Orchards & Vineyards
Penticton, B.C.
June 10 - 13, 2018
The 36th Annual June Tour was held in Penticton, B.C.
It's an area we had toured about 15 years ago, but it was time
to visit the scenic Okanagan Valley again. The tour
committee
consisted of four Findlays - Ken, Chris, Peter, & Teresa,
with registration help from Bill Trant. The many phone
calls, emails, and pre-trip visits paid off, as it was a
terrific tour.
Twenty-eight cars (pre-1928) and 65 people registered for the
tour, representing B.C., Alberta, Washington, Oregon, Arizona,
and even Georgia! It was a great group of tourists and
some beautiful cars.
Sunday ... we arrived at the parking lot to find it full of
cars, even though the hotel had promised we could have it
all. Apparently quite a number of people had checked out
but left their cars there for the day. As well, there
was a roofing crew working and they'd parked pallets of
shingles and other supplies in random spots around the
lot. Ken, Steve Egerton and some South Okanagan
volunteers were desperately trying to find ways to squeeze
each truck and trailer in as each member arrived. It was
not an easy day. At dinner time we all drove over
to Main St. and enjoyed a Chinese buffet dinner. Lots of
food for everyone.
Monday ... we left early on a leisurely drive along the
east side of Skaha Lake. There were 28 cars at the start
but, sadly, Steve and Judy's model T never made it out.
Ignition problems seemed to have gotten the better of
it. After a coffee stop in Oliver (provided by South
Okanagan VCCC volunteers) we made out way to the Osoyoos
Desert Model Railway. This was an amazing place, with
miles of miniature railway track winding through an
unbelievable European countryside. Over 20000 tiny
people were painted and arranged in little scenes.
Everywhere you looked there were interesting things to
discover.
After lunch in Osoyoos we made our way back to Penticton,
with a stop at Liquidity Wines along the way. Many
people enjoyed tasting the BC wines and some bought a few
bottles to take back home. Teresa and I had the
pleasure of driving Steve and Blanche Gordon for the
day. The Gordons are chapter members who live in Georgia
and flew in specially for this tour. We had a very nice
visit while travelling.
The Gregory and Britz grouped looked great in full
costume and driving in the Russell-Knight but unfortunately
the car had overheating problems and had to ride the trouble
truck back after lunch. It was the only car on the
trailer all week. Back at the hotel, the
evening's entertainment included a late afternoon hotel fire
drill, complete with smoke, firemen, and and full
evacuation. Maybe the roofers had something to do with
it?
Tuesday ... Again we headed south, this time along the
Green Mountain Road. This road climbs about 2000 feet
before descending almost as much and joining up with the
highway. But the grades were easy and steady and it was
terrific drive. There was no traffic and the scenery was
wonderful, although it was very chilly at the top (maybe 2
degrees?)
Once on the highway, we made our way to Ken Helm’s
amazing collection of stuff, near Keremeos. Some will
remember it from our Princeton tour a few years ago, but he
has added even more. Once again, South OK volunteers
brought in coffee and donuts and it was a great stop.
Lunch was at the St. Andrews Golf Course, along Twin
Lakes Road. This was another really nice drive although
some said they were driving into a head wind that provided
some pretty good resistance. After lunch we drove
to Tickleberry’s Ice Cream in Okanagan Falls for more eating
and then made our way back to Penticton along the lake.
It was another great day.
Wednesday ... was a short day. We drove to Shades
on Main for breakfast and then made our way to Naramata, about
15 miles total but a lovely drive through more winery
country. We took the old road down into Naramata which
was one of the steepest, narrow, twisty, downhills most of us
had ever been on. Fortunately, the drivers were cautious
and all brakes performed well. At the bottom of the hill
we regrouped in the park before heading off to the elementary
school.
At the school we were greeted by about 60 students and
their teachers (the whole school). They were very
excited to see us and spent 40 minutes viewing the cars and
asking good questions. They really enjoyed honking horns
and chatting with people in costume. Some decided that
Rachel Gregory must be a princess with her beautiful
dress. Before we left, the whole school sang a
thank you song for us. Everyone agreed it was a
wonderful stop.
After lunch in the Naramata Pub we headed back to town
for an historic presentation on board the S.S. Sicamous, the
restored 1914 paddlewheeler that used to transport people and
goods up and down Okanagan Lake. It was a fitting stop
for our group.
Wednesday evening’s banquet was great food and lots of
fun. A highlight was the centerpieces designed by
various members of our group and given away after
dinner. They were creative and humourous and added a
nice touch to the dinner. The hard luck trophy was
presented to the Russel-Knight (Gregory/Britz) and the
People’s Choice award went to the 1910 Kissel Kar (Pat and
Marilee Farrell).
It was another very successful tour, thanks largely to
Ken and Chris Findlay’s planning and organization. We
are also extremely grateful to the members of the South
Okanagan chapter for their help each day of the tour.
photos courtesy of:
Rachael Gregory, Peter Findlay, Teresa Findlay,
Vic Bourne
