Days 256-259, Penticton to Oliver to Osoyoos, B.C

Day 256 in Penticton, a lot of the days start this way. We all change vehicles so much, it is much easier to leave the keys at the front desk for the next person. I was looking for the keys for the pace motorhome today.

One of my favourite views anywhere, looking north from the beach on Okanagan Lake in Penticton.

The ducks were enjoying a nice, calm morning on the lake today.

One of the landmarks in Penticton is the S.S. Sicamous sternwheeler. It is no longer in use, and has been beached for a long as I remember. (came here in 1966!)

Looking out of the hotel window, I could see the farmer's market (every Saturday) setting up.

This Saturday will be a little different as the Rick Hansen 25th anniversary relay has infiltrated the market!

Two of the medal bearer's today actually ran their segments through the farmer's market. (I had to drive the motorhome ahead and wait for them to finish.)

We had a sponsor stop at Penticton Honda. Jordan was stylin' (and dreamin' !) in this new convertible

There was a reception inside for the Honda and relay staff, and the medal bearers.

This relay would not be possible if not for the sponsorship of Honda. They provided the majority of the vehicles we have used for the cross Canada relay..

Speaking of sponsors, the next sponsor stop was at McDonald's in Penticton. (Ronald always seems to know when the relay is around!, how is that?)

We had a lunch celebration in the community of Okanagan Falls. Thank-you to the volunteers at Okanagan Falls Community Centre for hosting the relay, and providing everyone there lunch.

The community centre is part of the elementary school.

The local paper ran a story about the students in Okanagan Falls doing the Rick Hansen 25th anniversary relay warm-up dance. The kids learned the dance well before the relay actually got there. (thanks to social media!)

Our end of day celebration for day 256 was at the Oliver (population about 4,400)  Community Centre

The medal bearers pose for the end of day pic. (in the background I see the relay has come full circle, the leaves are back on the trees!)

Our home for the next four nights is at Nk'mip (in-ka-meep) resort in Osoyoos, B.C.

This whole resort is on first nations land.

the ammenities are endless. Here Ty is playing ping-pong with his little cousin Kingston, who came up from the coast for a visit.

I do not think I need to say much about this place, the pictures will tell the story this time. (plus we had full kitchens, great to have a chance to cook again!

The sun sets on day 256

This place is just as spectacular at night!

and the  bonus tonight> the super moon!

and it seems to bring out the strangest characters! Leave our endurance athlete alone!

Day 256 started at Nk'Mip winery at the resort.  They had this amazing stained glass window inside the wine shop.

We had a day off, so we planned a winery tour. I really wanted everyone to see the Naramata bench winries just north of Penticton. So 18 of us rented a bus from  Route 97 Shuttle Service in Oliver, and headed out. First stop was at La Frenz winery. This winery has won numerous awards.

Just down the road on the Naramata bench is Hillside Cellars.

The  building is very unique. The winery also has a bistro, so we had lunch there, it was awesome!

The wine tasting room at Hillside.

After that we went to Lang Vineyards a couple of miles north on the bench. They were not actually open, but they gave us a private tasting. I recommended this place because of their maple wine, and........

the view!

Last stop on the bench was at Lake Breeze, another award winning winery. There were at least a dozen more we could of gone to, but we ran out of time.

One more stop on the way back to the hotel, one of my favourites, Blue Mountain Vineyards in Okanagan Falls.

Award winning wines, and a gorgeous view looking south towards Gallagher Lake and McIntyre Bluff.

When in Osoyoos, you have to hang with locals! At the NK'MIp resort, the have a cultural centre that includes this little guy, "slide". (He is actually in a terrarium.) A friend of mine, John, who works at the center was kind enough to give Pat and I a private tour.

John has been a snake lover since he was a kid, so working at the center is his dream job. (not mine!) Here he is holding a Sonoran Gopher snake, which apparently is quite rare in the area.

Then he showed us a local gopher snake, this guy was cranky! He kept hissing and hissing, too close for my liking.

This snake was very cool, it is a rubber boa, and it was very docile. They are native to the area.

look at these two bonding!

Later on Dawn, Kayla, Jeremy, Lisa, Natalie, Megan, Andrew, and Jordan came over for look.

Outside of the centre. John told me there are quite a few rattlesnake dens high up at the top of the surrounding hills.

He let Slide loose in the courtyard. This guy had been at centre for 6 years, is 20 years old, and can live to 30.

A beautiful golf course was also part of the resort, and there is always a lot of rattlesnake sightings out there.

The sun is starting to set on Osoyoos Lake, and day 258, another event day.

The whole resort was adorned with these native metal sculptures

red sky at night...................

Day 259, an actual relay day. I was back on shuttle bus 2 today, with Kayla as the medal bearer host.

Our medal bearer meeting point was at the Tuc-el-Nuit (a small lake just down the road) Elementary school in Oliver

supporting the annual Terry Fox run.

we had the meeting inside of the school library

the school library offers some good choices for reading

the school actually had in their archives a lot of pictures and newspaper clippings from the original man in motion tour 25 years ago, and had them out on display

the legacy of this relay will certainly be these school presentations

Our newest endurance athlete, Doug. Doug actually works for the Rick Hansen Institute He suffered from a series of strokes that left his left side partially paralyzed.

There is a large precentage of first nations students at the school.

This cute? pooch belongs to Terry and Laura. Terry is a medal bearer today, and Laura was a medal bearer back in Penticton. Here is Terry's story.

My quest is to raise awareness of registering to be an organ donor and the potential gift of being a living donor. Almost 6 years ago I donated

one of my kidneys to my wife Laura and it was the most meaningful and rewarding events of my life. This year I decided I would take it one

step further and try to raise awareness through a page on facebook called "the Kidney Krusader" where I update my training for my Supertri

that I will be competing in this September 17th. I want people to see that you can donate an kidney and still do whatever you want and save

someone's life. Next year I hope to run the Penticton Ultraman with the same goal. I am constantly inspired by my wife and I know that so

many others are stuck for years on dialysis because so many people here in BC don't know that they are not properly registered to be organ

donors. This year Laura, my wife, and I are helping organise the Penticton Kidney Walk and our hope is that through this fun event we can get

the word out. It would be amazing to change the future for people with kidney disease and to truly make a difference in so many families

around BC. Thank you for the opportunity to try. :)

Another group of difference makers briefed and ready to go!

The end of day celebration for day 259 was at the Sonora Community Centre in Osoyoos

Billy chats with the community's choice for end of day medal bearer, Lee.

the crowd looks on in the bleachers, that's 259 down, only 14 to go!
Here is today's bonus shot that Sam from the head office sent out: