Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/118161
weekenders Okanagan Nation Salmon Feast September 16 to 18 Wild West Fest September 23 to 24 Okanagan Wine Festival September 30 to October 9 OKANAGAN FALLS the getaway Splayed partway between the resort town of Penticton and sun-baked vineyards of Oliver and Osoyoos, Okanagan Falls (a.k.a. OK Falls) has long been a dusty pit stop on the road to better known points of interest – in particular the deep blue waters of Skaha Lake, just a few blocks from Main Street, and the protected grasslands starting at the southern end of town that open up at Vaseux Lake, a bird sanctuary since 1919. However, with the incredible surge of culinary and wine tourism locally (a halfdozen vineyards have opened in OK Falls alone in the past decade), the rough-hewn but tranquil enclave is now an even handier jumping-off point for ever-increasing numbers of overlooked gems such as Okanagan Falls Provincial Park, scenic St. Andrew's by the Lake golf course and the lush botanicals of Linden Gardens in nearby Kaleden. Downtown shopkeepers are even introducing western-themed storefronts as travellers bone up on the area's intriguing past as a First Nations horse-trading hub – starting at the museum in Bassett House, an early home ordered from the Eaton's catalogue and shipped here by sternwheeler in 1909. As for the most recent tribute to the community's wild west heritage, that would be OK Falls' bronze statue of home-grown cowboy Kenny McLean of the Canadian Professional Rodeo Hall of Fame. tourismpenticton.com the hideaway The first sign that God's Mountain Estate has an oddly endearing personality is that there is no sign: just a tiny gazebo with an address at the foot of an impossibly steep driveway. The second is the layout. Perched on a narrow shelf of vineyard high above Skaha Lake, the rambling clifftop oasis is a hybrid of architectural styles, full of offbeat angles and unusual spaces that give the place a quirky elegance, replete with breathtaking sunset views, eclectic decor and an informal ambience. True believers rave about nights spent in the open-air, one-of-a-kind Mediterraneanstyle rooftop suite. Also highly recommended: Sunday evenings summer through fall, when chefs from Penticton's Joy Road Catering host Tuscanstyle four-course sit-downs in the vineyard – communal alfresco affairs that take local food and wine pairings to delicious new heights ($95; reservations needed); plus, the Winemaker's Culinary Series, Thursday evenings ($110; joyroadca tering.com). Rooms from $159/night. 250490-4800; godsmountain@shaw.ca God's Mountain Estate, (middle) Jason Dziver/Penticton & Wine Country Tourism p14-15_Weekndrs.indd 15 the inside track Holy roller: The 2011 edition of Blasted Church Vineyard's annual "Midnight Service" features blues and gospel artist Ruthie Foster, October 7, 8. Dried-and-gone-to-heaven: March through October, sugar addicts from far and wide flock to Tickleberry's for to-die-for fudge, chocolatecovered morsels of local fruits and the valley's biggest ice-cream buffet (tick leberrys.com). Top pastoral pedal: OK Falls' spur of the KVR, along Skaha Lake's western shore to Penticton. Downtown Eden: A cuppa at Jardin Antiques comes with a side order of intriguing local lore and small-town scuttlebutt (jardinantiques.com). Finest feathers: Bird-watching and wildlife tours of the at-risk grasslands around Vaseux Lake are focal points of May's annual Meadowlark Festival (meadowlark festival.bc.ca). —Brennan Clarke WESTWORLD >> FA L L 2 0 1 1 15 8/17/11 12:12:03 PM