Haynes Point

Went on a scouting trip today to look at Haynes Point in Osoyoos. Awesome provincial campground that will be the future for a few of our camp trips. Great Location.

Lost Moose Lodge

Took a ride up to the Lost Moose Lodge situated above Penticton. The road from Penticton heads in a vertical direction and just seems to keep on going all the way to the Lodge. I rode this knowing that it was going to be a solid ride and boy, i was not proven wrong. For 8km the road just seems to climb at an average grade of 8% which totals around 2050 ft of climbing. Today this took me roughly 1 and a half hours.
The way down is a lot quicker only taking me 15 minutes which is kind of lucky because my fingers were frozen by the time i got half way down the mountain.
This has been my biggest climb to date (626 metres/ 2050ft). I stopped a few times taking photos so no doubt in the future, i shall surpass the time i did today with a much better time. The mountain bike was the choice for today and it was probably the wise decision because the lower gear ratios allowed me to spin up the mountain rather then grind my way up the mountain like i would have on the road bike.

Strava - Looking for the Moose

Sicamous

The Sicamous, Penticton, BC Canada
8th February 2012.

Bald Eagle Sighting

After a run this morning, the weather warmed up, so i decided to take the opportunity to get out for a ride as well. Not sure why but i didn't bring my camera. I had my phone but it isn't as good as an actual camera. I've been riding long enough now that i should know to always bring my camera.

Today i happened upon a Bald Eagle sitting so close to us, that i'm sure he could see my eyes dilate from the excitement. I did happen to get some decent photos of the Eagle which wasn't too bad. After sitting for a while to watch and enjoy, i continued on to Okanagan Falls where i took Mclean Creek Rd and saw for the first time, Californian Big Horn Sheep. These guys were further away and would have been great to have had a camera.

Todays Ride-
44 kms
2 hours 24 minutes

Check it out on Endomondo or Strava

2012 Cycling Events

Currently i am working on building a list of 2012 cycling events for the Penticton Area (within 2 hour drive). There are a few events that i am interested in competing in, so over the next few weeks i will start to plan my season accordingly to best prepare myself for them.
You can see the list here http://bit.ly/tTAtX8 and there is also a link to download the PDF version which i also created.

Okanagan Hikes

Last Updated: November 12th, 2011

Penticton Area

• Ellis Ridge Trail - 3km
  -Overlooks Steep Cliffs into Ellis Creek Canyon
  -Includes views of Penticton and remains of the Garnet Forest Fire of July 1994
• Munson's Mountain
  -Great View of Penticton and Okanagan Lake
• Campbell Mountain
• Rock Oven
  -Spectacular view of Skaha Lake
• Peat Bog Trail
• Mount Nkwala / Jerry Mountain
• Brent Mountain / Sheep Rock Trail
• Okanagan Mountain Provincial Park

Naramata

• Three Blind Mice
• Okanagan Mountain Park
• Mountain Goat- Wild Horse Canyon Loop
• Kettle Valley Railway
• Naramata Creek Park 
• Rock Oven Park

Apex Mountain

• Nickel Plate

Okanagan Falls

• Thompson Property Nature Trust - 3km
  -Flat Trail on Old Roads- Watch for Signs of Big Horn Sheep, Rattlesnakes, Woodpeckers
  -Wonderful views of OK Falls and Skaha Lake

Summerland

• Giants Head Mountain - 3km
  -Panoramic Views of Summerland and Okanagan Valley

• Mt Conkle Park - KVR Trail
• Isintok Lake - PACA

Oliver

• McIntyre Bluff
• Golden Mile Trail

West Kelowna/Peachland

• Glen Canyon Regional Park - Various Routes, Over 4km
  -Marvel at 100ft High Cliffs, Unique Hoodoo Rock Formations
  -Deep Canyon
• Mt. Boucherie/Eain Lamont Park - 1-4km Round Trip
  -Extinct Volcano
  -Top Elevation 758 metres (2486 ft)
• Rose Valley Regional Park - 6km Round Trip
• McDougall Rim Trail/Hayman Lake- 9km Round Trip
• Fintry - 2-3km
  -Staircases to Triple Waterfall (400 Stairs)
• Bear Creek Park - 2.5km
• Pincushion Mountain - 3.5km
  -View of Okanagan Lake
• Hardy Falls -2km Round Trip
• Stave Pipe Trail - 4km Loop
• Lookout Ridge

Kelowna

• Knox Mountain

Penticton Cycling Club

Follow @pacapenticton http://twitter.com/#!/pacapenticton
Lately due to my position in PACA as Communications Director, i have been running some updates for the group. I would love for you to help me out and Follow along for the ride.

Here are some of my Tweets...
http://twitter.com/#!/pacapenticton/status/114550305168957440
http://twitter.com/#!/pacapenticton/status/111243605460520961

Where Am I?

