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Sunday Drive |
| Ferries, Hot Springs and History. What a wonderful day for a Sunday Drive! |
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Enjoy a visit through our diverse and exciting country side. |
0.0 km - Mile 0 is the junction of Highway 97 and Highway 6 (25th Ave.) in Vernon. Follow signs to Highway 6, Lumby.
2.0 km - At right, Far West Retail Factory Outlet, world famous manufacturer of Gore-Tex® outdoor wear.
7.4 km - Coldstream Ranch. The Vernon brothers took over the ranch from founder Captain Charles Houghton, in 1869. By 1872, the Vernons held 1,440 acres with the Coldstream Ranch, as well as 3,000 acres of pasture land, leased from the government at 4˘ an acre. Forbes Vernon was later very active in the provincial legislature as an MLA, a position he held for 19 years. In 1891 the Earl of Aberdeen purchased the ranch from Forbes Vernon; his ownership marked the real beginning of the Coldstream community. The Aberdeens successfully encouraged "very good class" British and Scottish immigrants as well as Canadians to take up fruit farming in the area. At the time, the Coldstream Ranch occupied much of the valley we will be traveling through today, up to Lumby.
13.8 km - Lavington, primarily an agricultural community, but also supported by 2 large industries: Consumer's Glass, & Tolko Ind.
20.0 km - Riverside Forest Products. As you drive through this area, it is easy to see why lumber is still British Columbia's largest industry.
25.0 km - Welcome to Lumby.
40.0 km - At this point, we enter a different climactic zone, from the dry open land of the Okanagan to the pine and cedar forests of the Monashees.
62.5 km - Goldpanner Campground; a delightful stop for morning coffee. The Goldpanner offers instruction in the art of gold pannings, and tours of the old mines and gold diggings. Large groups should make arrangements in advance, to ensure the best service.
70.0 km - Starting the climb to the summit. Note the evidence of logging and reforestation practices.
87.6 km - Clear cut forests to control the spread of the very destructive pine bark beetle.
89.5 km - Monashee Summit, 1,241 meters.
103 km - Winding highway between the ravines of the Monashees.
139 km - The Needles - Fauquier ferry is a free, 5 min. crossing, and runs every half hour.
142 km - Osprey nests on hydro poles, visible for the next 30 kilometers. This is the highest concentration of these fish-eating raptors in Canada.
159 km - Beautiful views up the valley to Revelstoke.
196 km - The beautiful town of Nakusp - this is a perfect spot to have lunch or enjoy their natural hot springs. You can relax in naturally heated hot springs just 12 km from town. The nearby Kuskanux River provides the background music. The museum and info centre in this community is worth a stop - the history here with the flooding of the area when the dam was built is fascinating - it is also quite fun to see the thousands of miners that flooded into the area in the mid 1800's in the search for gold and silver. Continue on Hwy 23 north towards Galena Bay and Revelstoke.
245 km - Galena Bay take the Ferry - by now you probably have discovered that the ferry system is considered part of our highway system - this ferry runs every hour on the hour from Shelter Bay (5:10 am - midnight). Every hour on the half hour from Galena Bay (5:30 am - 1:30 am). Crossing time 30 minutes.
294 km - Revelstoke - Nestled between the spectacular Selkirk and Monashee Mountains. Quaint boutiques, casual coffee bars and restaurants are all within easy walking distance. As with many communities in south-eastern British Columbia, Revelstoke began in the 1880s as a transportation and supply center for the mining industry. Both the mining industry and railway construction required substantial amounts of timber which prompted the early establishment and growth of the timber industry in the area.
330 km - Craigellachie - the last spike. It was an ordinary enough sliver of iron; one of countless millions hammered home since the Canadian Pacific Railway was founded in 1881. Yet, with the swing of a spike maul by the Hon. Donald Alexander Smith at Craigellachie, BC on November 7th, 1885, that single spike instantly became an important historic symbol. Not only did it represent the completion of the trans-continental railway, but it also meant an important step in the founding of a nation. This is especially important stop on your drive today since you have been traveling though the mineral rich area that made this railroad so necessary for our future as a nation. Visit "The Last Spike" at Craigellachie (s. of Revelstoke on Hwy 1), a milestone of Canadian history.
364 km - Sicamous - take the Hwy 97A turn off you are now very close to home - be sure to take in some of the attractions along the route back to Vernon that will bring our region alive to you - some suggestions are the Log Barn just outside of Enderby, the Chickadee Ridge Miniature farm on your left just before Armstrong or the Village Cheese Company to taste some of the award winning cheeses of the Okanagan.
429 km - Home. |
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A senic tour to Cherryville |
20.0 km - Riverside Forest Products. At this expansive open area called White Valley; is the exact point where the Okanagan and Shuswap drainage areas meet and drain into the Shushwap North East. Riverside Forest Products. As you drive through this area, it is easy to see why lumber is still British Columbia's largest industry.
30.0 km - At this point, we view edge ecosystems for the next 15 km as different climactic zones merge, from the dry open land of the Okanagan to the pine and cedar forests of the Monashees.
35.0 km - Coyote Creek Art Village & Rendezvous Camp, a stop where you can take a one hour walk on the Sleeping Coyote Sculpture Trail and view 20 sculptures located within an interior dryland forest. Visit an Art Gallery and a Tipi Camp. The trail is open Monday to Wednesday and for special events or by appointment. Large groups should make arrangements in advance, to ensure the best service.
45.0 km - Cherryville and the junction to Sugar Lake and Monashee Provincial Park. Franks Store is the last chance for fuel before the Arrow Lakes. Visit the Cherryville Artisans' Gallery and Marketplace too find fine arts and crafts including pottery, glass sculpture and weaving.
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