So yeah, I guess I spread myself a little thin, so I didn't get to do all the things I'd planned on over 3 days. I think I'll go up there again in the fall though, and then I'll focus more on the photography.
I was very impressed with my poor old Oldsmobile. I was initially a little worried about the radiator exploding on the way up, but it was fine, and much to my surprise it gets amazing gas mileage on the highway. What a difference from driving around town.
I really took my time driving up there. I didn't go slow, but I did stop in several places along the way to take photos. It was overcast weather most of the way there, but it started to clear off when I was about 60 miles out of Penticton. (to be continued...)
(continued from Sunday...) About half way between Summerland and Vancouver (in the middle of the Cascade Mountains) is a huge provincial park called Manning Park. It's always been one of my favorite places to visit, ever since I was a small child. Manning Park Lodge is where everyone stops (usually to pee) for a break from driving on the long stretches of highway. The air is so fresh there! That's one of the first great things I noticed when I got out of my car. The whole area is thick with huge trees and high mountains. It's absolutely beautiful.
There's all kinds of wildlife to observe as well, such as deer, bears, and a wide variety to birds. I didn't see any bears when I was there this time, but I've seen them there before. What I did see, was Prairie Dogs--lots of them! Fortunately, I had a big bag of raw sunflower seeds with me that I was eating in the car. I scattered some around for them several of them rushed over to investigate and eat. I think they really enjoyed the raw sunflower seeds. Here's some photos I shot of the Prairie Dogs:
