okanogan 08

it's been too long since we went to penticton to visit ray's daughter lisa and grand daughter sierra - so this year - we towed the bike and dragged the boys along for 5 fun filled days in the sun. we spent the first night in sparwood and unloaded the bike the next morning and took turns driving the truck. jesse started on the back of the bike in the coolness of the morning and i drove - then derek drove while i rode, and then it was derek's turn (in shorts and a tank in the pelting rain) while jesse drove until we reached osoyoos - what a treat to ride in the mountains compared to the prairies. from there on in it was sunshine and just a goat or two in the middle of the road to keep us on our toes.

then it was my turn to ride in to penticton, through oliver and okanogan falls and talk about hot - i learned my lesson to never ride uncovered - jeans and a tank top is not protection from the dehydrating effects of the combination of sun and wind. more on that later. the first night was spent relaxing and bbq'ing and getting all caught up and organized.

day 2 ray and i went on a wine tasting tour. i googled (yes, how else does one find information) okanogan wine tours and discovered the red rooster, so off we went and saw free wine tasting along the way, so had to stop - besides, we live on township rd 84, so when i saw township 7, it was a must. after a couple of whites, a rose and a few reds, i picked up a bottle, tucked it in the saddle bags and continued to the red rooster, or so we thought til we met the manager in the parking lot and she informed us of the soaring eagle further down the road which had an amazing view. so we passed the original destination and continued on and enjoyed more wine tasting at the soaring eagle, bought two glasses to enjoy on the patio, and another bottle of red to tuck in the saddle bag.






on the way back we were supposed to have lunch at the red rooster - but being the ADD DJ that i am, 'hillside cellars' caught my eye with a beautiful patio with umbrellas and a lunch menu posted. so we stopped in and had a wonderful salad with strawberries and nuts and vinagrette dressing. ran up and down the stairs to every level to check out the HUGE stainless steel kegs of wine (no ray, you can't do a keg stand) and then found even BIGGER ones after cutting through the kitchen. after another glass of wine and another bottle of red to put in the bike (might be running out of room soon)
and THEN it was off to the red rooster - by that time, we are wine tasted out, believe it or not - and grabbed another bottle of wine, took a quick tour and pictures and were back in penticton getting ready for dinner and a performance by a couple of jazz artists with Lisa and Walter. after wine and port and good food, we were ready to find a couch and it would be sooner than later if we didn't hush during the show... lol. so we left early and went back and played poker til the wee hours of the morning.