The Weather was nice when we left early this Morning. 18 Degrees and Sunny at 8 am in the morning for a day that was going to be in the low 30's. I wore my new Asics Running shoes this day knowing that i was going to be spending my day for the majority of it, on my feet. I doubt my feet would have felt so comfortable wearing my old green Crocs that are getting close to nearly two years old.

From Penticton to our Destination was approximately a Two Hour Drive, North, South, East or West I can't tell you but the Drive along a lake is always nice on a Sunny Clear Day. Arriving at our Destination without a Tim Hortons Coffee in my hand and before the event had really started, we (5 of Us) sat down for a bite to eat before the fun began.

I have never been to this event before and i was actually expecting it to be a bit bigger then i had thought having come from Australia and knowing what type of events they have. This was kind of small in Comparison. None the less, we (The 5 of us) had a good time at this event that lots of men, women, children and animals enjoyed.

Have you guessed where I am yet?

If you guessed the Zoo, you would be wrong but you would be close. The Armstrong IPE (Interior Provincial Exhibition) is similar to a zoo with Farm Animals and Kids running around all goofed up on sugar from the fair rides. The start of the day at the IPE began with the Lumbar Jack Show, where some of BC's top Lumber jacks showcased there wood chopping abilities. 

One of my favorite parts of the day was the Trails Bike Riders who performed some amazing bike Tricks on there wooden frame work setup. The two blokes who performed had some incredible balance as they jumped and skipped there bikes over obstacles while keeping the crowd entertained with there idle chit chat.

I wasn't very impressed by the size of the tractors here. From what i had heard, they were supposed to be huge but they were nothing more then hobby farm tractors. Maybe the Global Economy has had something to do with the size of the rigs here in Canada.I was however impressed by the number of wasps a Lady Lemonade Stall Holder could endure while serving Lemonade to the masses. I am sure that if i was working that stall i would have been stung numerous times and cursing and swearing as the Operators of the IPE sent security to shut me down.

Director of Communications

So lately i have been pretty busy with a new position that i have adopted for the Penticton & Area Cycling Association where i am the Director of Communications which is an area which i have an interest in because it is basically Marketing.
I am at the present marketing the Third Annual Penticton Bike Festival for the club which is happening the 22nd to the 25th of September. http://www.pentictonbikefestival.com/
I have been slowly creating a list of contacts in the local area to spread the word but i am finding that email is a little unreliable as not everyone checks there emails. I will have to consider ways to communicate personally with contacts while still working my 8-4 job.

Pincushion Mountain

Today i went and explored Pincushion Mountain above Peachland.
Taking the Hike from Trepenair Greenway up to the Mountain was a real eye opener as i hadn't been hiking in the area in a while and to get to an area that has been bulldozed and the forest ripped to shreds was really disheartening. I had tried this trail once before with some friends but I now realise we turned around about 3/4s of the way to the Picnic table. I did find my way to the Mountain top even though the trails had been completely demolished but i had a slight idea on where i was going and some of the terrain looked familiar, so i followed roads the best i could and got lucky.

They say you aren't really a True Peachlander if you haven't climbed to the top of Pincushion Mountain which i accomplished today. At the top awaits you a picnic table for you to bring some lunch and to enjoy the view while the Canadian Flag blows in the wind. The view at the top is absolutely amazing on a Clear day and the best thing about it, it's virtually all within the heart of Peachland.

You don't really need a hiking stick to do this hike, if you are good on your feet and have some good shoes and exceptional balance but i carried one and it came quite handy keeping myself from hitting the ground especially on the hike down as the dirt is quite slippery when its dry in the summer time which can make it a little dangerous.


Pincushion Mountain Facts:
Summit : 815m / 2 673.88 ft
Elev at the gate (start) (Ponderosa Trailhead) : 570 m (1875 ft)
Distance to the top : 1.2 km
How it got its name : A fire Prior to 1890 burnt the top of the trees leaving just the trunks. To the Early Pioneers, the burnt trees and the mountain made it look like a Pincushion.

Directions :
Turn onto Ponderosa Drive, follow it until almost the end, until you see Private Drive. Park at the bottom of the Private Drive and hike 100 m up the private drive to the trailhead. Coming from Penticton, travel north on Hwy 97, turning left on Ponderosa Drive.

Map : 
http://www.peachland.ca/cms.asp?wpID=91

Moving

I don't know of anyone who enjoys moving. I know I don't. Packing and cleaning. Cleaning and packing. Then there is the cleaning and unpacking. In two months from now (September 1st) I will have gone through the process. As of now, we are looking at moving to Penticton, which is a town in which we spend plenty of our time and is slightly closer to work for me.

The house we are moving out of holds many great memories and will be cherished for many years to come as it was Bridgets and my first Canadian House together. There are things I will miss, such as the privacy but there are also plenty of things I will not miss, such as the snow removal.

