Laurie Carter & Bruce Kemp

Little White Publishing

O kanaganGiftsof the

Gifts of the OkanaganCopyright © 2011 by Laurie Carter & Bruce Kemp

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Little White Publishing 2-2095 Boucherie Road Westbank BC Canada V4T 1Z4 www.littlewhitepublishing.com

Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in PublicationCarter, LaurieGifts of the Okanagan / Laurie Carter & Bruce Kemp.

ISBN 978-0-9812451-4-0 1. Okanagan Valley (B.C. : Region)--Pictorial works.I. Kemp, Bruce II. Title.

FC3845.O4C37 2011 917.11’50222 C2011-905679-8

Printed and bound in Canada by Friesens

Cover and author photos by Bruce KempPhotos by Laurie Carter & Bruce Kemp Book design by Mishell RaedekeMap by James White Photo page 21 courtesy of the City of Kelowna

Photo this page: Vaseux Lake C016245

6

97C

3A

3A

3

Mabel Lake

Wood Lake

Kalamalka Lake

Duck Lake

Skaha Lake

VaseuxLake

Chute Lake O

kanagan R

Osoyoos Lake

Okanagan Falls

Penticton

Cathedral ProvincialPark

Mt Kobau

To Hope

To Midway

Rock Creek

Keremeos

Telemark

Crystal Mtn

To Merritt

Myra Canyon

Mt Baldy

Oliver

Apex Mtn Beaverdell

Big White

Kelowna

Silver Star Mtn

Armstrong

Enderby To Kamloops

To Sicamous

O‘KeefeRanch

To Nakusp

Canada

Okan

agan

La

ke

OKANAGAN VALLEY Vernon

KVR

/ Trans Canada Trail

USA

97A

97

97

Summerland Naramata

Osoyoos

Peachland

Lumby

Bear CreekProvincialPark

FintryProvincialPark

Swan Lake

WestKelowna

33

Kaleden

Sketch not to scale nor meant for accurate travel planning.

Introduction Gifts of the Okanagan 5

IntroductionMoving to the Okanagan two decades ago was not my first

choice. I had never visited the valley and had only a hazy

notion of what to expect. Sometimes, though, you’ve got

to go with the flow, so I arrived with a semi-open mind.

Almost overnight I fell in love, intrigued by this new land-

scape so completely beyond my experience — a rift valley

between the Thompson Plateau and Okanagan Highland

lying in the rain shadow of the Coast and Cascade mountains.

A region so dry that cactus thrives. It would be forbidding

without the lakes, chief among them Okanagan Lake, stretch-

ing some 135 kilometres (84 miles) from north to south.

I packed my camera everywhere, eager to capture the

sights — mountain vistas and blooming sagebrush, cattle

roaming free in the backcountry and rattlesnakes tagged for

research, minuscule pink blossoms on an alpine meadow

and bright red kokanee spawning in a neighbourhood creek,

ripe grapes glowing in the afternoon sun and vivid rainbows

arching across the lake. I roamed the valley in every season,

often returning to favourite places and recording, sometimes

with great sadness, the changes I saw. I’ve never lost my

sense of wonder at the rare and special images around me.

My life changed when I met Bruce on assignment in Ma-

laysia. The Okanagan was completely new to him as well

and introducing him to my adopted home was a joy. It

was like a photography masterclass, working side-by-side

with a pro whose career has spanned the globe and who

was endlessly generous with his knowledge and enthu-

siasm. Bruce brought a fresh eye to everything I’d been

shooting and I saw so many things in a new light.

It was several years before I convinced him to move west.

Again, like me, he left his family, friends, business and cul-

turally rich life in Toronto with great reluctance. I can only

thank a benevolent cosmos that he cared enough about

our future to upend his life and come here to share mine.

Together we continue to explore. It was my idea to do this

book and Bruce’s idea to call it Gifts of the Okanagan, a title I

think perfectly captures the sentiment we want to convey. We

make no apology for perceived omissions. These are the ele-

ments of the Okanagan Valley that hold intellectual and spiri-

tual value for us. We hope they strike a chord with you as well.

Laurie

Central Okanagan Gifts of the Okanagan 7

The Central Okanagan is the commercial hub of the val-

ley. Cultural amenities, a university, international airport,

extensive shopping and a high-rise skyline mark Kelowna

as its sophisticated core. Connected by the W. R. Bennett

Bridge across Okanagan Lake, the Westbank First Na-

tion and District of West Kelowna are part of the com-

mercial explosion. The communities of Peachland and

Lake Country retain more of a small town atmosphere.

The region has not forgotten its agricultural roots, yet

the industry has evolved to reflect a changing charac-

ter. Local fruits, vegetables and preserves are widely

available and the coterie of renowned chefs who have

gravitated to the region fill their menus with the best

produce. Kelowna is the birthplace of the Okanagan

wine industry and a host of wineries from Lake Coun-

try to Peachland produce award-winning vintages.

Recreation also continues to evolve. Golf courses, parks,

beaches, hiking, cycling, fishing and skiing, both ver-

tical and horizontal, are no more than minutes from

city centres. A wide range of resorts attract vacation-

ers and locals take full advantage of the outdoors.

Central Okanagan

Central Okanagan Gifts of the Okanagan 11

Cultural DistrictPublic art is a defining feature of Kelowna’s Cultural District.

Standing boldly or tucked in quiet corners among the galler-

ies, performing arts venues and historic sites, dozens of art-

works enhance the downtown experience. This bronze figure,

reaching high over the courtyard of the Rotary Centre for

the Arts is the culminating element of Concept to Creation

(2002) by Diane Gorvin, Philip Bews and Jonathan Yeltatzie.

