North from Congestion

September 2, 2010

Revelstoke, B.C.

There was frost on our windshield this morning, but we had blue sky and sun all day. Leaving Okanagan Falls and Skaha Lake where we think the Okanagan River begins we head north along the 80 mile length two mile width. It is a beautiful glacial lake, but from Penticton it was a tedious 45 mile drive with only strip malls, chain stores, high rises and traffic lights that left us tired and our spirits drained. Beyond the transportation spine it is still wine country and an area filled with orchards of fruit and fields of vegetables. Although the landscape is concrete and billboards there are short intervals of lava-layered canyon walls against the deep blue lake.

I couldn’t figure out why there was all this depressing overdevelopment until I read a brochure that told me that this is Canada’s hottest climate and boasts more than 2,000 hours of sunshine a year. This is a booming stretch with opulent homes on the lake, upscale retirement communities, and a squeaky clean, well manicured presence.

At Vernon the population density dropped away, and we passed many emerald green lakes bordered by soaring pine, fir and aspen filled mountain sides. The space was immense, and felt bigger, rougher and more remote than the Northern Cascades. In the distance we saw the Purcell Mountains with “termination dust” (the first snow that ends, terminates summer), and in Revelstoke we saw the Columbia River again.

Today’s Route:

CA 97 North to Sicamous where we turn east and the highway becomes Trans Canada 1 to Revelstoke