Greg had expressed a desire to "sit on" my motorcycle at some point "to see how it feels", and I must admit that I was curious to see how his Yamaha 1300 cc felt like, so we swapped bikes outside of Creston and rode to Salmo where we stopped for coffee and a treat at the Dragonfly Cafe.
There are small differences between the bikes but as I told Greg, I love my beemer but wouldn't be unhappy riding a bike like his. It has loads of power, great protection from the elements behind the windscreen and fairing, and it tracks admirably through the corners.
The ride west from Creston is beyond doubt one of the nicest I've been on. These view of Christina Lake, and of Osoyoos, do not do justice to the many impressive vistas along the Crowsnest Highway.
While we were stopped to admire Christina Lake an older local motorcyclist stopped to say hello, ask where were from and going, and as he does to other bikers that are passing through wish us a safe trip. The short encounter is one of those beautiful moments that stick with you long after they've happened.
Greg and I stopped at the Rock Creek Trading Post, for our last meal together on this trip. My cold and thick double espresso vanilla milkshake and ham and cheese sandwich were delicious. Rock Creek is at the intersection of the 33, that Greg would take to ride north to Kamloops, and the Crowsnest Highway that I would continue on. After lunch we said our thanks and goodbyes, and reminded each other to ride safe and "keep the shiny side up". (By the way if you want to read a really great blog, one written by Greg, a professional communications person, go to https://keepingtheshinysideup.wordpress.com/ ) I extended an open invitation to Greg to come and ride in Eastern Canada at some point and I genuinely hope he takes me up on the offer.
The rest of the ride to the Crowsnest Vineyards Guesthouse west of Osoyoos. in (Duh!) Wine Country was beautiful. I admit that I had pretty high expectations for the place, a small guesthouse with less than a dozen rooms, at a winery with a restaurant. It couldn't be better. As it turns out just about everything should have been. Well ok the cold German beer, and the wine, particularly the Dry Riesling that I sampled and the Pinot Noir I had with with dinner, were more than just good. But the rest, not so much. When it's Pizza Night at the restaurant and everyone else, including a fair number of locals, are all ordering their individual custom pies, it's probably not a good idea to order from the menu, and as it turns out certainly not the lamb loin chop that the waitress at the bar had highly recommended a few hours earlier. A smaller, more grizzled, bony and over cooked piece of lamb I have yet and wish never to encounter again. As for the vegetables, the potatoes wedges were burnt not caramelized, and the the carrots and what I took to be two french fry shaped pieces of turnip were more raw then al dente. In fairness though the 6 green beans were nice.
As for the rest, the room had a noisy under performing AC unit, a slanted ceiling that I managed to bang my head on and a small television, on a dresser next to a tall cupboard, that you could not see from the flannel sheet covered mattress single bed with the small pillows (all furniture, decor accent pieces and bedding from Ikea). Not that it mattered because the television only had a few channels all of which were broadcasting shows that were shot during blizzards. I thought that the football game was a rebroadcast of last year's eastern semi-final in Ottawa (WHICH WE WON!!). Oh and there were no blinds on the window which explains why I am up writing this blog post at 6:00 am.
So if you are riding through BC Wine Country, deny yourself that pleasure, don't, DO NOT stay at the Crowsnest Vineyards Guesthouse.
Here's hoping for a better experience in Kamloops today.
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