The Canadian Rockies Road Trip - Final Stop: Osoyoos

The next leg of our trip to Osoyoos was a 552km drive from Lake Louise estimate to take 6.5 hours with no stops. That just isn't realistic, so we built in an overnight pit stop in Trail. The drive from Lake Louise to Trail in the Kootenay region along Highway #3 followed the Kootenay River, a crystal clear fast running river. The forests that surround the highway were healthy, lush, and green which was nice to see after seeing the devastation of the pine beetle infested forests in the Canadian Rockies. It was all so scenic and showcased the natural beauty of the great outdoors in our own backyard. Our drive was uneventful. We stopped for lunch in Invermere, a vibrant little community with the Kootenay River running through it. The area is known for several hot springs, however, due to the pandemic the hot springs were closed to visitors. We did stop for a quick break along the river and found it refreshingly cold. 

We arrived in Trail around supper time and quickly discovered the town is not that big or busy. We stayed at the new BW hotel located downtown by the Columbia River. The entire downtown area was eerily deserted. We weren't even sure any restaurants were open, but then we found Kootenay Kebab a block away from the hotel and decided we'd order take away. The food was great and we enjoyed our Mediterranean dinner of gheimeh stew and koobideb (beef) kebab in the comfort of our room which had a large kitchen and eating area. From Trail we carried on to Osoyoos the following day and arrived amidst a heat wave. 

Our Osoyoos leg was meant for not much more than finally visiting and hanging out with our friends who vacation there each year, relaxing on the beach, cooling off in the lake, and touring a few wineries. And with that we achieved great success! Considering we were on the go so much during the first three legs, doing a whole lot of nothing was the perfect way to end this road trip. Our winery tour consisted of a stop at Road 13 where we enjoyed a 1.5 hour private tasting, followed by a fabulous lunch at Tinhorn Creek on their outdoor patio, an afternoon tasting at Fairview Cellars, and a final stop at Burrowing Owl - my absolute favourite of the bunch, to cap of the day. On our last night in Osoyoos we had dinner at Burrowing Owl as well and while I really enjoyed my meal, it did fall flat with Z and a few of our friends which was disappointing. At least our waiter was great and very knowledgeable with his wines and didn't mind all our questions. 

After a relaxing half week in Osoyoos it was time for this road trip adventure to end and head home. It was an amazing experience being a tourist in our backyard and enjoying all the greatness we have here. Making this trip even that much more special was touring around with Z and all the little thoughtful things he does to make each of our adventures extra fun and memorable. While we couldn't get on a plane for travelling in 2020, we had a blast driving around and exploring. 

To travel is to live...until next time. Life is good!