What happened during the rest of Meadowlark?
Well, I almost feel like John Denver is lurking about.

Here I am sitting in ole YVR,
a scotch and cookie by my side.
And I’m having trouble remembering,
what happened on the ride.
But then I stop and think a bit
And slowly comes the news
The weekend ended wonderfully
With great geologic views…

Actually Saturday was a good day too. There was only one event, the tour of the Marron Valley. Now this place has lots of Okanagan History associated with it and the guide and expert was a guy who knows his history. So I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that most of the morning was spent walking down into the Marron canyon and viewing the various sites of post offices, sawmill camps, old homesteads and other locales where people in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s tried to eke out a living.

There also was considerable referencing to the extensive cooperation between Aboriginal peoples and the newly arrived colonists. In fact, it might have been interesting to have some of the indigenous offspring present to give their historical perspective, because it certainly seemed like there was more cooperation — economic and social — than in currently acknowledged in public media.

The walk was interesting, especially since heavy rains and increasing snowmelts had caused the stream to overflow whatever banks it possessed. This meant that at one point we had to balance ourselves on 2X6 planks and walk across fairly rapid flowing water. After getting to the last key settlement site (all the sites are devoid of buildings except the remains of one at the last stop), we were treated to a comprehensive though brief lecture on the historical significance of the entire Valley. We then turned around and had to climb, at times arduously, back up to the one remaining homestead. There were we feted with homemade treats as well as an opportunity to talk to the owner about her environmentally friendly house and the garden full of organic offerings. It was a nice recharge, as we still had another kilometre to go to get to our vehicles.

The only downside — we actually hadn’t seen a good portion of the Valley that my good friend Sandy and I had expected to see. But maybe that is for another Meadowlark

Sunday was a long day, right from the outset — it was to be a geologic tour of the Central Okanagan. We boarded a bus in Penticton, drove to Westbank in West Kelowna and picked up another group (which then all but filled the carriage) and then set off with a Geologist who may be in his eighties. From the first site it was obvious that this individual was bright — having been involved in geology since his college days had instilled in him a vast treasure trove of knowledge as well as some excellent communication skills. Each stop revealed one more interesting facet of how the Okanagan over the past 200 million years has been formed. I am not going to try to explain all the interesting insights that were imparted to us. There are books you can purchase to give you very knowledgeable insights. But let me just mention the highlights.
#1)
While I was aware of the Ice Age approximately 15,000 years ago, I did not realize that it actually took about 3,000 years to completely leave the valley and in that time frame made some very definite impressions on the landscape. Moreover, there was an earlier Ice Age some 1 million years ago that also had some serious impacts on the underlying geology the region now has to deal with. All in all though, these ice ages did give us one very positive gift — soils absolutely beneficial to the wine industry (and to a lesser extent, the orchards).
#2)
The east side of the valley is probably 100 million years old although it does have some more recent changes due to volcanic activity. The west side is about half that age and is more shaped by volcanic activity — some of the tops of the cones of those volcanoes can still be seen and they helped form the plateau within which is my favourite ski hill. In one locale we actually were able to see a couple of lava pipes that burst up through the rock to form new layers above. Moreover, the original bottom of the Valley is approximately two kilometres below the current surface which would have made the Okanagan much more impressive than the Grand Canyon.
#3)
Some of the open spaces within the Okanagan are more due to aspects of the recent ice age which, when the ice dams broke, laid out considerable gravelly soils in the delta fans that now form places like Kelowna. It sure would have been interesting to have witnessed those dams giving way and the rushing water cascading down to the lake creating various creeks, canyons and flatlands.
#4)
Mount Bourcherie in West Kelowna is a very intriguing dormant volcano that reminds one of the Giant’s Causeway in Northern Ireland. While the pipes are more slanted and even horizontal, sufficient chunks have broken off that one can get a first hand look at them. The hiking trails are also very extensive and I do think that I will return (probably with Sandy as he is an expert hiker) and do more exploring. By the way, across the lake we saw a different formation — horizontal volcanic pipes which form a structure called “layer cake hill”. Made Bourcherie more special by realizing just how unique volcanic eruptions can be.

By the end of the day, after a long ride back in a hot, un-air-conditioned bus, I was a bit tired but very thankful for the opportunity to see the valley from the perspective of pre-human inhabitants. Since then I do not drive up and down the valley without seeing it in an entirely new light. It is a fascinating place, made even more fascinating by an 80 year old expert who took time to show and explain it all to me.

The Meadowlark was a most successful venture this year. Learned a great deal. Saw a great deal. Experienced a great deal. BUT, next year I think I’ll dial back the number of events. It was exhausting, but still worth it.

g.w.