BC Day long weekend on Lake Okanagan !

You gotta love these Canadians ! They have more long weekends than did your average british car factory worker during the winter of discontent! Not sure what this one was for ........... but who cares ! British Columbia day I think ? Knowing that I had a Monday off and when offered a place on an expact excursion to the shores of Lake Okanagan for the weekend, Stig's dodgy time keeping skills kicked in to good effect again.

Not fancying a five hour drive after a weeks work, my logic concluded that it was perfectly acceptable to arrange for site visits to be undertaken on the nearest project on both the day before and day after said excursion. I mean, why cram into a car full of sweaty punters when Air Canada can do the honours in under an hour !

So having completed my site inspection of Westbank (again, honest at five pm) I dropped off the hire car for a quick snifter with the office crowds of Kelowna in Doc Willoughby's Bar patio before being being picked up by one of the Vancouver car trippers en route to our destination.

Landing at the Lake Okanagan Resort some twenty minutes later my first impression was that the grounds immediately reminded me of those in the movie Dirty Dancing. A huge lodge was surrounded by open fields and golf courses leading down to a beach on the shores of the lake. Golf carts full of old crusties heading to their afternoon dance lesson (where to be fleeced by some modern Canadian version of Patrick Swayze eh) passed glam 'Cougars' (middle aged divorced and monied women) heading for their tennis lesson - that for some reason seemed to be being held by the resident pro in chalet bedrooms as opposed to on the tennis courts !

We saw kids being herded into groups deviod of parents onto water obstacles floating in the lake where they generally menaced the average sun seeker and each morning the telephone answering machine announced the itinerary of events for the day and where to meet for each. All very cheesy but particularly spectacular and beautiful in its setting.

Having emptied cars one and two of people and sufficient beer supplies to keep a touring rugby team happy, we sat out on the sun deck of our temporary home awaiting car three's arrival.

Car three I was about to learn was actually and officially classed as the supply bus ! Watching even more beer being unloaded from the back of an enormous 4x4 I could only think we were hosting the away team too ! But then I realised the logistics officer was Glaswegian Debs and it all suddenly made sense ?

Morning one was spent by Simon B, Rich and myself attempting to kill ourselves on waterskis with some mad Lancashire lad from Oldham at the wheel of an absolute weapon of a power boat. My perfect moment of the weekend came as having got up first time on my first pull and whilst cruising down the lake at high velocity, Oldham Mike cranked up the red hot chilli peppers on these enormous speakers facing directly backwards on the boat at me ! Aw Man ! Too cool for school !

Obviously this distracted me a little and was swiftly followed by a face plant that Barry Sheen would have been proud of ! Still too cool for school ! This was definately the best blast of the summer so far and when all thirteen of us piled onto a pair of boats in the afternoon for a couple of hours, I took all opportunity to grab some more crash time !

Recounting our stories over a lard hit of burgers and bangers cremated on the BBQ that evening, I was impressed to see that the Glaswegians on tour seemed intent on attacking our beer stocks in military fashion !

Day two commenced with a bare foot round of nine holes where Celts played Antipodieans played the Gentlemen English. Of course you will be glad to hear the Gentlemen English romped home. Probably only because the scottish pro on team one could hardly stand never mind swing a club.

Dinner on the evening of day two was taken at the 'Quaills Gate' Vineyard on the south west shores of the lake that included tasting select wines suggested with each course by the chef and sommelier. All very nice too. Not that you will ever see it in the UK - I can recommend the Pinot Noir. Very Nice.

Of course having had a very refined meal with some excellent wine we returned to the chalet where it was noted that all beer stocks had to be consumed that evening as none could be returned the following day to Vancouver. Well it seemed a perfectly reasonable suggestion at the time ! As such the third evening got very messy and I one for one fell asleep on a lounger outside attempting to obtain some fresh air ! (thats my story and I'm sticking to it)

Watching the massed ranks depart in various cars on Monday I headed back into Kelowna for some much needed rest and wandered down to waterfront park where I happily spent a couple of hours dozing in the shade of a very large tree. My final act of the weekend being to have a final cooler in Rose's bar right on the marina shores. Bizarly a bar that appeared to have potential as being one of the roughest on the planet with a very rowdy appearance had a very well behaved clientelle even if they did look like a red neck convention on two wheels !

My answer came on Tuesday came when the hire car lady confirmed that the bar is owned by the Hells Angels ! as is most of Kelowna apparently.

A forest fire down at the extreme length of the valley (on the US side of the border) cleared sufficiently by Monday evening that the setting sun was pretty special.

Sorry Mig - I know you are sailing school...... but if I win the $45M jackpot tonight its definately a power boat for me !!!