Salmon Arm, BC - Part 1

Part 1 - Lakefront Views

I had about six days off in early September which I wanted to spend outside of my area. Since the Canadian border is closed to the U.S and most international travel, I stayed (somewhat) local by travelling inter-provincially to British Columbia for about four days (not including two days to drive out and back). 

My boyfriend actually chose the location of Salmon Arm, since it was an area not too far across the Alberta border, was scenic and according to cyclists, had a lot of great routes for biking. 

I packed my road bike and a small bag and headed west on an early Thursday morning.

 

 

Map showing Salmon Arm (via Google Maps).

 

Salmon Arm is a small retirement community of 16,000 tucked into the hills east of Kamloops. We stayed in a kitchenette suite at the Prestige Harborfront Resort (LINK) to save on costs and also, to avoid mixing with other people in these COVID times. The room was fantastic and just outside the hotel was a nature area, lake and wharf.

 

Walking bridge over the nature area - view from back of resort.

View of the boat launch area looking towards the lake. 

 

 

Pond in a park near the resort hotel.

 

After having driven for almost 12 hours, we checked in, unpacked the food we brought and headed out for a walk around the hotel area. As you can see from the photos above, the nature area, Marine Peace Park (LINK) and Shuswap Lake (LINK) nearby were beautiful. Salmon Arm has a famous wharf open until 10 PM, so we wondered down the long planks to enjoy the sights...

View walking out to the dock's end.

View looking out to the town's shoreline from the wharf.

A short post today just to introduce the Shuswap Lake area.Part 2 will feature photos from a cycling trip that was 20 minutes up the road from Salmon Arm.

Next Post: Columbia-Shuswap Hiking

This is Not My Cat

I am the cat whisperer...

I bought a house last year. For some reason, the kitties in the neighbourhood have taken a liking to my house and drop by often. They don't just hang out around my driveway, yard, or on the deck. No, no...lately, some of the cats have been marching themselves right into my home. 

Here are three cats which are not mine.

 

This is not my cat. This is my neighbour's cat, Buttons. She's an Arabian Mau. She lost her leg due to being on the streets in Dubai, where my neighbour picked her up, got her to a vet and rest is history. She's a very demanding kitty, but very loyal. She drops by so often, she's made herself at home in my home, many times.
 

 Just taking over the bike room....

And the spare kitchen chair...

And sometimes on my lap...

And my spare bedroom...

 

This is also not my cat. This is Bella. Bella has a clumping hair problem and thus, gets shaved once or twice a year. She has the tiniest 'mew'. She is also owned by my neighbour and will often appear when Buttons is around. She is extremely shy, but has warmed up to me.

 

Bella, in her 'lion' cut. Her fur has all grown out now for the winter.

Again, not my cat. This is Skittles. I called him 'Fred' for the longest time until my neighbour told me his real name. He's adorable and purrs like a machine. He also loves being picked up and will kneed his paws into your flesh so hard, you could probably get tattooed by this little guy. He was originally a barn kitty, but now lives two streets up the road from my place. I ran into him while out on a walk about a year ago. He followed me home. Since then, if I come across him out on the street, he'll immediately run over for some pets and scratches. I wish I could adopt this little guy.

 

He loves hanging out on my new deck...

 

 

And he'll come in for a quick walk through of my house...

 

However, Skittles soon heads back out to lounge on the deck..

In addition to the cats, my house also attracts other animals, like....

A deer...

 

A wild rabbit which returns often to sleep in my yard during the day...

I do not own any pets. I think with all these visitors, I probably don't need any. LOL Hope you enjoyed the many animal visitors of Cutenekko.

Maui, HI - Part III

Scenic Drive - Reverse Route to Hana via Kula.

For the last full day spent on Maui island, we had to branch away from our usual cycling adventures. For the entire trip we managed to only get around the island on our bikes; for one day, we rented a car and would take a scenic drive along the south east coast. The reason for this was several:

• We had to be out of our rental by noon.
• We had to dismantle and pack our bikes into our bike boxes for the flight home later that evening. 
• The car rental company gave us permission to store our bike boxes and suitcases at the rental shop while we were out driving.(We used Kihei Rent-A-Car -- highly recommended!) 

Once in the car, we took highway 37 and 377 heading south-southeast towards Kula. The route took us past the churches we had biked the day before and we drove until we reached a small farm. The views from a public park nearby were spectacular.....

Looking down the hillside to the Pacific ocean:

We stopped at the Lavender Farm, Ali'i Kula Lavender, which has an immense garden, walking paths, a tea room and of course, lavender fields. It's not expensive to enter ($4? for parking) and the walk was refreshing. 

Along the various walking paths were many unique plants, flowers and trees. I think we spent about 45 minutes here strolling around the grounds and I snapped quite a few photos...

It's almost as if the tree is bending backwards in a long stretch...

Scenic view:

A Buddha tucked in among the tropical plants.

The famous lavender fields.

 

After this stop, we drove further south and stopped at Ulupalakua Ranch Store for some good ol' outdoor barbecue (sorry no photos). I rarely eat red meat, but this was a special occasion, so I chowed down on a burger and salad. It was delicious! The best part is that once you place your order, they will grill it outside on the deck to your liking and you can load up your burger with your favourite condiments. 

We did not go all the way to Hana, as both of us had been years prior. Instead, we called it a day and started on the drive back to Kihei to return the car. 

On the way back, we stopped at the infamous Grandma's Coffee House for a cup of java (sorry, no photos). Grandma's has a long history on Maui as she has been one of the first coffee roasters on the island (since 1918). It's worth a stop. The shop is very quaint and has pastries and baked goods on offer. There is little parking out front, so you may need to park on a side road and walk. 

That's it for Maui. I am looking forward to going back again...^-^

Bonus:

Due to the nature of my work, I am rarely home. As much as I would love to get a pet, I cannot. Thus, my boyfriend surprised me one day with a small gift - a mini husky plush toy. I take this little guy in my car and on the road, wherever I go. His name is Oliver. Here he is at the airport in Canada, finishing up the foam in my coffee before heading to Maui. This is the same photo I use on my Garmin Connect app and on Rouvy (indoor cycling app). So, if you see this little guy out and about on the apps, say hi or connect with me. I'm happy to follow you back.

 

References for this post:

Ali'i Kula Lavender. (n.d.). Home. URL.

Grandma's Coffee House. (2017). URL. 

Rouvy. (2020). VirtualTraining, s.r.o.URL. 

Ulupalakuaranch.com. (2018). Ulupalakua ranch store & grill: Home. URL.