 839m (2752 feet)
Location: Go To...
Tags: Okanagan, panorama, vista
Standing On Trestle Bridge
Altitude: 496m (1627 feet)
Location: Go To...
Tags: bridge, Okanagan, trestle
Row Of Dark Purple Grapes
Altitude: 482m (1581 feet)
Location: Go To...
Tags: farm, Okanagan, wine
Elephant Island Wine Glass
Altitude: 440m (1443 feet)
Location: Go To...
Tags: drink, wine
Jeremy Tasting
Person: Jeremy
Tags: shopping, wine
All Of Us At Lang
Altitude: 514m (1686 feet)
Location: Go To...
Light Green Grapes
Altitude: 435m (1427 feet)
Location: Go To...
Tags: wine
Cooking On Campfire
Tags: camping, cooking, fire
Purple And Green Grapes
Tags: Okanagan, wine
Tags: Okanagan(28), wine(12), Do Not Tag(10), market(5), produce(4), flower(4)
People: Eric(5), Jeremy(3), Andrea(1), Gabi(1), Mark(1)
From: John Harvey Photo > John Harvey Photo - Camping > Okanagan Camping
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From: John Harvey Photo > John Harvey Photo - Camping > Okanagan Camping 3 > Okanagan Camping
From: John Harvey Photo > John Harvey Photo - Camping > Rathtrevor Camping 2 > Okanagan Camping 3 > Okanagan Camping

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Last Modified Saturday, January 21st, 2023 at 23:45:34 Edit
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