Electrical Boxes - Okanagan Style

Sandy is always on the lookout for painted electrical boxes... and while didn't find a lot of painted ones... he did find some photo-covered ones... here we go...

 A water scene...

 Grapes - because this is grape country you know!

 Cherries - taken from a moving vehicle - not the greatest picture...

 Apples!!

Oh yeah... Jerry is going to like this one... a honey bee loaded down with honey in his little leg pouches!

 Early fruit farmers picking buckets of apples.

 And old house....

 Whoops - this is actually a wall mural - from World War I...

 A typical Okanagan scene - dry hills - lush pastures and cows!

And finally a sun flower!

There were more - but... moving vehicle photographs don't always work out!

An Old Railway

While the day was still young, and relatively cool, Sandy went on a hike along the old Kettle Valley Railway.

 The train doesn't run there anymore (and hasn't for decades). That's OK though... it makes a nice hike!

 Because it's a railway, it doesn't climb very steeply - so it meanders up the mountain quite a bit. Sandy didn't hike the whole way - but only hiked 4.4 km (and then back again!) - which is quite a way for a little bear.

 And hiking can be dangerous too! This time there is no poison ivy... just the threat of rattlesnakes... oy!

 This is the route where the railway used to be. It is a bit dusty but makes for easy hiking.

 The old railway even passes some cliffs - Sandy wanted to do some rock climbing - but didn't get very far before he ran out of oomph.

 In between the Ponderosa Pines, Sandy catches glimpses of Okanagan Lake... beary pretty!

And these pines make some of the biggest pine cones that Sandy has ever seen!! They are almost as big as his little bear head!

 Now that is a view! Sandy is overlooking a place called Naramata - lots of vineyards and orchards down there.

But there is a bit of a haze hanging around. That's because there is a fire off to the south (to the left) - hopefully it won't come up here! Sandy is glad he doesn't suffer from smoke allergies!

We are beary high up on the mountain now... with a great view of the lake... but still no sign of Ogopogo.

 But there is tunnel up here!! That is cool... hah-hah... both literally and figuratively. It was nice to get out of the hot sun.

 The tunnel wasn't very long though - and that's probably why it is called "Little Tunnel". Guess all the good names had been taken by the time this tunnel got named...

Sandy took a break after his marathon hike (8.8 km is beary long for little bear!) and enjoyed the view (clouded by smoke) and kept his toes crossed that he would maybe see Ogopogo... he'd still be up there waiting if it was up to him!

Sandy Makes some New Friends

We're back at the lake again... somehow Sandy has this idea that maybe (just maybe) he'll see the Ogopogo. His stuffie pals thought maybe he was up too early the other day - so Sandy is trying an evening visit.

There's a big old steamboat here... maybe Ogopogo is lurking behind it?

Nope... but there are some Canada Geese - guess they haven't headed south yet. Sandy briefly toys with the idea of catching one and writing a quick note to Jerry & Ben and attaching it to a goose leg... but the geese don't look all that catchable!

What's that??? ... just some geese or ducks or something. Oh well...

Sandy does see some kids playing on the rocks near the lake and decides to join them.

The girl is trying to pass Sandy back to ball-cap boy but...

He looks a little scared of Sandy!!

So Sandy catches a ride on the other boy, who is having fun jumping from rock to rock.

Sandy gets a good vantage point up here... still no Ogopogo though!

Home, Home on the Range

The Okanagan is kind of... dry... especially at this time of the year. Sandy wanders through the sage brush and the tumbled weeds, in search of adventure!

Whew... it's beary hot out here... and beary dry...

Wait a minute... what is that?? Can you see it... right in front of Sandy's nose??

Let's get a bit closer... do you see it???

There it is!! It's a cactus!!! An itty bitty teeny tiny cactus! Wow... it must be beary dry here for a cactus to grow!

Maybe that is why this homestead is abandoned? Maye it was too dry for farming and ranching? Mind you... just down the road are some ponds with turtles!

This place has definitely been abandoned for a while... but it is beary interesting...

Sandy likes to pose in front of the buildings... he is such a little camera-ham!

This must have been a pretty homestead back in the olden days.

And just across the street is the big old barn.

It definitely has roof issues...

And floor board issues too! Sandy is having fun exploring this part of Canada - sort of like the prairies but different too!

Bird Watching can be Dangerous!

After having no luck with Ogopogo... or peaches for that matter... Sandy decided to try something a bit more mundane... bird watching! It should be fairly easy to find a bird down here! Sandy gets out of the car at a small lake and takes a walk...

 There are some beary pretty red leaves... which means Fall is definitely enroute.

 But there are lots of leaves that are still green... so maybe Fall is still a ways away?

There is still a butterfly around too! Isn't it pretty?? Those little blue spots look beary cute...

Well here we are... there is a bird watching hut... Sandy sneaks up and takes a little peak through the window...

Hmmm... no birds in sight... at least not here.

 Sandy toddles down the board walk again - maybe the birds are somewhere else?

 Oooh... this is a pretty spot to sit!! Maybe the birds will come here too because it is so calm and peaceful?

Yes!!! A big heron (crane?) flew overhead and landed in the water just a little ways away. He looks like he's waiting for some little fish or frogs to swim by.

Sandy was beary happy to have seen a bird... He walked back to the beginning of the trail and saw this sign... gulp...

Poison Ivy???? That is only supposed to be out east!! BC doesn't have poison ivy?? Does it?

Ooh... those were those plants that Sandy saw which were still green... He stood in front of them and almost (almost!) touched them. That would not have been beary nice! Can you imagine what a little bear would look like if he touched poison ivy??