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.

Air Canada

The past week has been a little stressful, Yes i am flying, No i am not flying, Yes i am flying, No i am not flying and eventually, i am flying. Earlier in the week, news broke that Baggage handlers would go on strike starting March 12 at 12.01am which was to be the day before my flight to Australia. Word was that even if they did go on strike, Air Canada would do its best to keep flights on time and active. I was a little nervous about whether or not my flight would take off at all.
Next came news that Air Canada would lock out its pilots if they did not accept an agreement which was also to occur March 12 at 12.01am, so even if the baggage handlers didn't strike, there may have not been any pilots to fly anyway. This one had me more worried then the strike notice but in the end, the Canadian Government stepped in and declared that any strike order or lockout could not take place. So once again, i am flying.

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

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

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.

2007 Stellars Jay

These are my first bottles of Sparkling Wine that i have disgorged.

Disgorging

The lees removal process is called disgorging (dégorgement in French), a skilled manual process where the crown cap and lees are removed without losing much of the liquid, and a varying amount of sugar added. Before the invention of this process by Madame Clicquot in 1816, Champagne was cloudy; this style is seen occasionally today, under the label méthode ancestrale. Modern automated disgorgement is done by freezing a small amount of the liquid in the neck and removing this plug of ice containing the lees.

Dosage

Immediately after disgorging but before final corking, the liquid level is topped up with liqueur d'expédition, commonly a little sugar, a practice known as dosage. The amount of sugar in the liqueur d'expédition determines the sweetness of the Champagne, the sugar previously in the wine having been consumed in the second fermentation. Generally, sugar is added to balance the high acidity of the Champagne, rather than to produce a sweet taste. Brut Champagne will only have a little sugar added, and Champagne called nature or zéro dosage will have no sugar added at all. A cork is then inserted, with a capsule and wire cage securing it in place.

Machines

Over the last couple of weeks at work, my skills have been tested in seeing what i have picked up over the last year and three months. Recently i have had to run the disgorging machine to take the caps off Sparkling Wine so that Sweetener for The Sumac Ridge Stellars Jay Brut 2007 Vintage could be made. Doing some quick reading, Brut is a level of Sweetness.

The French use the following terms to describe sweetness in their fizzy:

• Brut Natural or Brut Zéro (less than
3 grams of sugar per liter)

• Extra Brut (less than 6 grams of sugar
per liter)

• Brut (less than 15 grams of sugar
per liter)

• Extra Sec or Extra Dry (12 to 20 grams of sugar per liter)

• Sec (17 to 35 grams of sugar per liter)

• Demi-Sec (33 to 50 grams of sugar
per liter)

• Doux (more than 50 grams of sugar
per liter)

Overall, i handled the Machine pretty well with no real issues, especially when i haven't really had someone teach me about the machines one on one.
The Next test was a couple of days ago when i was asked to label some Jackson Triggs White Meritage 2009. With all the settings on the machine, i have them all sorted out and can almost trouble shoot most, if not all issues with labeling especially, label height, label spacing and timing/track issues.

Bottling is a real B$%ch....

This weekend was a great one weather wise with temperatures in the high 20s and low 30s. A weekend was spent sun tanning with me being able to get some sun for the first time in a while. Hopefully i will get some more in the next couple of days to keep the tan going.

Friday night was my first time ever at a Casino, The Lakeside Casino in Penticton, which didn't go so well, losing $20 on black jack. This all started due to after work drinks with the guys from work.

Saturday was spent in Penticton at the new house where i had the chance to build the bench work for my models. I made the bench work and now am just waiting to put the top on the table which will then allow me to start planning my layout. The afternoon was spent at 3 mile where i was able to get some sunrays.
 
 
Sunday Morning i awoke at 6 am so i could go downtown and volunteer for the Peachland Triathlon which i enjoyed very much and had a great time doing. I would definitely do it again. If i'm not volunteering for the Triathlon i will be participating as i would love to train for Ironman one day and this would be a great start for me.
 

Lately work has been pretty busy with the last week being spent Bottling Sparkling Wine and its been tough work. Bridget has worked with me the last week and its been great fun having her around to see how and what my job is all about. Hopefully she will take it easy on me when i get home and i say i'm tired. 

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!!!

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

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

Postal Strike

Since June 15th, we have had a Postal Strike here in Canada which means we haven't had any mail delivery since then.
Even the Mail Boxes are closed so mail isn't being held for days, which then can be destroyed by hoodlums.




The News Article from Peachland News

Game 7 Stanley Cup Final

Last Night, June 15th, 2011, I watched the Stanley Cup Final Game 7 between Vancouver Canucks and Boston Bruins. Unfortunately, the Canucks were unable to bring home the Cup back to Canada as the Bruins came out victorious. The Final score was Canucks 0 - Bruins 4. All season, the Vancouver Canucks had been the best team in the Competition, winning the Presidents Trophy, winning the Western Conference Trophy but it was the last hurdle, the Stanley Cup that was all too much for them.

Even before the game had finished, groups of outraged fans rioted through the streets of Downtown Vancouver, over turning vehicles which they then set on fire, smashing windows of buildings and for the most part destroying anything that they could.

These photos below are some stills from the television as i sat and watched the Vancouver Riots unfold.

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.

Sunrise

Took this photo on my way to work, October 2010.
This was taken at the corner north of Antlers Beach.
In Late Spring, they had some awesome sunrises and sunsets here in BC, Canada.

Beach Avenue, Peachland

This is taken on the beach at Peachland. The beach here is of the rock kind and was quiet today as the weather wasn't all that warm and sunny today. We had the odd occasion of sunshine which felt quite warm when it came out of hiding behind the clouds.

Trepenair Forest

Today's photo comes from the 24th May, 2011.
The morning started out overcast and there was a prediction of rain, of which we got none. I had some free time for a hike with my camera and tripod and was able to get at least one photo i liked. This is a great little hike that takes you through Trepenair Forest and along Trepenair Creek.