The Sails Few people could tell you the actual title of the iconic

sculpture that symbolizes Kelowna to so many. Com-

manding the sight line at the apex of downtown Ber-

nard Avenue, Spirit of Sail (1978) by Robert Dow Reid

is crafted in fibreglass. It stands 12 metres (39 feet) high,

weighs around 1,820 kilograms (4,000 pounds) and fig-

ures large in vacation photo albums around the world.

14 Gifts of the Okanagan Central Okanagan

Graceful agingCentral Okanagan wineries from Lake Country to Peach-

land present many faces to the world: grand and simple,

quirky and conventional, elegant and casual. At this mo-

ment, intriguing vintages are aging in stainless steel

tanks in a modest Quonset hut, they are absorbing oak

flavour and cosmic energy in a pyramid and they are ly-

ing in state in an elegant barrel cellar. Vive la différence!

Central Okanagan Gifts of the Okanagan 23

to take flight in all but the most dire circumstances. Hustling

broods of tiny chicks across the road, they cause the air to

turn blue as drivers curse and frantically swerve to avoid pul-

verizing the dozy birds. Everybody loves them. Sightings of

California bighorn sheep (below) are much more rare. Habi-

tat loss has significantly reduced their numbers. One group

roams the west side of Okanagan Lake and summer travellers

on Westside Road may encounter them browsing along the

shoulder. Another group lives among the rocky crags sur-

rounding Vaseux Lake in the southern part of the valley.

WildlifeOnce seriously endangered, ospreys (left) have made a dra-

matic comeback. They build huge, pick-up sticks nests, often

on high platforms provided by farmers, municipalities and

public utilities. Now relatively common, they soar above the

water, rocket down in impossibly steep, fast dives and flap

away with a struggling fish clutched in their talons. It is a

very impressive sight. California quail (above) are an endear-

ing feature of the Okanagan in spite of their steadfast refusal

32 Gifts of the Okanagan North Okanagan

O’Keefe RanchSt. Anne’s church was built on O’Keefe Ranch about 1889,

part of a self-contained community that included a stage-

coach depot, post office, blacksmith shop and gristmill.

Cornelius O’Keefe founded the ranch in 1867, preferring

to raise cattle on the rich local bunch grass than drive them

from Oregon to the gold mining camps further north. The

ranch once encompassed over 6,000 hectares (15,000 acres).

Historic FintryThe octagonal barn with its central silo is a prime example

of the forward thinking of James Cameron Dun-Waters,

who bought Shorts Creek delta in 1910. He renamed the

property Fintry for his home in Scotland and turned it

into a model agricultural operation complete with elec-

tricity generated by Fintry Falls. The barn, manor house

and falls are preserved in Fintry Provincial Park.

40 Gifts of the Okanagan North Okanagan

Indian paintbrushAn aboriginal legend tells the story of a young man, frus-

trated in his attempts to paint the sunset with his war paints.

Unable to match the brilliance of nature, he sought guid-

ance from the Great Spirit who gave him paintbrushes laden

with colour. As the young man painted his masterpiece,

he left the spent brushes scattered across the landscape

and from these brushes sprouted the beautiful flowers.

Mushroom maniaLying at the edge of the Columbia Mountains, which could

be dubbed the wild mushroom capital of the world, the

North Okanagan hosts an incredible diversity of intriguing

fungi like this rosy russella. Commercial pickers and savvy

amateurs go to the Mabel Lake area for the autumn harvest.

Those who don’t know a “tasty” from a “deadly” or just want

to shoot mushroom memories should take a guided tour.

South Okanagan Gifts of the Okanagan 53

Okanagan legends and loreLooking north at McIntyre Bluff, the face in the mountain

is plain to see. According to legend, the bluffs are haunted

by a small band of hunters who ventured into the valley, still

teaming with abundance in spite of famine all around. They

were successful and feasted on fresh fish and venison, but

as they rested after the meal, a party of Okanagan warriors

attacked. Surrounded on three sides, the interlopers retreated

only to find themselves apparently trapped on the lip of the

bluff. But they spotted a little ledge and one by one, quietly

in the dark, followed it. Old and blind, the last of the hunters

felt his way behind the rest until he reached the end of the

ledge and realized that the others had fallen silently to their

deaths. He returned to face his pursuers, stood defiantly,

then with the war cry of his band, flung himself off the cliff.

South Okanagan Gifts of the Okanagan 57

Cattle b aronsThe Haynes Ranch ruins north of Osoyoos stand as a

crumbling reminder of an era beginning in the 1860s

when a handful of men started to amass vast cattle em-

pires throughout the Okanagan Valley. This spread was

occupied by the son of John Carmichael Haynes, a local

official and rancher whose widow was shamefully ex-

ploited by their former friend, cattle baron, Tom Ellis.

62 Gifts of the Okanagan South Okanagan

Extreme sportsThe best triathletes in the world compete in the Okanagan.

Penticton hosted the first Ironman Canada in 1983 with a

field of 23 competitors. The Subaru Ironman Canada now

attracts well over 3,000 athletes from 30-plus countries. Some

4,500 volunteers man the course as competitors swim 3.8

kilometres (2.4 miles) in Okanagan Lake; bike 180 kilome-

tres (112 miles) from Penticton south through Okanagan

Falls and Oliver to Osoyoos, west to Twin Lakes and

back to Penticton; then run a full marathon, 42 kilo-

metres (26 miles) around the streets of the city. Pro

level male athletes finish the course in just over eight

hours while the elite women come in about an hour

later. In Kelowna, the Pushor Mitchell Apple Triath-

lon hosts the Canadian Triathlon Championships.