Bearfoot Travelogue
Fall is a perfect time to be a tourist in your own town
Wineries, fall colours, harvest and adventure in and around Vernon.
By Don Elzer
October and November represent a chance to experience fall colours and great activities all mixed with some winetasting. It’s a great time to invite friends or family from out of town, perhaps even treating yourself to a vacation a few blocks from home.
This column is a keeper, it’s all the arguments you need to make, to get your friends to visit you in the North Okanagan….but remember, its just a sampler, there’s more to do here than you can pack together on a single weekend.
After breakfast means taking in the fall colours and a walk to BX Falls, here you can get your first taste of fall in the beautiful Okanagan. This is a great morning walk and a primer for a visit to the Historic O’Keefe Ranch where you can view fall colours in this Victorian backdrop plus do some winetasting at Hunting Hawk Winery.
Cornelius O’Keefe founded the O’Keefe Ranch in 1867. At that time, huge cattle ranches occupied the valley, and ranch headquarters were self-contained settlements. By the turn of the century, O'Keefe and his partner owned 20,000 acres of prime land, and were driving cattle north to sell to the hungry miners in the gold fields.
The ranch was the commercial, social and cultural hub of the North Okanagan for more than a century. As a new addition to the ranch, Hunting Hawk Winery is part of the restoration of this beautiful historic site to the status it enjoyed in its heyday. Hunting Hawk has planted two acres of Ortega (white) and Marechal Foch grapes on a well-drained, fertile bench on the north side of the 64-acre O'Keefe property.
A fully functional winery has been established in one of the Ranch buildings and a tasting and sales area occupies a portion of the Gift Shop.
Try their 2002 Marechal Foch, this red wine with cherry and berry flavours and a hint of vanilla is deeply opaque with a lovely violet nose. Perhaps pair it with Italian dishes, ragouts, pork or a barbecued burger. It's also a great sipping wine on its own.
Tastings are free and scheduled tours of the vineyard and winery are included with admission to the Ranch. Rain or shine there's always something to do at O'Keefe Ranch where kids and adults alike can experience the history and adventure of pioneer days.
From the ranch, turn your journey into a time of harvest; stop in at some of the local fruit and produce stands enroute to the Bella Vista area, which will give you a flavour of the classic Okanagan harvest.
Here you will find the Bella Vista Farm Market and Planet Bee (an operating apiary) and Davison Orchards, where you can find the best apple pie in Canada except for maybe Grandma’s.
Not far from Bella Vista is the Commonage area home to the Allan Brooks Nature Centre, which provides visitors a first-hand opportunity to see and learn about the North Okanagan's unique and diverse natural heritage through views, information, programs and displays. From this location we have a stunning view of Kalamalka Lake, and the beginning of another winetasting experience as we proceed into Lake Country.
Located on Camp Road in Okanagan Centre, Gray Monk Estate Winery offers a chance to experience a classic Okanagan winery. A slow walk is definitely advised when you head down the walkway from your parking spot toward the courtyard entrance below. It is this final approach to Gray Monk that is worthy of pause, with its awesome views of neatly planted vineyards, sloping toward the shore of Lake Okanagan at its narrow and northernmost point. And that is just the beginning of what is in store when you visit Gray Monk Estate Winery or its renowned Grapevine Restaurant.
Tucked into its own corner of the North Okanagan Valley, just south of Vernon, the winery and restaurant sit at about latitude 50, said to be the northerly limit of a fruit belt crossing the globe through the Rhine Valley in Germany, the Champagne region of France, and the Okanagan Valley of British Columbia. Gray Monk may be considered off the beaten winery path of the Okanagan region, the rewards of a visit are well worth the effort.
There are many ways to enjoy a wonderful wine experience at Gray Monk along with your winery tour, but the best is nurturing a glass of vino on their deck with a great view of Okanagan Lake. Try their Riesling.
With a hue of burnished lemon gold, this wine has a squeeze of fresh lime in its full fruity aroma. It is lively and fresh on the palate, with flavours of green apples and limes. The clean, tangy finish is persistent. Serve this versatile wine chilled on its own or with a wide range of foods from salads to sushi.
Next-door on Camp Road is Arrowleaf Winery and Vineyards where you can sample a great desert wine. Their Vidal Select Late Harvest dessert wine made from a winter-hardy French hybrid grape that is particularly popular in Canada and the northeastern United States. Their variety ripens late and has very thick skins that are able to withstand the unfavorable winter weather. They generally harvest a portion of the grapes in December and leave the rest to harvest when the temperature drops low enough to make icewine. They then blend the two portions and aim for an average sugar content of about 30 brix.
With intense flavors that include apricot, quince, tropical fruit, caramel and honey. This is a dense and sweet late harvest wine with lively acidity. As a dessert wine it’s top notch or maybe serve it up with Belgian waffles, fruit crêpes or pair with a cheese platter.
To add more adventure to your day order up a Canoe to Winery Tour. This is a great activity, out of the ordinary that you will recall forever. It’s a chance to see a part of the Okanagan from the gentle wake of a canoe. Winds & Rivers Escapes offer this experience, and your guide Reg Scott is excellent at bridging a fun, and adventure with the historical experience of canoeing.
So a return to Vernon, would mean this was a full day indeed, and perhaps a bit of a trick on my part. Any dwell time at all would turn this day trip into a full weekend. A bit of history, a taste of wine, a canoe trip and a bounty of fall harvest, all gift wrapped together with fall colours and a comfy inn will rival the best New England has to offer.
But don’t forget to mention to your company: “You ain’t seen nothin’ yet, just wait until tomorrow”.
Getting to BX Falls
This is a one-way trail, with a trailhead and parking at each end. This guide starts at the high end, the Tillicum Road parking lot, 2 km from the junction of Silver Star Road. The trail ends at Star Rd, with an option to connect to the Grey Canal. Slip into another world for a cool moist reprieve from the dry hillsides of bunchgrass and Ponderosa Pine.
The trail offers three options within the first 300 m:
1.
Walk to the upper viewpoint of the falls.
2.Climb down to the base of the falls.
3.Continue on this trail to a sharp descent to the creek and follow the BX Creek Trail. Experience the cool, humid world of birch trees, devil's club, horsetail and cedar along the creek-side trail to Star Road. En route, the creek reveals evidence of the early agricultural and logging history of the North Okanagan. If you choose to walk the length of this trail:
4.Watch for remains of a dam, flumes, & channels that brought water to early orchards and ranching operations on the sunny hillsides. The 2 km trail brings you to Star Road. Return by the same route to the parking area on Tillicum Rd or
Continue your hike onto the Grey Canal Trail. Follow Star Road for 300 m N where the trail continues another 500 m through a field & northwest to Silver Star Road.
Wines to taste along the way:
Hunting Hawk 2002 Marechal Foch
Gray Monk Riesling
Arrowleaf Vidal Select Late Harvest
Fall Harvest:
Fruit stands and Farmgates along the way, watch for signs.
Bella Vista Farm Market
Planet Bee
Davison Orchards
An Adventure:
Winds & Rivers Escapes
Great places to stay:
Illahee Inn on Kalamalka Lake
Richmond House B&B
