A scholar is just a library's way of making another library. -Daniel
Dennett, philosopher, writer, and professor (b. Mar 28 1942)
Hello Holiday Hikers! Just a quick note to thank everyone for the marvellous trek. How glad I am that things worked out for me, such that I was able to join the Easter Monday foray into the hills above Tinhorn Creek. I had never seen this part of the valley, from this "higher" perspective and I was certainly not disappointed. Thanks to those who led the way and thanks to those who shepherded me along, whenever I lagged behind, which was most of the time! Cheers, Patrizzio!
[I love it!! she can run for office with that picture later too xoxo!!]
Musings and groanings below, only if keen to listen to my whimperings!
Up at 7:15 am when my alarm went off as we needed to be ready to leave Spirit Ridge by 8:45 am to make sure Lady Dar was able to drop me off at Tinhorn Creek to rendezvous with the other hikers meeting there at 9:30 am. Sandee and Arv were both up when I came into the kitchen and we visited over yogurt and her fabulous home-made granola. Had two pieces of her home-made bread, toasted, slathered with more Kleefeld honey as I sipped my java. Lady Dar was soon up and packed so after Arv very kindly brought up a trolley I loaded it and went downstairs to load the car. By the time I had most of the baggage stowed and was back upstairs, Flamin' was ready to roll as well. She was planning to come with us a she was going to go to Sandhu Greenhouses & Nursery, one of the largest garden centres in the Okanagan, with Cora Lee after she dropped me off. Lady Dar was interested in looking at the various cactii, in particular, and other flowering shrubs, that might be available to use in our landscaping at home.
Thanked Sandee and Arv for their wonderful, generous hospitality, and wished them well on the drive back to Manitoba, this coming Wednesday, and said goodbye. Once at the car Flamin' decided she wasn't going to go to the nursery so we thanked her for the lovely time with them and said goodbye. We'll see Clan Sutherland on Tuesday at Sarge's retirement so will hardly be separated!
Sped north along 97 and we in the parking lot at Tinhorn Creek before anyone else arrived. Von Bigen was the first to arrive and so she sat in the back seat and we visited until the motorcade of fellow hikers pulled in to the lot. Introduced Lady Dar to many of the gang she'd not met and then she was off to buy plants. Waved goodbye to her and as soon as everyone had their gear assembled we headed out.
We were to follow the so-called Golden Mile Trail and access to it is through Tinhorn Creek property. This being the case, we walked up a service road running between their vineyards. Once past these extensive plantings we crossed a small fence, erected to keep snakes out, according to a posted sign. I used the helpful stile there while the limber-limbed vaulted it with ease. We next came to a gate in the cattle/deer fence, not far above, where we waited, rudderless, drifting aimlessly, in the rather cold, blustery wind, for direction form one pundit or another. Finally, after interminable committee meetings, countless internal memoranda and nasty ad hominem attacks, a decision was made, at the highest levels of our unincorporated conglomeration, and, for better or for worse we took the fork to the left and made our way along quite a good track to come upon the ruins of the Stamp Mill.
From what I was able to discover, the "Stamp Mill was built in 1895 for separating mined metals from rock. The rock was brought down to the mill by rail cars from further up the mountain. What is left of the mill is old rock walls," and a large wood-fired stove built into the centre, more or less, of the second tier of the rock walls. Not sure of the exact purpose and nature of this but obviously/probably had something to do with refining the ore. At any rate, another remarkable example of the wonderful history of the Okanagan. The setting itself, was idyllic as the fairly large, open, flat area in front of the rock walls was awash with wild buttercups. All of us, not just Tickled Yellow Tinka, were thrilled to see this riot of gorgeous wildflowers, although we had to suffer his dire warnings about what would happen if we so much as trod on a single petal as we assembled for our first group photo, ominously, backs to the wall!
Unscathed, luckily for us, we then made our way across a delightful creek and up a small rise to another flatish slope where we came across a number of round, pre-cast concrete structures, watering troughs, of a sort, for cattle, I assume. There was also a fairly significant, reasonably large diameter rubber pipe, part of an irrigation system for the vineyards below, I surmised, although I don't know for sure. At any rate, the hike really began in earnest, after that, as we continued uphill for almost the rest of the time until we took a break for lunch. The views of the valley below, whenever we reached a tiny plateau or stopped to catch our collective breath, were gorgeous. We could see Osoyoos Lake, glinting away to the south, [although there was fairly heavy cloud cover.], Black Sage Road across the valley, to the east, and 97 bisecting the floor, snaking north, vineyards carpeting both slopes. Early in the hike I was walking with Luigi and she informed me of the bike path along the Okanagan River, starting above Oliver, near the bridge just south of Tuc-el-nuit Drive, which one can cycle all the way to the north of Osoyoos Lake, so I was absolutely delighted to learn of yet another riding possibility. One could also see this path, quite clearly, atop the east side of the river bank.
