We recently took a short trip to Tofino, British Columbia. It’s famous for its stunning beaches, surf, fabulous old-growth forests, and as a gateway to eco-travelling.
Many people also come to Tofino in the fall to see the storm waves crashing on the shore.
Tofino is on the Pacific Ocean, and the next stop is Japan. Those waves have plenty of time to work up a good head of steam before throwing themselves at the land.
The power of the waves pushed this giant log ashore; a surfer could be a very easy matter.
This beautiful location on the western edge of Vancouver Island is a total jewell.
The Okanagan Valley of British Columbia has the perfect environment for growing many types of wine grapes.
The Okanagan is famous for its pinot gris grapes (Hillside Winery). They produce a dry white that goes with many meals.
It’s very mild and damp in the winter and very hot and dry in the summer. Those conditions produce the right combinations of sugars and flavour profiles for many types of wines, especially “Bordeaux- style blends” (named after the region of France from where they originate), for which the Okanagan is also famous. In England, these blends used to be referred to as “claret.” Here they are often referred to as “meritage.”
Meritage is produced by blending certain types of grapes such as merlot, petit verdot, cabernet sauvignon and others.
One thing many people don’t realise about these grapes is that sometimes, a red grape produces a white wine.
Pinot noir grapes at Tinhorn Creek winery.
In fact, sparkling wines (in France, it’s known as champagne) usually result from red grapes.
The Okanagan also produces fantastic ice wine. This is a dessert wine that results when grapes are touched by a slight frost. Ice wine is terrific with cheese – a perfect combination of sweet and salty.
Often, I enjoy a good Bordeaux-style blend or meritage.
A lovely blend from Osoyoos Larose Winery.
With a steak or other hearty meal it’s heavenly.
Many people can be intimidated by wine and wine jargon. Try not to let that stop you, because finding a wine you like is one of life’s wonderful little things – and in moderation, it’s also good for you.
Here’s a little tour of my home in the Okanagan Valley of British Columbia. When I am not working in the Northwest Territories, I am usually here.
Okanagan Lake is a very deep, very long north to south (135 km) body of fresh water with very different climates from one end to the other.
Even within short distances, there are extremes. Enormous sage bushes crouch in the dry soil in one spot, and a few meters away …
… there’s a vibrantly green apricot tree.
And then there are the grape vines. Many, many varietals. Some of these grapes will become very expensive bottles of wine while others are much more lowly, but pleasant and worthwhile all the same.
Part of this valley is classified as desert while other parts further to the north are made up of deciduous and coniferous forest.
A vineyard on the Naramata Bench.
Right now it is very hot (about 36°C) and dry and while the wine grapes might really like that, there have been some significant lightening-triggered fires as well. A few rain showers would be very helpful.
What are the defining characteristics of your part of the world?
The Okanakan Valley is more known for wine and fruit than it is for peacocks but surprisingly, they have nevertheless become a part of the ecosystem.
About 20 years ago someone abandoned some pet peafowl to the forest near the village of Naramata. No one thought that in the long run they would survive, and there were attempts to capture them.
But here they are, years later, fitting in well and doing their peacock thing. They’re Canadian now.
It’s a bit odd seeing them strutting around, but odd can be a very interesting thing. 🙂
We recently left British Columbia to return to the Northwest Territories. We took a more northern route through the Rockies and past Jasper National Park.
Before entering Jasper, we came up to Mount Robson. It’s the highest mountain in the Canadian Rockies.
Although there was still some snow on the ground the temperature was two or three degrees C above zero.
We were in high mountain country, but Mount Robson was still quite a frozen surprise sitting in the early spring sun.
The driving conditions were great and although our drive was long, it was incredibly scenic. To the east of Mount Robson, we entered Jasper National Park.
After this range of mountains, we started the drive’s next leg through the northern prairies.
In the Net! - Pictures and Stories of Life 