Day 24-Day 27 - Weekend in the Okanagan

We left Creston On Friday am expecting to drive Highway # 3 along the bottom of BC.  To my surprise ( and I was driving) we found ourselves heading north (Hortense the GPS lady was not paying attention - or maybe that was me).

So instead of crossing the mountains at the Kootenay Pass we crossed Kootenay lake on the “longest free ferry ride in North America"

 This actually turned out well for us because the weather was so crappy, there had been snow in the upper passes.  And we got to see Nelson BC which seems to be beautiful if it had stopped raining. We said that a lot on that trip.

We arrived in Winfield BC ( ½ hour north of Kelowna) just in time for the sun to come out and to have the 1^st of many great meals with my cousins. Mike (first cousin, son of my Mother’s brother, Pete) and Nancy have a beautiful log house built on a canyon wall with a garden that descends the slopes over two tiers

The weekend was spent laughing, drinking good Okanagan wine, touring vineyards and hiking the countryside with their Bouvier “Beau” in the lead. Mike brought out some old family photos and we got caught up.

Just above their home is the old Eldorado ranch, built by WAC Bennet’s son, which stretches for miles and is apparently the refuge of cowboys, escaped convicts and coyotes.

Today (June 20) is the ½ way mark of our journey. We have travelled over 9000 k and for 3 ½ weeks. We will go to Vancouver to see more cousins, hear more family stories and re-acquaint ourselves with Vancouver - last seen 27 years ago.