After about an hour and a half, Harsh Task Master Tinka took pity on us and called a tea break, strictly no food, liquids only! As we stopped to sip and chat I noticed quite an extended cluster of tiny cactii, sprinkled with innocent wild buttercups, devilishly sharp, horrid critters which attach themselves with very little difficulty, usually to one's boots or pant legs. One is well advised to rid one's attire of these un-wanted hitch-hikers as soon as one is aware of their presence. They don't take long to work their way into fabric or leather and can cause a nasty prick or puncture or more if left to their own highly evolved self-transporting ways. In fact, Spumoni noted I had one such freeloader on my left boot as we left the tea canteen. I suppose I had been lulled into a false sense of security as I was munching away on a couple of Jim French's incredibly suculent, dried apple rings, in dangerous, direct disobedience of Tyrant Tinka's edict! Still, a quick flick of my ski pole and the thorn was gone if the Draconian Dictator wasn't!
Half an hour later and half a lifetime straight uphill, or so it seemed, and we came to a lovely, rocky outcrop, almost a jagged amphitheatre of sorts, and here we settled for our long awaited lunch break, Von Bingen even treating us to a Ziploc bag of mini-chocolate eggs, while she munched on the real thing, coloured, I gather, by, or for, grandchildren. Relaxed and refreshed, we weren't allowed to stay that way for long as the Forced March Maniac, after he had finished his K-rations, soon barked out orders to break bivouac and we were off, once again. This time the terrain was not as daunting and we ended upon on a most picturesque slope, so green with new grass and bounded by snow-covered hills across the way that it seemed as if we had walked into a scene plucked from Shirley Temple's 1937 Heidi. Had I been able to yodel I would have done so!
The Swiss reverie was not allowed to last, alack and alas, as Reach for the Top Tinka spied another ridge and we made our way, ever upward, yet again. Finally, we crested this last slope and were put on Otto-pilot, following, almost blindly, our kinder, gentler leader on the long, knee-punishing, downhill slog back to Tinhorn Creek. Must say, that in spite of my mealy-mouthed moanings, this outing was inordinately pleasant, inasmuch as the terrain, while challenging, at least for me, in terms of the pretty steep grades we covered, was otherwise open, with good footing from start to finish. Add to this the stupendous views of this part of the Okanagan I'd never had the chance to appreciate before, mixed with a dollop of local history and the plethora of wild flowers we came across, and I couldn't have been happier to have joined this Easter Monday holiday hike.
Once back at the vehicles, Hilde very kindly offered me a lift into Oliver. We stopped, en route, to make a quick delivery to her son's place, his acreage, seen from above, from various vantages points, and not long afterwards we were in the parking lot outside Crucetti's Restaurant. [While driving there, Von Bingen told me that she still lives in the same house she grew up in and so she is a veritable fount of information about Oliver and environs. It is simply wonderful to listen to her, and other locals, of course, talk about the Southern Okanagan, another incredible benefit of belonging to this phenomenal group.] I'd never been to Crucetti's before so it was fun to get to know another new spot. Coffee was very good and I had a refill before I hitched another ride with Jimbo back to Penticton, sharing the back seat with Bonita and Luigi, while Tired Tinka dozed in the front seat, completely exhausted from barking out so many orders!
Back at HH, Luigi was ever so kind as to drop me off at home. By the time we reached Burns Street I felt a bit like one of the hitch-hiking cactii I mentioned earlier, wangling three different rides and I was home-free, so to speak! Thank you, all my personal chauffeurs, and thanks to one and all for the terrific trip through time and new territory, with views extraordinaire thrown in for good measure, almost an afterthought, so fortunate are we to live in this magnificent landscape! Stats for hike:
The
Stamp Mill was built in 1895 for separating the mined metals from rock.
The rock was brought down to the mill by rail cars from further up the
mountain. What is left of the mill is old rock walls and a large wood
stove. - See more at:
http://exploreoliverbc.com/blog/hiking-golden-mile-stamp-mill-trail#sthash.6Xas67iq.dpuf
The
Stamp Mill was built in 1895 for separating the mined metals from rock.
