We headed back to Penticton, this time with nicer weather & a nice car in tow. You see, since our last visit, Area 27, the driving club, was now open, and, well, this needed investigating. Our friends Laura & Chris met us there, and between the four of us, we tried all the things:
- Wine tastings
- Golf on the side of a mountain
- Photography scouting
- Farmer’s market reconnaissance
- Dinners out, including Chulo Tapas again: so good!
- Driving on the track
- Tickleberry’s ice cream — okay that one’s a repeat!
But first: we had to get there! We were in Vancouver; the car was not. I waited at a coffee shop near the Aldergrove crossing, with all the food and snacks that didn’t need to cross the border, looking like I’d been kicked out of my home. Meanwhile, Dave headed south to his new storage spot in Ferndale, to fetch a car, a trailer, and a towing van. After just over an hour, he was back, swinging this fast machine behind him as he pulled in to pick me up.
Then, we headed for the mountains! This was my first time travelling there in nice weather, so we were able to take the slightly less travelled southern route, Highway 3 — magnificent. A little slower, with the car trailing behind us, but not a bad plan on mountain hairpins.
We made it, though it felt like quite the long journey — a first time through a route always does — and, oh, it’s so beautiful over there.
The season was still early, not too crowded anywhere, not much ripe yet at the farmer’s market. But we found good restaurants and had great company doing it.
As I consider what a later visit might have been like, I’m sorry to hear about the heat, drought, and fires. Given all the industry around fruit and wine, I hope everyone makes it through the challenging summer.