Kelowna, September 2025
September 19 and 20th: We are off on another road trip, this time just for a week in beautiful Kelowna. We decided to break the trip to Kelowna up over two days and the weather simply could not have been better. From the David Thompson Highway to the Icefields Parkway to the Trans Canada Highway, the scenery is well, indescribably beautiful. There is beauty everywhere and some places are special. This takes a back seat to nothing, anywhere. The pastel colours on this day were stunning. The reflections in the water, the mountains, the sky the roads and the weather made these two days memorable.
September 21st: A quiet day today, sort of. I have a friend from more years ago than either of us want to admit that is an outstanding singer/songwriter based in Winfield. Robin Henry plays at wineries and breweries all over the Okanagan so today we went to see him perform at Peak Cellars. He writes much of his own music and also covers many of the greats. Extremely talented. We had lunch in a beautiful setting, and listened to great music. If interested, you can watch a few of his videos and see his schedule on his website at https://robinhenry.net/.
September 22nd: Today we golfed at Vernon Golf & Country Club. A very pretty course, relatively easy with very little water. The course is in wonderful shape and the flowers are spectacular. So, just a few shots from the golf course today. We will be golfing it again on Thursday with friends of Verna.
September 23rd: Verna has a sister-in-law that has recently moved to Keremeos, south of Penticton so we decided to drop in for a visit. On the way we stopped at Hardy Falls, just outside Peachland. It is a short, easy hike up the stream to the falls. What we didn't expect was the Kokanee Salmon. It's spawning season and the creek was full of red salmon. Fascinating to watch them as they swim upstream to the place they were born. They are born, swim downstream into Okanagan lake, live there for 3 to 6 years and then return to the same stream to renew the cycle. Then on to Keremeos where we had a nice visit and lunch. We stopped at one of many (I mean MANY) fruit stands where they had hundreds of pumpkins and various other interesting types of gourds. Then back to Kelowna where we stopped in to see Robin Henry perform at another winery.
September 24th: A big day. I started off with an early morning walk along the lake and City park to catch some "golden hour" light. I got a surprise in the third photo as I caught a fish jumping (lower left corner)! A Common Merganser showing off, a few seagulls and some pretty sights. Then in the early afternoon we took a walk downtown and some of the lakefront, a few of the Delta Grand and then a Red Necked Grebe in the marina posed for me. After that it was off to Lake Country where I got my drone up in a couple locations for some overhead shots of Kalamalka Lake. The last few photos have Vernon and Coldstream in the background. Finally, the perfect ending to a wonderful day, we went to a concert at Prospera Place. Bryan Adams put on a terrific show! Amanda Marshall opened and also was amazing. Her voice is incredibly powerful and her story is fantastic.
September 25th: A lazy day today (well we did golf in Vernon again this afternoon), so I only took one photo today. That's a rarity! On the plus side, it is pretty. Sunset reflections on Kalamalka Lake.
September 26: Talk about a lazy day! We just did a little shopping and then went for dinner (a great dinner I might add) at an old friend's place. While we had a wonderful times, there was not a a single picture taken today!
September 27th: All good things come to an end and our week in Kelowna is over. We decided to take the long way home (now there is a shock) and go the south route through the Crowsnest Pass, spending the night in Cranbrook. We stopped at another fruit stand, got some fruit and a couple shot of some old tractors, then shots along the way in Greenwood and Christina Lake. Very smoky conditions make for some interesting effects in some of the photos. Oh, and I don't want to run afoul of the law in Greenwood!
September 28th: The final leg home. A couple stops with more smokey conditions, then a stop at the town of Frank and Frank's Slide, the Burmis Tree and finally Lundbreck Falls before heading home.