More Autumn in the Okanagan

After a couple of weeks of absolutely beautiful weather, I cannot help but post a few more pictures of the fall sights.

Fall produce abounds; look at this lovely squash field.

A friend suggested we check out an annual Okanagan fall ritual:  salmon spawning.  Now this was a first!

The river (canal) runs through Oliver, and a lovely public park runs beside it so you could get a good look at the activity.

Here is the approach...

Followed by a big leap up........

Frankly, I don't know how the fish do it because I am certain humans would be able to navigate this upstream.  (The water noise here is deafening, and there are signs all around about how dangerous this portion is to humans.)

Finally a chance to rest....

In this picture, you get a better idea of what the fish are doing--the one on the left is actually protected a bit by a rock, so they are not as buffetted by the current.

It looks a little calmer going forward, but there is still a strong current..........

And as you could see, the water is beautiful and clear.......

I was able to take pictures quite nicely from a bridge, but there is always an avid photographer who tries to do just a little bit more.....

Just to add some information, the salmon are sockeye salmon, about 4-5 years old, and they turn the bright colour only when they are spawning.  Theyse guys have already had a huge journey because they come up the Columbia river system, and have hundreds of miles to travel.  By the end of the journey, they literally die because their body tissues have deteriorated badly due to the rigours of the journey.  They make a good meal for bears and eagles, but the fish is actually mushy in texture and unsuitable for our consumption.

The section where I was taking pictures is part of a huge river restoration project.  A large canal was built in the southern Okanagan to provide irrigation water for the agriculture around Osoyoos.  The law of unintended consequences ensured that a lot of native habitat and water control was destroyed (and salmon spawning was diminished) so now there are efforts made to rehabilitate the area.

What a great adventure day!

Fall in the Okanagan

(Before I forget, the Iceland/Greenland Trip has finally been published on malloysatlarge.blogspot.com)

It is fall here, and the harvest is impressive.  Grape vines everywhere are drooping with loads of fruit, and some of those grapes are being processed already.

Apple trees are laden, and to me they look like “Apple Christmas Trees”.

Fruit stands are open here, there and everywhere, and since it is hard to tell which one might be the best, we’ve been trying all of them.

While the irrigated areas are flourishing, everywhere else is bone dry.  Someone told us in May that that would be the greenest we would see the land, and it was true.  We did get 5 mm of rain in September, the first rain since July 11.

We haven’t had much in the way of wildlife sightings, but since we put new batteries in the game camera (duh), we know there are lots of deer around.

One interesting thing about fall is that we have started getting lots of clouds again, and often they are down in the valley rather than above us.  Sunsets are now quite spectacular.

The ones that are above are often capricious, leading to rain cells, hail, and even a “Thundersnow”, leading to obscene pictures such as this.

There are fall colours here, despite the predominance of conifers, with yellow aspen poplar and red Saskatoons brightening the landscape.

The end of September features the “Festival of the Grape”, a huge event in Oliver showcasing the wares of many vineyards.  We had guests from Gabriola Island to help us do a thorough examination of the possibilities.  Like many other events of this ilk, there were a number of organizations displaying at the event, and I couldn’t resist the sign for the Search and Rescue Association.

One tourist attraction here is a Model Railway Museum.  To put it mildly, it is unbelievable.  It is housed in a small warehouse, and features every kind of terrain and activity you can imagine, while trains of all kinds move through the extensive landscape. 

Check out the ski hill...

The Circus..........

A forest fire...

An accident...

And walking the dogs...

And here is something to give you an idea of scale (the people are 1/2 " high).  Whew!

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!