It was coming up on 35 years (!!) and we needed to do SOMEthing. But what? Going somewhere warm is always a nice option for a December anniversary, but nah, needs a bit of planning, tough to fit in before the holidays set in. So we cast our eyes on a road trip: Dave had already been exploring the Okanagan Valley a bit, but I hadn’t been there since a Silver Star excursion many years ago.
We settled on Penticton as a base, found a lovely B&B, and thought: great, all set! Until the rains came in the form of an atmospheric river. Oh my. The entire lower Fraser River valley, through which the Trans-Canada Highway would like to go, was flooded. Roads were closed there, and up the mountain passes we’d need to traverse. We waited a day, and then slowly made our way across alternate routes; one of the passes had opened, but Hwy 1 had not.
It’s not a quick place to get to on a good day, so after spending a Friday in transit, we only had Saturday to explore before heading back. So we made the best of it:
- Restaurants in Penticton are fabulous!
- We saw local art put on by the regional art group.
- We visited Oliver, BC because: well, you just gotta!
- We got a peek at the very cool Area 27 driving club just east of Oliver.
- We hunted down the local ski hill, Mount Baldy, just a bit further, but mostly dirt roads — wild!
- We tested the local ice cream & fudge shop, Tickleberry’s.
In our vows, Dave promised Liz a life of adventure, and once again, he delivered! Here’s to many more years, although maybe we could sprinkle the adventure a little more lightly?? Trips x weather events is a bit much!