Scouting Out Evely Recreation Site

My family and I recently scouted out the Evely Rec Site, situated off of West Side Road north of Fintry, while looking for some economical  and beautiful places to camp this summer. This campground is one of the largest Rec Sites (with 50 individual sites) in the area and is located right on Okanagan Lake with views of Vernon across the lake. It is also one of the few that is accessible to most sizes of RVs (recreational vehicles), though I wouldn't recommend it for newer drivers.

The downside is that like most rec sites, the campground has no water and only a couple of pit toilets at either end, which can service several hundred people during it's busiest times. And during the heat of the summer...that can be a rather rank experience. So unless you like ruffing it, I would advise staying in a RV or travelling with someone who does, as this can eliminate the water and toilet issues.

Talking with the on-site host, it seems that Evely can be extremely busy during the busy season and it is "First Come, First Serve", so I would recommend arriving early Thursday for a weekend spot. Wednesday would be better. If you don't arrive till Friday, your chance of finding a spot isn't good. As for rates, I believe it is $14 per tent/RV if you are camping on the lake side and $12 per tent/RV if you are on the other side. Multiple tents and RVs can be set up on a site.

I took a bunch of late spring pics for those interested. Here are a few of the sites. Keep in mind it may be far less green come mid summer.

Here are a few pics up the Okanagan Lake towards Vernon.

And a couple south, down the Okanagan Valley.

Does this seem like a campground you be inclined to stay at? Leave your opinion of this BC Rec Site in the comment section below.

International Trails Day 2011

This next Saturday, June 4th is the 2011 International Trails Day. Meant to promote trail development, use and awareness as well encourage a healthier lifestyle, International Trails Day provides families with a great chance to get out for an active family outing and meet other active families.

The Trans Canada Trail along with provincial and local trail societies, groups and associations are offering extra incentives for people to get out and use the trails this year with prize draws for participants. 

These are some impressive prizes. Trails BC will be awarding one of two Raleigh bicycles ($350.00 CDN). Those located near Greater Vernon can participate in the Trail Discovery Challenge where participants who correctly answer the trail questionnaire will be entered into a draw to win a handheld GPS unit, put on by the Regional District of North Okanagan, the Ribbons Green Trails Society and the Friends of Kalamalka Society.

Prizes or no prizes, International Trails Day is a get reason to get out and get to know your local trails!

Award Winning Hungry Jacks

Located on Cliff Ave in Downtown Enderby is one of my favourite restaurants, Hungry Jacks. It came as little surprise to learn that they have again won numerous Okanagan Life Best Restaurant Awards. If you have ever eaten at Jacks, you can see awards from previous years hanging on the walls. You will also know that these awards are all well deserved!

This year they have won five awards for Service, Burger, Cup of Tea, Vegetarian and Veggie Burger.

Hungry Jacks serves fresh, homemade food. Their soups are amazing. Their burgers are tasty (you won't find fries here, you can choose instead from a soup or salad). Their breakfasts are entirely satisfying. You haven't tasted heaven till you have tried their fresh baked goods and desserts. Coffee lovers will find Cherry Hill Certified Organic and Fair Trade Coffee served here.

Be forewarned if you are coming from out of town to try them, they are only open for breakfast and lunch. They are closed for supper, on Sundays and the occasional sweltering hot afternoon.

The Ultimate Great Hike

Adventurer extraordinaire, Dana Meise (aka TheHikingFool)  has a dream. His dream is to hike all three Oceans of Canada via the Trans Canada Trail!

He started May 6th 2008 and has hiked 7450 km of trail so far. He is currently in Magnetawan, part of Ontario's gorgeous Rainbow Country and is headed west. His eventual goal is Comox on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, the west end of the trail. Next year he will complete his hike, starting in Edmonton, Alberta and traveling north all the way to the Arctic Ocean.


You can follow Dana's progress in real time on his blog The Great Hike. You can also get in touch with him and cheer him on via twitter @TheHikingFool. I will be following his progress from time to time, especially as he nears BC's section of the Trans Canada Trail.


Good luck Dana!

Cowabunga

This past weekend (May 6th and 7th), the local theatre group in Enderby put on a Moo-dun-it (comedy) fundraiser for MacKenzie Camp, located just east on Mabel Lake Road. Set in the United Church, a dinner was provided in the dining area before the show.

This family appropriate, moo-licious show offered plenty of laughs and featured numerous songs, all set to a cow theme written by local Linzy Lunkwist. Did Bully the Cud try to kill Farmer Brown or was another member of the herd responsible for the attempted crime? If you weren't there for the show...I guess you will never know.

Pics of the cast before the show (Some of the pictures were provided by friends and family of cast members).

 

 

 

 

 

Opening Song

Cow Court In Session.

On the Stand.

The Sacred Cow

Song & Dance

Final Song

Great show guys. Can't wait to see what you do next year!

Go Directly To Free Parking

I don't know if you heard, but parking in the BC Provincial Parks is now free! That's right, Premier Christy Clark has cancelled parking fees in provincial parks to make them accessible to everyone. She also promised that the money for the parks would not be cut because of it.

While my family never minded buying a yearly pass, I do know that it kept some people from using the parks. It was rather a hassle for those who don't carry change in their vehicles. Well, no more. I expect to see more people enjoying our amazing parks regularly, and with a little more change in their pockets.

Hiking the Enderby Cliffs

Yesterday (Sunday, May 1), I joined the Hike for Hospice on a hike up the Enderby Cliffs, hosted by the Shuswap Hopsice Society in partnership with the Shuswap Trail Alliance.

A gorgeous day for a hike, we started mid morning up the mountain. We hiked just over 14.5 km and 2200 vertical feet (in about six and a half hours but there were some who did it in five hours). The new trail, finished last fall, was in good shape and accessible by most people. Not only did we have just under 40 people for the Hospice Hike but we met dozens of other people on the trail! All in all it was a great hike and they did an excellent job making sure that everyone could hike at their own speed and that no one was left behind.

I didn`t get many pics this round except for a few at certain view points, so as not to slow the group down. There was also a really thick haze, so even with clean-up, some of the pics aren`t as clear as I would like.

The Monument

A nice view point a little ways up.

A close up of Enderby from the first bench.

Down the valley.

There is still snow...

An interesting tree

The TOP!!!! You can see Shuswap Lake.

And Okanagan Lake.

The North Okanagan Valley

Definitely a few sore places today.  Will be interesting to compare this hike with a repeat of the cliffs in the fall.

Has anyone else hiked the new trail ? What do you think of it?