ADVENTURING IN VERNON: INVESTIGATING THE NORTH OKANAGAN

Vernon’s appealing past and new rail-trail inspired a getaway to BC’s North Okanagan.

Arriving for a Foodie Tour, guide Loretta spices up a downtown walk recounting histories of turn-of-the-century buildings.

Entering select cafés, unique California Roll salads, Persian teas and exotic cookies prove scrumptious. At a shop, we taste premium olive oils, balsamic vinegars… and munch drizzled green salads. Station BBQ’s plates of succulent smoked beef, chicken, pork and sausage further delight palates.

O’Keefe Parlour. Photo: Rick & Chris Millikan

Later that afternoon, docents take us on a Vernon Museum and Archives walk encompassing 18 of the town’s 28 murals. Steve says a local artist created most of them, including a celebration of multiculturalism featuring distinguished ethnic leaders. Others portray winter Olympic athletes, war heroes, businessmen, firemen and artists.

Our favourite, “The Geisha” appears on a small wall acclaiming the Empress Theatre’s successful opening production. Pointing to stacks of tires, Larry jokes, “That ‘art installation’ must surely conjure Kal-Tire’s fledgling Kalamalka Lake operation!” An opposite mural shows Okanagan Lake, spirits and native leaders. The one wrapping a corner bank depicts drovers herding cattle.

Next morning, a Predator Ridge van shuttles rental bikes, sidekick Teresa and us to Coldstream’s trailhead. The rail-trail bustles with dog walkers, parents pushing strollers and fellow cyclists. Breezing along Lake Kalamalka, Vernon fades quickly into the distance.

Yellow-flowered sagebrush, blue chicory, sunflowers and fragrant pines line the wide gravel track. Golden grasses and colourful wildflowers adorn adjacent slopes. “Isn’t the lake beautiful?” Teresa beams. “Our summer sun creates Kalamalka’s gorgeous turquoise by dissolving lakebed limestone.” Though no boats are visible, she tells us, “People fish here year-round for kokanee, rainbow and lake trout.

Winding alongside a wall of white cliffs, we spot an oncoming cyclist toting his German shepherd in a trailer. Beyond another lofty escarpment, the trail skirts a reedy slough. An osprey perches atop a snag, likely searching for a meal.

A dock identifies Kekuli Bay Provincial Park. This midpoint of our ride furnishes water, restrooms, picnic tables, sandy swimming beach… and campsites for the tuckered! “Kekuli is also the turnaround point for Cycling-Without-Age,” Teresa remarks. “Our free program offers homebound elders a chance to enjoy nature, breathe fresh air and reconnect with the community.” Before long, we encounter a senior volunteer pedaling an e-bike rickshaw, two smiling participants seated comfortably in front.

Pushing onward, the landscape becomes increasingly arid. A trailside resort has lawn signs warning: “Beware of Snakes.” Momentarily “rattled,” our pedal quickens toward Lake Kalamalka’s southern end.

Passing under a high trestle, the trail begins skirting small vineyards, orchards and stylish homes. A general store’s back wall displays an illustration of lakeside culture, declaring, “I Love Oyama.” Awaiting our return shuttle, we sip cold juices on its shaded patio. “This pamphlet’s map outlines our 18-kilometre trip,” Teresa notes. “To complete the 48.5-kilometre rail-trail to Kelowna, cyclists bypass the unfinished six-kilometre section between Winfield and Ellison Lake using roadways.”

Native Spirits of Okanagan Lake. Photo: Rick & Chris Millikan

The afternoon kicks off at Davison Orchards and Country Village. A pumpkin-formed castle overlooks western-style shops; long bins brim with fall crops. We hop aboard a tractor-pulled tram for the farm tour. Tom Davison drives us beyond sprawling vegetable patches into hillside orchards. He stops beside rows of Honey Crisps.

“University of Minnesota researchers developed many northern hybrids,” Tom relates. “When botanists observed students eagerly crunching these sweet, juicy apples, they knew Honey Crisp was a winner! Try ’em… and fill your bags!” Afterwards, we stroll to the Farmhouse Café, once his grandparents’ home. Relaxing on its terrace, apple pie caps delicious home-style lunches.

