#17 I can see clearly now
We woke up to clear, blue skies in Kelowna. The drive to Vancouver was beautiful with good visibility the whole way. We finished up our audiobook, Canada by Mike Myers, just as we got to the outskirts of the city. The book really added to our knowledge of Canada and Mike Myers was an excellent story teller. His comedic style gave us some really good laughs, too. After checking into our hotel we walked the waterfront, enjoying the balmy evening with a raft of international tourists and locals.
Click for more pictures >#16a Later that night (Kelowna style)
With the smoke starting to clear a little, we decided to take a long walk along the public waterfront boardwalk and join the throngs of people enjoying the evening outside. There were bands playing, kids having a ball, a large dog obedience school making their dogs heel and best of all, a large concrete space for roller skating with a DJ playing the music and giving out prizes for best whatever.
Click for more pictures >#16 Kelowna - it's smokin'
Kelowna, BC is the 'capital' of the wine country in the Okanagan Valley. The Okanagan Lake is gigantic with communities surrounding it on the hills. I'm sure we would be exclaiming of it's beauty if only we could see it. We're told that the smoke is coming from CA, OR and WA, but there are fires here in BC also. There are over 300 wineries in the region and some are architecturally stunning. Most have full restaurants with views overlooking the lake. We toured a few and had lunch at The Gray Monk Winery - really good. The picture above was taken at The Mission Hills Winery with lots of impressive outdoor art.
Click for more pictures >#15 Nothin' to see here, folks
We left Banff on our way to Kelowna, BC in smoky skies. The scenery was epic but with the smoke we weren't able to see the incredible lancscape. Arriving in Kelowna, the heart of the Okanagan Vally, the smoke only increased. But, we celebrated Ron's 71st birthday at our lakeside restaurant and then took a walk along the Okanagan Lake boardwalk.
#14 Banff - an urban wilderness
We drove from Lake Louise to Banff this AM and toured around to the ski area and several beautiful lakes. Then walked from our hotel at the other end of town to the iconic Fairmont Banff Springs Lodge and enjoyed a cold beverage on their scenic terrace overlooking the lake and mountains. The town of Banff is incredibly busy in the summer with loads of buses unloading tourists everywhere. But, just a short drive out of town gets you back into nature's serenity.