WINTER SCENES FROM KELOWNA,B.C.

Mar. 11..........Day trip to the South Okanagan about 1 1/2 hours south of Kelowna. This trip began as a search for an auto wreckers who were known to be crushing vintage cars. After visiting the junk yard and checking out the cars it was too nice a day to head home so I headed down the White Lake Rd. which I hadn't explored for many years. What a beautiful but little known part of B.C. and it deserves more time than I had to hike it.


Click on these pictures in order to read them






THE DOMINION RADIO ASTROPHYSICAL OBSERVATORY....These radio telescopes are used to gather astronomical data such as quarks and sounds from space





Some of the steep cliffs rising up from the valley floor and home to deer, badgers and rattlesnakes. This area is also home to a large variety of bats of which there are 14 species in the Okanagan.





Clicking on these pictures you will be able to see the herd of deer which were making their way to higher ground


WHITE LAKE RD This is a unique area in the South Okanagan in that it is the only true desert in Canada. It's the Northern tip of the Sonoran Desert that makes it's way up the West Coast of N. America from Mexico. It supports a unique population of wildlife including bats, sandhill cranes, rattlesnakes, spadefooted toads, and a wide variety of birds not otherwise found in B.C.
This valley is also home to the Dominion Radio Astrophysical Observatory which is located here due to it's isolation from outside radio interference and the clear skies which prevail due to the desert.












An old log barn located at the junction of the White Lake Rd. and the hwy to Okanagan Falls (3A).

A backroad off of the White Lake Road

500 METERS OF GRANITE McIntyre Bluff at Vaseaux Lake and the narrowest part of the Okanagan Valley. It is also the steepest and most dramatic in the valley. Named after one of the 1862 Overlanders. Vaseaux Lake at the base of the bluff is French for muddy. This is a resting point for virtually all birds migrating through here in spring and autumn. Some of these birds are rare or unknown in other parts of Canada such as the canyon wren, white-throated swift and white- headed woodpecker
The opposite side of the valley from McIntyre Bluff and home to a heard of California Bighorn. This herd of Bighorn was decimated in the '80's by an outbreak of tb. In the winter 100's of them could be seen in the fields covering the valley floor and signs were erected along the hwy. warning of bighorn sheep crossing.

OKANAGAN LAKE looking South across the lake from Hwy. 97 This is where the lightning struck that started the firestorm in 2003. It spread from here both North to Kelowna and South to Naramata and from the shoreline up and over the top of Okanagan Mntn. which is in the foreground. It eventually took out 235 homes and 1/3 of Kelowna was evacuated in it's path. Fortunately no one was seriously injured although some fire fighters drove over a cliff in the dense smoke and numerous animals died in it's path. The fire was fought from the air by two Mars waterbombers (the only two in existance) and 6 C415's from Quebec. It was a very traumatic time for all the local residents and the response to help displaced evacuees was overwhelming.

posted by AL COTTON @ 7:24 PM