A second apple enterprise, BX Press Cidery, lies east of town. There, a hostess escorts us to a picnic table amid shady apple trees. “Our orchards occupy BX Stagecoach Company’s former horse ranch. So today, our ciders honour workers at Bernard Express’s gold-rich terminal, Barkerville,” Jasmine says pouring from bottles sporting their caricatures.

“Prospector” recalls grizzled miners; “Ginny,” hurdy-gurdy saloon girls; “Hostler,” wranglers of speedy wild horses that kept coaches on time. And “Gunshot” recognizes gals and gents who rode shotgun.

“Planted in 1946, orchards still produce two dozen varieties. Yet crops became unprofitable,” Jasmine states. “In 2013, grandson Dave and wife Missy began crafting small batch ciders. They press the best and ripest handpicked fruit. Their juices ferment and mellow through the winter.” When tasting ends, purchasing begins!

At Vernon’s Farmers’ Market the next morning, we browse among canopied tables stacked with baked goods, including huge pretzels, local produce, canned fruit and handicrafts. Vendors chat about their sweet prunes, paintings and pottery. An indigenous fellow gives us some tasty bannock. One farmer describes his varieties of nutrient-packed Haskap berry, leading to a saucy purchase. As buskers strum and croon golden oldies nearby, we sip a vintner’s robust red wines and buy two bottles. Hot from a food-truck griddle, savoury French crepes provide perfect breakfasts.

O’Keefe Mansion. Photo: Rick & Chris Millikan

Our day continues delving deeper into history at the museum. This research proceeds at the outlying O’Keefe Ranch. A tour commences on the mansion’s wrap-around veranda. “An aspiring Toronto Irishman, Cornelius O’Keefe came to BC’s goldfields too late to find gold! He made his fortune as a drover. Buying cattle in Oregon at $10 each, he sold them in Barkerville for $100 a head,” guide Sharon grins. “In 1867, he established his ranch and a relationship with Alapetsa, a native woman. Within four years, he’d opened a profitable General Store, which doubled as a stagecoach depot.” On an 1877 trip to Ontario, he met and married Mary Ann… resulting in nine children. Nineteen years passed before he built this mansion.”

Interior furnishings reflect a luxurious lifestyle. The parlour boasts plush, turn-of-the-century furniture and a wondrous crystal chandelier. Photos of Cornelius, Mary Ann and Elizabeth, his second wife, hang above a Steck Grand Piano. “Elizabeth bore him six youngsters,” Sharon mentions. “Cornelius supported his sizable family, which always included Alapetsa and their two children.”

Sharon winds up an elegant mahogany music box; sweet melodies soon fill the hallway. In the dining room, cupboards and dining table display Elizabeth’s 115-piece set of floral Meissen porcelain. Upstairs, bedrooms reveal the comforts enjoyed by family and guests. At the downstairs exit, a recent photo reveals an O’Keefe family reunion. To identify maternal lineage, descendants wear red, yellow, and green shirts.

Outside, we investigate the O’Keefe’s original cabin, bunkhouse, blacksmith shop, gristmill, Chinese cookhouse and hilltop church. His General Store overflows with 1800s’ merchandise: lanterns, butter-churns, fashionable clothing, washboards, treadle sewing machines and Victrolas. Timeless sweets fill counter jars: peppermint sticks, penny candy, jellybeans and lollipops. The valley’s first post office remains tucked in the corner.

Other buildings enclose arrays of cast-iron stoves, family artwork, fancy attire and an impressive model train layout representing several western towns. Sheds display vintage tractors, ploughs, hay-rakes and reapers. Newer structures house the Quilters’ Guild and Potters Without Borders.

Behind an active piggery, sheep paddock and donkey pasture stands Balmoral schoolhouse. In the Victorian schoolroom, we imagine multi-aged students seated at rows of its wooden desks, learning the three Rs from surrounding blackboards.

Neighbouring 1892 Schubert House showcases Catherine Shubert’s family heirlooms. Catherine’s indomitable image was noted earlier on a downtown mural, honouring Okanagan’s first European woman settler.

Delectable encounters, historic tours and exhilarating bike rides make three days around Vernon one great holiday.

IF YOU GO: