Yippie! It’s been 358-days since the last Franken-Taco update! This past year we drove back and forth and back again all over Southern Alberta and British Columbia, plus a side road trip in April to Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan! We wracked-up some great kilometres driving down into the Kootney’s and back around through the Okangagan Valley….
Tag: British Columbia
Welcome to Golden, British Columbia Would You Like a Detour?
Pulling into Golden she says, “I’d like to use a bathroom, can we stop somewhere?” I smiled at her need to use the restroom for the third time in less than two hours. “Of course we can, I really need to stretch my legs. Did you see the detour sign on the way into town?”…
Roundabouts, Burgers and Ice Cream from Kelowna to Sicamous, British Columbia
Walking back down the hill towards the Tacoma we scanned high above the roundabout parking lot checking out the large cumulonimbus clouds merging above the lake, “hey do you think its going to rain or will we be lucky enough to reach Sicamous without it? As I’d rather eat ice cream in the sunshine than…
Black Swift Winery of West Kelowna British Columbia
Shauna smiled at the host then hopped into a tirade of where we started our morning down in Penticton, how we got lost looking for breakfast but had a great time wandering around near the shore line then found a nice host down at Beaumont Family Estate Winery whom recommended we come up here to…
A Variety of Grapes in West Kelowna, British Columbia
She handed over the receipt and before departing from Beaumont Estate Winery Sandy says to us, “I think you two would really like Black Swift Winery, it’s just up over the hill past Grizzli Winery. You should check it out if you have time.” We nodded our bobble heads, thanked her for the tasting, the…
Playing Winery Roulette in West Kelowna, British Columbia
The Okanagan Valley has always held a special place in our hearts as we’ve been coming down to southern BC since we moved to Calgary back in 2007. Its a shortish drive from Alberta to British Columbia and in the twenty-plus road trips to this gorgeous valley we have spent less than five percent of…
How to Derail Your Best Laid Plans in Southern British Columbia
“Okay, I know its going to be a bit of a gruelling 11 hour drive today but nobody said we couldn’t stop at a couple of wineries for a quick tasting along the way,” is the first thing I said to her as I pulled the Tacoma out onto Highway 93 heading North towards Kelowna….
A West Wing Morning in Penticton, British Columbia
Between the stroll from the balcony to the water faucet and back again, I peek at the wall clock it says two oh five in the morning and I think she’s been asleep for a few hours now whilst I’ve been enjoying this lounge chair, the balcony and the rotating stars above the Cascade Mountains…
The Most Fabulous Gluten-Free Pizza Pies Ever! Penticton, British Columbia
Have you ever wondered what an executive traveller feels like? To enter the West Wing building you first must play a game of hide-and-seek with locating the access keypad to swipe your keycard to enter into the building. Of course we played long enough that another visitor had to point out the location of said…
Tonight is Our Honeymoon, An Upgrade Would be Nice!
For nearly a decade whenever we found ourselves in Penticton, British Columbia or nearby we talked about staying the night at The Penticton Lakeside Resort but we always found a better deal elsewhere in a nearby accommodation at a vineyard or guest lodge. However on this particular road trip I had gone past windshield concentration…
Windshield Concentration or A Hotel, Its Your Choice!
Turning right onto highway 97 we headed north with good intentions to reach the northern side of the Okanagan Valley and possibly grab a hotel in either Kelowna (1 hr 33 mins) or Vernon (2 hrs 10 mins) or possibly as far as Sicamous (3 hrs 15 mins) which would assist us in tomorrow’s endeavour…
Kicking it with the GP’s in Osoyoos, BC
She depressed her index finger against the door bell and it chimed inwardly into the light brown stucco home where the GP’s were enjoying their mid-afternoon conversations. Moments later the door swung inward with her Grandfather standing on the opposite side just beyond the entrance mat enticing you to take off your shoes and stay…
One Hundred Twenty Five Kilometres to Osoyoos, BC
Before jumping back into the Tacoma for the hour and a half drive West towards the southernmost town of the Okanagan Valley known as Osoyoos, we opted to stretch our legs and do a bit of boutique shopping in town. “Where do you want to go?” she asked as I pulled her down the sidewalk…
Avant-garde at The Wooden Spoon Bistro in Grand Forks, BC
Weaving our way through the hospital we reached the front doors which lead us out into the parking lot and our nearby Tacoma. Her face swelled for the first time in twenty-four hours and tears began dripping off her chin. The uncontrollable tears were finally running rampant as she realized this might be the last…
Love and Honour in Grand Forks, British Columbia
“Twenty-six more kilometres and we are in Grand Forks,” I said as she starred blankly out the window watching the pine trees pass by in a blur. “Are we headed directly to their house?” Came my second first of three questions. The others being, would you like to stop for a coffee or ice cream…
Tire Repair, Recalls and Breakfast in Castlegar, British Columbia
Rising before our alarm clocks we sprung out of bed to use the restroom before Shauna’s eyes rolled open to start our next morning adventure. Today we were headed two and a half blocks to the Castlegar Toyota Dealership to have the nail which randomly appeared in Cranbrook in the rear passenger tire be repaired….
Walking Castlegar for Indian Cuisine
While checking into the hotel for the evening we were chatting up the desk clerk about good restaurants within waking distance of the hotel. “The Buddha Bistro is a delicious place, can’t go wrong there ” she says as I picked up a printed menu on the counter top. “I recall it being pretty good…
Mountain Passes and Small Town Experiences
With Cranbrook in the rearview mirror the rain began to drizzle down on the hood of the Tacoma and we flipped on the windshield wipers and the fog lights, too. As the rain continued down highway 95 towards Yahk, we began discussing the last road trip through this same part of the countryside. “When was…
The Southern Route into Beautiful British Columbia
Departing from the Bomber Museum we skirted out of town without stopping for ice cream or antique shopping, next time through I thought. “Where do we connect to highway 3? Is it at Ft McLeod?” I say driving 50 kmph thru town. She grabs her phone and starts punching in information to see what the…
Three Hours Down on a Twelve Hour Road Trip
Starting in Edmonton, Alberta at 7:09am and arriving in Castlegar, British Columbia 12 hours, eight minutes and 1 time zone later. Knock around the corner to onboard a little under a half tank of gas at $1.79 per litre or $97.56 which is unbelievable for 54.50 litres of fuel. Popping around the corner onto the…
How to Avoid Tourists? And Enjoy the Hiking in Western Canada
Recently, a good friend from down south of the border reached out to ask the inevitable question when traveling to a fellow friend’s country… “what are the best places to go hiking in Vancouver? and where are some good places to eat?” followed by “can you advise us on the same in Banff? Oh Yeah……
From the Driver’s Seat; Five Years in a Company Vehicle
One afternoon I’m diligently typing away on the keyboard inside my office when my boss stopped by to discuss the latest issue we were having on a large multimillion dollar project and converse about the request for a pay raise. The issue dealt with we began discussing renumeration and he informed we were denied for…
Is Off-Roading Off-Limits in Alberta with an Electric Vehicle?
A few weeks back I found a thread on tacomaworld.com about EV vehicles called: Trade in Tacoma for an EV Truck? Its had me thinking about an upcoming summer overland trip which I have been eyeing up for a couple of months now. It consists of a one-way drive of 1,552 kilometres (965 miles) which…
A Round of Nine on the Park Meadows at Osoyoos Golf Club
Foot on the brake pedal we shifted into drive then pulled the Tacoma off the driveway turning left, a quick right and another left we traveled down route 97 for a block and turn right beside the peach orchards. Heading west we drove a kilometre veered left between another set of orchards and turned right…
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