The rock was brought down to the mill by rail cars from further up the
mountain. What is left of the mill is old rock walls and a large wood
stove. - See more at:
http://exploreoliverbc.com/blog/hiking-golden-mile-stamp-mill-trail#sthash.6Xas67iq.dpufStats for ride:
https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/1102856195#.Vvmr8zs6neU.email
Hey Patrizo - thanks much for the very nice email Easter card! Happy Easter to you and Corrine. Sounds like the hike today would have been a good one but alas things get in the way. When am I going to get an invite to watch, pester and generally be a nuisance at the next Bridge gathering? I mean it. I would love to attend. Take care. Talk soon. Bill Loomis
Monday, March 28 Two more bus tours, plus walking all over the Baixa, the old downtown along the river. Our hotel is centrally located near the Marques de Pombal monument, and across the street from all the tour buses. Today we saw the Presidential Palace and the Monastery of Jeronimos, and the Gulbenkian. While walking around the Baixa, we stopped in at a Starbuck's in a magnificent old train station. Classy building! Depart for Evora tomorrow, so have to pack.
Lovely ecard. Thanks. Good to be home at the start of Spring. Just left Sunshine Coast and heading to Cortes Island. Finally back in my own home April 2nd. after 9 months away. Talk soon. ✌Lynette Hi Lynette! Welcome home! Glad you enjoyed the card. Cheers, Patrizzio!
Thanks for the lovely card, Patrick. Hope you had a great Easter weekend with Wayne and Michele. I look forward to seeing you this summer in your new abode. Love, Agneta Hi Agneta! Don't worry, we have been busy getting ready for your coming visit! Cheers, Patrizzio!
Greetings! Happy Easter/Happy Spring to you as well. All is fine here, keeping busy as is usual. No trips this winter other than to see daughter & family in NJ. Going to Edmonton in May - NJ in July, Ireland in Aug/Sept and who knows what else! Retirement is great! Best Wishes for the coming months.
Love, Roma & Leonard
Hi Roma and Leonard! Lovely to hear from you and know you are both enjoying retirement to the fullest! Fondestos to you both, from Lady Darjeeling. Cheers, Patrizzio!
Directions to E Div HQ get off the highway at 176 Ave also called Highway 15. Go south toward the border and take a right on 96th Ave. Continue on 96th Ave and turn right on Green Timbers Way. Park in the first gravel parking lot on the left hand side. You are OK for three hours so you do not need to pay. Wayne
Hi Patrick, Corinne Thank you for the charming E-card. Easter Monday and rainy and cold here. Chris' mother in hospital in not a good way.We are supposed to travel to Florida with friends next week- not sure we will make it. On top of that I have had a cold for 2 weeks and looks like Chris may be getting it from me.
Laura and family moved out three weeks ago to their own house in Collingham - 3 miles away so things are more restful here.
We hope you have settled in well to your new home. We hope to see Sylvia in May when she comes over to see Jenny. Ray and I joined friends on a pleasant Durham coastal walk last year. Best wishes Jim and Christine
Thank you for your greetings,I do enjoy your cards. Mandy We hope you are both keeping well. Thanks, Patrick...that is a good one! Hope you had a Happy Easter too! Sylvia Dear Patrick and Corinne, You are really looking after my weight, as you didn't send me chocolates! Had a wonderful Easter Monday, brunch at our place with Mark et al plus Trevor's mum. then lunch at Don/Anne's with all of their family. Good way to celebrate Trevor's 69th birthday!!! Lots of love Tina and Trevor xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
***************************************
Easter Greetings to the Pentictonites! Cactus & I are in Los Osos with my brother George and nephews Louis and Clarke & Molly. Mild and sunny on the Pacific coast. Our hummingbird killer cat has charmed her caretaker into thinking she is a doll, not a maul!!! Alls well, the hummingbird escaped her jaws into thin air. Enjoy your day!! N & D Thanks! Hope you enjoyed the crime fest. I was in New York with a few of the usuals.
Hello late of Los Osos Donna Florida and Cactus! Glad the hummingbird escaped! Thanks for the link to award winning neighbour. Perhaps we'll have to stay with her on next visit!!! Sorry I've taken so long to reply but, on our home front, been busy getting ready for your coming visit!
Thanks, Patrick. Hopefully I'll see you tomorrow. Cheers, Jim
