We have visited the south central agricultural region of BC twice in the last few years with our friends the Teillet’s. This area is best known for its insanely gargantuan production of fruit and world acclaimed vineyards. It’s a desert town with a giant fucking lake in the middle.
The first trip was camping at swiws Provincial Park (Haynes Point) when Katerina was just a baby. Her name was Katrina then. My husband Matthew insisted we name our precious baby girl after his beloved Grandmother. She was of Russian decent and I was told her name was Katrina. It was a year later when I was doing our family trees that I came across the birth records for dear Granny and learned her name was actually KatErina. WTF Matt?! You loved Grandma so much but you didn’t even know her name?! I liked this version better so we had Katie’s name changed. But I digress..
Haynes Point is a gorgeous campground on a natural spit of land that’s 60 feet across and shoots out into Osoyoos Lake. Our site was directly on the shore with scenic vistas and full sunshine. I read if you stay on the other side your view goes over the US border.
The thought of camping in a tent with a baby scared the bejesus out of me so I found a tent trailer rental on craigslist. Site reservations at this Provincial Park required the blood of a virgin and the sacrifice of your first born so we only had one site to share. It was a little cozy but it worked. The Teillet’s tent battled the strong winds on several days. We would come back from a walk and it had shifted halfway down the slope into the lake while we weren’t watching.
We enjoyed a few boozy tours of the peninsula armed with our double stroller and to go cups. We did the typical camping activities and lots of swimming. There were several groups of quails that hid in the bushes along the pathways. I had never seen any of these birds in real life so that was as much fun for me as it was for the kiddos. Overall a great place to camp, but good luck getting a spot.
Our most recent trip was at the Walnut Beach Resort. We are older and richer now.
We lounged on the pool deck sipping cocktails and watching the kids caper and cavort. I hid my pineapple Nudes in a coffee cup and never got scolded by the hotel personnel. We ordered a few Miami Vice’s from the pool bar but they were charging $14 a pop (plus tax and tip) which is insane for the amount of drinks I would require. There were several communal BBQs that the men used to provide our families nourishment. We ate at Pointe 49 Kitchen & Bar, the onsite restaurant, a few times and it was quite good. The kids portions were massive. You can easily split one meal between two of them.
I almost burnt our suite down on the first day. We had unloaded our suitcases and groceries and headed out to the pool. After finishing my first “coffee” I went back up to the room to reload. It smelled like burning and there was smoke coming from the kitchen. Upon investigation it seems I must have knocked the oven knob when I set the huge cardboard box of provisions on top. The Costco sized package of chocolate bars was charred to a crisp and several cans of ice tea had exploded. The box itself was smoldering and threatening to burst into flames. Good thing I drink so quickly!! A few more minutes and I might have burnt down our accommodations.
The man folk went to the Osoyoos Golf Club for a round of sport on both trips. They had fun relaxing off site while the wives resented them for sticking us with the kid chores all day.
Matt and Jett went to Rattlesnake Canyon, the small western themed amusement park, on the most recent trip. The boys tried out the go carts, bumper boats, climbing wall and carnival rides. Ice cream was likely involved.
Katie had a little too much sun that afternoon and was starting to breakdown so she had a nap. I sat on the patio and read my book. The view was pleasing however our suite was located directly on top of the restaurant’s outdoor grilling tent. The smoke was constantly infiltrating my zen spot. And not the good kind of smoke.
Aesthetically the resort was lovely. The beach was private but small. They offer over priced water sports off the dock for those with a need for speed. The back courtyard had tables and lawn games. The service staff was great. The hotel policies and other patrons were a little stuffy for my taste. I prefer a private rental and some space to breath. I don’t always play well with others. Osoyoos has the warmest daily temperature in all of Canada, so it’s a great place to crack a cold one.
September 2020 / July 2017
Kids Ages: 3 and 6 / Baby and 2
paRty of 4 