"You are in Wine Country" Kelowna by darylmitchell

My partner and I drove to Kelowna in the summer of 2003. We took one day to travel from our home of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan to Calgary, Alberta. Aside from a bit of scenery in the valley at Drumheller, there's not much to break up this long, monotonous stretch of flat prairie. We stayed overnight with a friend and were on the road the next morning. By contrast, this leg of the journey was very scenic, as we were travelling through the Rocky Mountains. We went through Banff and Yoho National Parks without stopping, since we'd been there a few years beforehand. My partner had never driven through the mountains and was a little intimidated by the towering peaks and sheer drops. We stopped in Golden for a bite to eat and then continued. After an amusing stop at the Enchanted Forest outside Revelstoke, we forged ahead until our route turned south through Vernon and finally to Kelowna. Exhaused, we ate supper and turned in early.

My brother-in-law is a food and wine writer, so he and my sister travelled out to meet us. Our first stop was the Mission Hill winery, on the other side of Lake Okanagan in Westhill. This massive facility sits on the slope of Mt. Boucherie, and was built to look like an old Spanish mission. We took the tour that included the vast underground cellars and a tasting at the end. Our next stop was the nearby and much smaller Quails' Gate winery. The tour there was very informative and also ended with a tasting. We also took the time to have dessert on the patio with some fabulous fortified wine. That was enough for us for that day.

• Pros:Beautiful scenery, nearby wineries, plenty of attractions, friendly people.
• Cons:Traffic jams to go over the floating bridge to Westhill.