The Lake of a Thousand Colors

Map of our rail-to-trail ride along the lakes today.

After a fantastic day of rest on Sunday in the wonderful small city of Kelowna, BC—great food, excellent beers, and beautiful surroundings—we continued our journey north through Lake Country to Vernon, BC. Our route followed a rail-to-trail path that was in excellent condition, winding along the shores of two long finger lakes just east of Okanagan Lake. These smaller lakes, Wood Lake and Kalamalka Lake, are still quite large, stretching 25 miles from south to north.

We rode past many orchards of cherry, apple, and pear trees. I can only imagine how gorgeous this area must be in spring when they are all in full bloom! The lakes are home to kokanee (sockeye) salmon and a diverse array of birdlife. We saw families of quail crossing our path with their amusing head-bobbing run, and we even spotted a pair of beautiful bald eagles soaring overhead as we wound along Wood Lake.

While Wood Lake was incredible in its own right, the second lake, Kalamalka, was simply stunning. It had that bright cyan blue typical of glacial lakes, reminiscent of the turquoise seas of tropical islands. Apparently, the lake is also known as the "lake of a thousand colors," as the water's hue varies each day from deep indigo to green, turquoise, and fiery orange or red at sunset. To complement the brilliant color of the water, the sumac shrubs lining much of the path were turning a vibrant red for autumn, and the Oregon grapes were laden with deep blue berries.

The bike path wound up the western shore for 12 miles—no cars, no traffic. The few other people we encountered were also enjoying a bike ride or walk along the shore. It was truly amazing. I did hear a couple of rattlesnakes off in the rocks along the side of the bike path; they were rattling after Andy rode by as a warning, but I never saw them. To be honest, I didn’t stick around to look!

Enjoying a break along the lake.

We are excited that we will be able to see our good friend Loa tonight for dinner. She is a former high school principal at the American School of Guatemala, where we worked for four years (2015-2019), and she and her husband have retired to Lake Country. It’s easy to see why they chose this area; I can’t imagine a nicer place than what we cycled through today!