furtech | Distraction Roadtrip: Penticton!

The direct link to the photo album is here

The drive from Spokane to Penticton was smooth and uneventful: lots of farm-scenery (actually, getting a bit monotonous, though beautiful). The stop at the Grand Coulee Dam was a nice break and we made good time to the border and the surely Canadian border guard. On the other side of the border was a near-endless line of fruit stands. They were all closed, but man-- there were a LOT of them! Probably a good thing they were closed: I'm a sucker for 'em!

We arrived in Penticton around 11:30. We made contact with

amarafox and settled into the "Slumber Lodge". This motel is fantastic: the off-season rate is very reasonable, they have a refrigerator, stove and pots, pans and utensils. Our room had two beds plus a futon-bed in the other room. Neat!

I took my miscreant hounds out for a last walk/pee/whatever. The motel is also right across a small street from the lakeside beach and park! How convenient! Rondo and Apache were more than happy to romp and do their business (and yes, I always try to pick up-- though it was hard finding theirs amongst the goose poop everywhere!). There was a beautiful gibbous moon out and the lake reflected moon and town brightly.

The next morning I got up just before dawn and took the dogs for another run. Back to bed for an hour or so. Later we met up with Amy and set off for breakfast. The place she chose was a bus stop coffee shop, of all things. However-- what a great breakfast they put out! And cheap, even with the lousy dollar! We then headed off to see her apartment and cats!

The first cat to greet us was Fidge, the watchcat: a suspicious-staring cat that was camped out on her bed. He gave us the squint-eye and went back to contemplating whatever it is cats contemplate. Her other cat was the friendly one: she came bounding out to greet us. Steve wrastled with her. As I can't remember her name, I'll dub her "Bitey" for now.

Look! Bitey says, "Hello!" to me
bitey

We headed back to the Slumber Lodge and got the dogs and headed out to a hiking area. Amy knew of this trail with fantastic views that has an interesting history. The land is actually privately owned, but the owner lets people hike and rock-climb there. They just ask for a parking fee (honor system: put it in a box!) and you can access all the fantastic trails! The work that has been done is all voluntary. There's a great sign that gives you the tone of the whole situation:

the sign

The initial part of the trail (those steps, for one) are pretty steep, but not that bad for day-hikers like us. And this is definitely worth the views! For the most part, the trail had nicely spaced uphills and flat, rolling sections. Plus the weather was perfect: in the 60's with a cloud-dotted blue sky.

There are huge cliffs and formations of old granite. Look a little closer at that sheer cliff face and what do you find? This guy was pretty hard-core: he was all alone on this cliff for a LONG time! At some point, Apache actually noticed him and stared raptly at the odd dot moving on the rock. Pretty funny!

The area is sparsely populated by pines and some deciduous tree (beech?). Some of the trees have managed a perch on what looks like solid rock!

Also, at the top of the trail was a rarely seen wilderness convenience! Peek-A-Poo! There was a tidy pile of moss inside to substitute for TP. Very clever! Not something I would have thought of: I would probably have used the local sumac leaves myself (thank Ghod I didn't need to!)

Tired and hungry, we headed back to the car.

That evening we tried the local steak house with superb result: the meat was first-rate and the fresh pecan pie was indescribably good!

With that (and a few minor bits of excitement) we left Amy and got ready to head off to Vancouver in the morning! Thanks for putting up with us, Amy! Your cats are terrific (love tuxedo cats!). And Roz-- I saw with mine own eyes the nearly finished caracal piece! You can even see it in the Flickr album just to the right of her watercolor plate in her room!

Tomorrow: Vancouver! Cheezies! Glosettes! Greek food!