This move is for the better, as it puts us in a place where we spend a lot of our time which will reduce our automotive gas bill and with gas prices the way they are ($1.27 a litre) it's only a smart move. It will also put us closer to the Beach, where we love to spend our summer months. Late nights at the beach can be spent without the 45 minute drive home.

Looking forward to new adventures, Here we Go!!!

4th of July

Peachland Beach Run

Bridget and my first ever Race Number for our first ever Running Race.
664 belongs to Bridget and 520 belongs to me.
The Results from my run can be found here ---> http://bit.ly/j0E8iF

Todays Photo

Taken at Three Mile Beach, Penticton. June 26th 2011

The Drive Home

This is a photo from yesterdays Drive Home. The First Day of summer with the sunsetting at about 9.20pm. This was taken with my phone and doesn't do it justice. The colors of the clouds were amazing.

Penticton Cycling Club

Sunday, i took my first ride with Penticton Cycling Club. I am hoping to meet some new friends through this club and to join a lot rides. The details of my first ride can be found on my Cycling Diary blog. http://acbcycling.blogspot.com/2011/06/first-penticton-cycling-club-ride.html

It was an awesome ride and this route i wouldn't have ever found without the cycling club. I no doubt will find plenty more routes and gain a lot of riding fitness and experience.

PACA's June Newsletter is out in case you missed it, here it is

Also here is there Facebook Page http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=33817843601&v=wall

Lake Okanagan

Okanagan Lake is a large, deep lake in the Okanagan Valley of British Columbia. The lake is 135 km long, between 4 and 5 km wide, and has a surface area of 351 km². The lake's maximum depth is 232 meters near Grant Island. The lake is drained by the Okanagan River, which exits the lake's south end in Penticton, after flowing over a small dam.

As of the 14th of June, the Lake was 4.8 cm above Full Pool. This is the Boat Launch Ramp in Peachland at the corner of Princeton Ave and Highway 97. As you can see that the water is over lapping the piers. I doubt that these piers will be usable for a few weeks. The next few weeks will be interesting in seeing how high the lake will actually rise. Trepenair Creek is still flowing fairly quickly but water levels have dropped slightly which i'm pretty sure is the same for the other creeks in the region.

Trepanier Manor

*Update* 31st July 2011
http://peachlandnews.com/blog/2011/07/28/canadian-western-bank-seeks-trepanier-manor-receivership/

"The Canadian Western Bank is at the same time going after Wilshaw in the amount of $943,000 and Dafoe and Dudelzak for $1.829 million each, alleging that the three principals of the project signed a limited liability guarantee to secure the mortgage." - From the Peachland News Article Above.

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Living near Trepanier Manor, I thought I would do some research on this development and on why it is taking so long. This development proposed in 2005 offered the community of Peachland, 20 luxury homes starting at $900,000 each scattered on 25 acres of property. The Manor will also consist of a Luxury Hotel. Over the year i have lived here in Peachland, Not much at all has been done to the project, with only small amounts of work being completed. Street lights have been installed within the year but no construction on any building has started.

"The small luxury hotel at Trepanier Manor offers the best in Okanagan Valley accommodations, fine dining restaurant, hotel spa, winery, cookery school and other amenities, all operated under the superior customer service pledge of Small Luxury Hotels of the World Ltd. Overlooking Peachland and Okanagan Lake, the hotel and its offerings will always remain at the service of Trepanier Manor home owners."

According to the Website http://www.livingatthemanor.com/ 
"Just 10 of our 20 building lots remain to be sold, with a building start for five homes scheduled for spring 2011 and hotel construction slated to begin this summer." (June 12th, 2011)
According to Peachland News, Construction was supposed to Start in 2010.  Peachland News

February 8th 1010, reports state that lights, electricity were finally switched on for the 25 acre lot.
http://trepaniermanor.blogspot.com/2010/02/lights-water-action.html

Scott Wilshaw, Business person of the Year, Novermber 21st, 2009 in Peachland is apparently the mastermind behind this project. With 20 years experience in Hospitality including hotel development, sales and marketing consulting, and managing the Big White Ski Resort hotels and numerous luxury hotels in Canada and the U.K, this might have been one project which was too big for the Manor group to complete especially for a town like Peachland.

Resources:
http://spongebob82.posterous.com/51471445
http://www.livingatthemanor.com/

Drive Home

This is a picture from today's drive home after work. The weather cleared up a little after a morning of rain. The lake was looking quite lovely.

Three Mile Beach

Today's photo comes from Three Mile Beach, north of Penticton. This place is one of my favorite beaches to go to in the region due to its clothing optional section beyond the willow tree. This beach offers friendly people, great swimming and when the sun comes out, lovely sun tanning.