Month: August 2025

We arrived in Summerland on Tuesday afternoon to stay with friends from our winter in Yuma, Arizona. Harvey and Eleanor run a B&B called Harvelle House. We were staying in our trailer on their property however. It’s in a rural area with beautiful views. If you’re in the area and need a place to stay, we can highly recommend it. They have 4 bedrooms upstairs in their home as well as a self-contained cabin on their property.

After we set up, Harvey and Eleanor took us on a little tour of their community. Starting with a stop up the road at a cidery, we were treated to an apple juice slushy! It was unique and hit the spot on a hot summer day. We drove to where the Steam Railway begins and over to a trestle bridge. We saw where we would have to bike the next day. Along the roads were lots of apple, pear, peach and cherry trees and of course grape vines! Harvey has some grape vines on a friend’s property that he took us to see. They were starting to ripen and the vines were loaded. He will make wine with them.

After breakfast the next day, Paul and I headed back to the Kettle Valley trailhead and took off through Mount Conkle park to bike. Unfortunately the trail surface wasn’t the best, although better than at KettleValley River. It also had elevation changes but we rode through them – my electric bike definitely helped me! We had a couple of viewpoints over the valley as well.

We finished the day taking our friends out for dinner in town.

On Thursday morning we said goodbye to Eleanor and Harvey as they left with their trailer for a family gathering in Alberta. We drove to Penticton for the day to ride another part of the Kettle Valley Rail Trail. The trail followed the east side of Okanagan Lake. The surface was pretty good but it was uphill all 10+ km to the village of Naramata. The literature says a maximum of 2% grade and it was a steady climb. When we turned around, we coasted most of the way back to the truck.

With our ride finished, we decided it was time for some water fun. Coyote Cruises operates a channel float on the waterway between the Okanagan and Skaha Lakes. a total of 7 km. You start at their building and float to the next lake where a shuttle picks you up and returns you to the start where you left your vehicle. They rent single and double tubes and party rafts for 4-5 people.

The trip is usually about 2 hours long. We didn’t quite get to the end since there was a pretty strong wind we were travelling against and they took us out early. Although we had moved quite quickly through the first half, we had turned our tube around and were kicking to help propel us the last way along the channel. It was a nice way to finish a few very warm days in Summerland.

Next up Kelowna, and more hot weather!

Our drive on Tuesday leaving Vancouver covered the same area we had driven to get to Vancouver. Our first stop was another provincial park – E.C. Manning for 3 nights. After a stop at the visitor centre to find out about the area we were in, we got set up at our site. Back to the mountains we were and a nice campground with lots of sun for our solar panels.

Right at our campground we found Saskatoon Serviceberry bushes. They were plentiful throughout the park. The timing was great – we needed more jam soon and these berries can make a good jam without the need for pectin so here we go!

We picked enough extrato freeze 5 cups of berries to take home with us. I may make more jam and use some in muffins. We’re in a heat wave so we’re trying not to use the oven if not necessary.

We decided to take a drive up Blackwall Road on the advice we got at the visitor centre. There were a couple of nice viewpoints on the way up.

Leaving E.C. Manning Provincial Park on Friday, we made our way to the start of lots of fruit stands near the Okanagan Valley. As we approached Osoyoos, lots of vineyards and orchards were evident.

Our next campground was Kettle River Recreation Area. It was a nice site, but the only downside was the heavy pine tree cover which meant we got minimal sun on our solar panels. We could manage for the next four nights but had to be careful with the power we used. We also carry a generator as a back up if needed.

We took a ride along the Kettle Valley Rail Trail to the little town of Rock Creek on Saturday morning. There was a mini farmers market we walked around but then rode back to the trailer. While the trail was nice through the woods and along the river, the trail surface was rougher than we are used to and required more concentration to avoid either loose gravel or rocks.

With the heat during the time we were there, we tried out the river for swimming the next day. The water was very clear, and a bit cooler than we like it, but very refreshing on a hot day.

For only the second time since arriving in BC, we could have a campfire. We enjoyed eating outside and popped some popcorn on an open fire on our last night at Kettle River.

Before we knew it, Tuesday had arrived and it was moving day again. Back through Osoyoos and north on Hwy 97 to visit friends. More next time!