Summer camping trip of 2015

OK, ok, I know it is September already, but I have been really busy at work. So busy that I can’t take too much time off work for any epic summer trips. (Would be nice if the spouse would pick up the slack to post, but nah, it’s not his thing…)

Our “big” trip this summer was 2 weeks in the Okanagan at the Provincial campground – not an ordinary campsite, but a lake front! It was super relaxing.. what’s there not to like about the view?

Ashleigh joined us for the first weekend and everyone had a lot of fun. We biked 25km along the KVR – over the trestles. The kids were great on the bike trail – especially Marcus who had to constantly pedal his “non-gear” bike to keep moving.

The next day we hiked up Giant’s Head in Summerland, that was an easy hike.

Later that afternoon we made our way to Kangaroo Creek Farm in Lake Country… no need to fly to Australia to see the ‘roos. The kids got to cuddle a joey and that was so awesome for them.

That’s not a giant rat, it’s an albino kangaroo!

Ashleigh and I made our way back to Vancouver on Tuesday – back to reality.. me, to the never-ending “big project”. At least the drive back was enjoyable – I had the top down (on the convertible) all the way home.. Meanwhile, Jeff and the kids kept themselves busy till I returned in a few days..

The air quality in the Okanagan had turned very poor due to the wild fires burning. My relaxing spot by the lake was no more :(. Anyways, not a biggie, we headed to Big White for a hike.

It was an awesome hike up to the summit of Big White. Most people would take the chair lift up and then hike down, but us brave souls hiked up and down.

View of Rhonda Lake (reservoir for the community)

The view was awesome at the summit and we could see the smoke of the Rock Creek fire burning in the distance. Towards the end of the hike Marcus said, “Mommy, I have no more energy to hike, I only have energy to jump in the bouncy castle.” And so the guys walked super fast towards the village where the big bouncy castle was.. When we were done at Big White, it was already quite late in the day so we made our way to downtown Kelowna and had dinner at Momo Sushi. That was an awesome pick Google!

One of the places we visited during our stay in the Okanagan was the Old Grist Flour Mill.

I highly recommend the guided tour of the mill, otherwise you will find it boring and not appreciate the historic significance behind the mill. Aside from learning about the mill, we also learnt about the farm that they have on the property.

The heritage apple orchard has apples that you can’t buy at the store. And did you know that the mother of all Ambrosia apple trees is from that area (Similkameen Valley). At the end of the tour, the guide gave each of us a carrot..

And before you know it, I had to make my way back to work again while Jeff and the kids continued their vacation.. Boo!

Skaha Lake

And so that’s the end of our summer camping trip… but the adventure didn’t end there. When we returned home on Saturday afternoon, we had no power due to the windstorm… Should have brought home the generator from the 5th wheel!